So, foam sealant tape for a camper shell. On the shell, or the truck-bed?

Picked up a used ARE shell a few weeks ago (got a great deal) for my Taco. One thing I noticed on the truck of the guy I bought it from was that the installer had put the foam tape on the bedrails instead of on the shell.
Now, I've had a few (older) toyotas with shells, and I always had the tape on the shell and it was never an issue, so when I installed this one on mine I put the tape on the shell.

Then it leaked fairly well from the front corners. Now, I've been all over the threads about sealing the front of the bed, and will be working on that this weekend while the shell is out being painted to match my truck.

My question, and I haven't seen it discussed in any of the threads, is for those of you with shells that work well and don't leak much was the tape on the shell or the bedrails? Looking at the design of this truckbed compared to previous ones I've had I can see where putting the tape on the bedrails may be preferable.

 

Buy a good double bulb seal and install it on the cap. Amazon is your friend.

 

I t is easier to put it on the truck bed because it is not upside down , and that is why dealers probably do it . If you are going to take the cap on and off , put it on the shell . The tape on the truck without the shell looks bad , and can easily be damaged and have to be replaced more often .

 

Damn, that

$29 ESI Super Cap Seal 20 FT (1 1/2" Width x 1/2" Height x 20' Length) EPDM Rubber for Caps 200 lbs or less

does look like a good option

 

I have a Leer 100R that doesn’t leak at all. It has a bulb seal all the way around the bottom of the cap plus it has 1 layer of foam seal on the front top of the truck bed. The front top corners are also caulked. The shop where I bought the cap really knows their stuff. I’ve had them install caps on 4 different trucks and all have been 100% dry.

 

I've done a few things to make mine virtually leak proof and also to decrease the noise between the cab and shell. One is I used a series of foam at each corner and also garage foam seal. Another is using garage seal between the cab and shell. See pics.

 

What did you use to attach the "Garage door bottom seal" to your truck cap? I can't seem to find any tape or caulk that will stick to it well enough. Also, how has it held up?

 

How did you attach the garage seal to the cap?

 

Sugru is a good product for sealing up the front bed corners before installing a cover or cap. 4 packages will do the trick. I know that’s not what the OP asked, but figured it was relevant for those of you trying to make the bed water tight.

Sugru Moldable Glue - Original Formula - Black 8-Pack - I000465

Sugru Moldable Glue - Original Formula - All-Purpose Adhesive, Advanced Silicone Technology - Holds up to 4.4 lb - Black 8-Pack

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VXJM58/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5JaYDb74WD5EM

 

Tale the plastic rails off and fill around all the holes with clear silicone. Reinstall and they put foam on the cap and install. Water likes to seep under the plastic rail caps and trickle into the cap

 

I would never attach foam to the truck bed rails as it will look like hell if you or anyone else ever decides to remove the shell. And will most likely look even worst if you try to remove the foam.

 

It might sound a bit drastic but I used rivets to attach the garage seal to the bottom portion, below the window. Then I put silicone on both sides of the rivets and coated the top portion of the garage seal (where it touches the truck cap) with silicone. It has held up great. It use to leak so bad that I was at the point where I was about to buy a brand new truck cap. But now it does not leak at all, not one drop.