HPOF Bed Liner

[cbasta]

I have a 1996 S10 pick up with the original GM bed liner as shown in the attached photos, with the large GM logo behind the cab, as they had at the time.  I bought the truck with it at 18k original miles, when It was 100% original (tires, belts, hoses, exhaust, everything).  It now has 49k miles and I've since replaced all 4 tires, 4 shocks and 1 serpentine belt; -that's it.  When I bought it with 18k miles, I removed the bed liner and the bed showed faded paint where the liner shakes against the bed, at the tops of the bed rails mostly.  I've left it there since and would  like to leave it there, since it's obviously a 1996 GM original. Is this a problem for HPOF?  

I have the original window sticker and it's not on it, so this must be a dealer-installed item, purchased from GM.

[Ron Green]

I also would like to know the answer to the bed liner question as I also have the same exact liner in my 97 GM authorized Centurion Chevy 4 door pickup truck (only 3 doors available from the factory). Truck is 100% as it left Centurion and sold from the GM dealer lot with original paint, interior, etc. Supposedly under 50 were made in 97 with four or six 4 wheel drives made (I have). I am the second owner and bought it with 22K miles from a friend. Neither GM's or Centurion's build sheets show the liner but I have the dealers invoice installation for it. Thinking about HPOF next year.

[61polara]

Guys keep looking. There's documentation out there one way or the other.

 

[Restorer32]

As a judge I would want to see documentation that the liner was a factory authorized accessory and not an aftermarket piece purchased and installed by the dealer.  At first glance I am leaning toward it being aftermarket.

[cbasta]

I went to 2 local Chevy dealer parts departments this morning and spoke with their respective Parts Managers.  Each one took a look at my bed liner and assured me that it's a genuine GM part, because the official GM logo is quite obvious, and GM routinely pursues actions against folks that use their logo improperly, on much smaller items.  They state that those particular GM bed liners were a dealer-only item.

 

One told me that he'd send me an e-mail to that effect.

The other gave me the old part numbers, now discontinued, and item descriptions, as "Genuine GM Parts" from 1996.  They printed that out on their GM system, that displays the the GM copyright.  Then I googled the main part# and found it as a discontinued part, listed as: "Genuine GM" from several GM dealers online.  I printed one of those out.

So, I'll have 3 documents, plus the bed liner itself, that clearly displays a large GM corporate logo.

Edited June 16, 2021 by cbasta
typo (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

They may have been a Dealer Only item in '96 but they are available everywhere now, even with the logo.

[Ron Green]

My 97 with this same GM liner was sold new on 10/31/97 and before it left the dealers lot the liner was installed. I believe the price was around $100. I have the dealer receipt for this however it is in the truck which is stored at my other garage. Next time I am there I will get it and scan it. Possibly there is some decent info on it such as part numbers, etc. Finding accessory brochures or factory documentation for a 90's vehicle is hard to find if not impossible as they didn't have it unlike cars from the 50's and 60's.

[Ron Green]

Restorer32 is correct that the liner could be aftermarket. I found my GM bed liner receipt from 1999 (truck sold new in 97) when mine was installed and I was wrong that it was bought and put on at the dealer. It was bought and installed at Sears which was very close to the dealer. My GM liner appears to be a correct factory accessory and carries the GM part number so did Sears buy this from the dealer and install it? Hard to believe that GM would allow an aftermarket company to clone one of their current accessories and sell it especially since they were still selling them.

[Frantz]

I know you can get drop in bed liners from the factory, frankly they're better for folks who do landscaping work as mulch and junk slide out better than with spray in (which also can be factory ordered today). The newer stuff generally has a digital file that exists somewhere... I'd be looking for "order guides" that list all the options and option code a dealer could use to build a factory order. Once you identify that the accessory exists then you have to determine that what you have is the factory one (although frankly I think that would be secondary... a judge would really have to know it's wrong to take points off if you show the accessory existed).

Example for the future... Ford spray in bed liners have a Ford logo at the front of the bed, while when done aftermarket the Ford logo will be missing. "most" trucks do not get ordered with any bed liner so the owner can choose which style they want. If you had got a Ford truck from me when I sold them, I'd of used a Factory drop in bed liner but aftermarket for spray on. You would have to find or make the Ford logo and have that added to "restore" what a factory bed liner would look like... and someone out there is just as smart about the GM stuff. Find an old commercial sales person or parts person who has been in the dealership for 30+ years. They're out there. (it sounds like you've done this for the drop in liner... get them to print you out a parts diagram if they can)