took cap off to clean up where the boot seats against the cab and wore piant off. also removed the bedliner, very dirty underneath, as far as i know it had been on since new. probly put it back on before winter.

Looks good w/out the cap!

TazDevil07 said:

Looks good w/out the cap!

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Agreed. I've seriously considered buying one, and I passed up another sweet deal this spring, but I don't want to wear the paint down to metal (like under the bedliners).

nice legs.. Oh and looks pretty good with out the cap

CowboyBilly9Mile said:

Agreed. I've seriously considered buying one, and I passed up another sweet deal this spring, but I don't want to wear the paint down to metal (like under the bedliners).

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I always hated caps...right up until I happened to buy one a couple years back. Oops. I still hate them...but now also like them, and would miss having one if I didn't.

Turns out it's really nice to be able to throw your tools/fluids/emergency gear someplace locked and dry, and still have some space in the back of the cab. It's nice for camping, too- setting up/taking down/drying out a tent for one night is rather time consuming, compared to just rolling out a sleeping bag in back.

I've got plastic rail caps on the truck (factory, in fact, since it's a flareside), so no wear on the paint. Seeing the back of Racsan's cab reminds me why I'll never use one of those "boots" between the cab and cap, though...


I'm impressed with how clean the worn spots under the bedliner are- mine had some rust where the liner had worn the paint off. Not much, but in a few spots there was some.. Fortunately, I don't care what it looks like as long as it's solid, so wire-brush and brushed-on Rustoleum were good enough for me. (Haven't had the liner out since, so I don't know how it's held up.)

I have never liked caps. IMO they take away from the usability of a truck.

Plus livin in Southern Cali the weather is just not bad enough to justify needing one.

I do have a soft, roll up tonneau cover on mine which I like very much. Can put stuff in the back and keep them covered but still have full usability of the bed if/when needed.

TexasNomad said:

nice legs..

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X2 you sexy bastard!

i just got my first (nice) cap. for me, i fill up the bed of my truck pretty often, but in the last year or two i can think of 3-4 times that a cap would be a problem (mulch, moving big stuff, etc). i'd much rather have it covered for the 50x i was throwing luggage and other crap back there.

to each his own. i personally don't love how they look (although mine is rather sexy), but there's no arguing with how functional they are when you need them. if you're using the bed all the time for big stuff, don't get one - otherwise, they're great.

And the fact you can lock them and create a "semi" secure place to put things is a BIG plus if you need to carry a lot of stuff with you all the time.

Before you put the liner back in if you put a bed mat on the floor and some cap tape on the rails it won't take any more of the paint off. Cap tape is the foam tape you pot on before installing the cap again

im thinking of putting some chrome tape on the back of the cab where the boot will go up against. ive refinished the worn spots and am letting it cure out for a week or so before i put it all back together again. i do have a old bedmat i could put in before putting the liner back in. i had planned on new cap tape, just havent picked it up yet. 4 out of the 6 clamps broke taking them off. think i'll use the original 2 that didnt break in the middle, and for the other 4 i'll use those eyebolt things with the rubber blocks that go into the stake pockets. i did something similat with a full-size once, gives me real good internal tie-downs.