Waterproofing Shell Installation

Howdy,

Been looking to get a new shell. All the dealers are charging $100+ to install, which is preposterous!

Each mention the "fact" the Tacoma bed needs to be weather sealed/waterproofed at the junction but I can't find any information on this so I can do it myself.

I don't know if it's just weather stripping on top of the rail or something else.

Any instructions/advice?

Thanks,

W

 

You can find weatherstrip for truck rails at any auto parts store. Just run that stuff on the underside of the cap/topper rails and you should be good to go. There are also weatherstrip kits for the tailgate too if you want to block any water out that way too.

My Bestop came with some foam type weatherstrip that was sticky on one side only which made things real easy.

 

In my opinion, if the shell isn't already weatherproofed it's not installed properly.

But I've never purchased a shell either.

I just priced out a Snugtop here in Montana. The Rebel w/ dog screens, LED interior light strip, electronic lock, and something else was like $2,500. We discussed how the bed caps on the Tacoma are a problem for keeping water out because they simply clip onto the bed and aren't actually sealed to begin with. So the guy told me water can get into the bed through the factory bed caps.

 

You need to pull up the plastic bed rail at the front of the bed and lay weatherstripping underneath the rail and across the front of the bed. That's the spot where they will tend to leak.

 

Tacoma's have a very wide gap at the front of the bed to fill when installing a cap. This is more a truck design flaw than a cap problem. Yes, it is hard to prevent water from getting in there. You'll need weather stripping at least 1" thick up there.

 

$16 ESI Front Rail Seal 6ft EPDM Rubber

https://www.amazon.com/Front-Rail-S...99600&sr=8-2&keywords=truck+camper+shell+seal

Use this for the front rail. It's thicker and makes up for the fact the front rail is considerably lower. Any other weather stripping will work fine for the side rails.

To wire in your 3rd brake light is also SUPER easy. I tapped into two wires behind the drivers side taillight.

 

Thanks all!

W

 

Weatherstripping from the local hardware store

 

Front of the bed like Tater said, that is where a lot of the water will come in from. It is difficult to get it completely sealed but get what you can.
That weather stripping that EatSleepTacos posted is good stuff. Very thick, very durable.
My shell was installed when I bought it, but had some leaks in little spots. Used some RTV silicone where I could.
Good luck.