Sealing Bed For Camper Shell

I’m currently getting my new to me camper shell painted to match my truck and wanted to attempt to waterproof my bed before putting the shell back on. I did the following earlier today,
Removed bed rail caps and laid weatherproof gorilla tape underneath.
Then removed front header rail and laid silicone under it and under the inner edge of the side bed rail caps and around each clip hole I cut out.
Before reinstalling side bed rail caps I stuffed butyl tape into the front corners of the bed between the sides and header rail.
Installed one of the ultimate tailgate seals.
Will install a double bubble camper shell seal for under side of shells over 200lbs before reinstalling tomorrow.

Is there anything I missed that would cause water and dust to get into the bed?

I had to remove all the windows and seals from the shell before bringing it to paint but the shell was brand new and installed august of 2021 so I'm hoping the windows and seals don’t have any issues after reinstalling. If they leak I’ll have to just pull them back out and put silicone on the seals but plan to try without first.

 

If memory serves me correctly, I thought I remember finding a couple of drain holes. For the side rails, a bead of silicone under each worked for me. Have you thought about adding bed stiffeners? Other than that, it sounds like you have done your research.

 

I know the storage compartment next to the power outlet in the bed of my truck can get quite dusty. I keep a little tool kit in there and every time I take it out I can brush off the dust that has collected on it. Since my bed isn’t covered I don’t know how much of that dust gets past the compartment door into the bed but I’d imagine at least some does.

 

Oh yea, thanks for the reminder. I also sealed the storage box.

 

My bed is cover and the two side compartments get dusty and damp/wet. The molded latch area I think is where it isn’t sealed. I wanted to terminate and put in the switch for my bed lights there. I purchased a waterproof switch. If anyone has any more ideas and a way to waterproof please let us know

 

I think you'd be hard-pressed to exclude absolutely ALL moisture & dust.

My '06 TRD OR had 2 rear cubbies. Both filled with dust and got damp at times. My '21 only has one and its interior gets dusty. That dust does migrate into the bed.
Water (albeit minor amounts) WILL get into the space enclosed by your trucks bed and its new cap. Troublesome spots IMO are the 2 front inside bed corners and the cap's rear door. Leer's weather-stripping along the top of the door works, except for each end where it stops. Always find a small puddle after a rain when the truck is facing downslope, not so much when it's headed upslope. Haven't crawled up to the front corners to see if the cap dealer's fix for water intrusion at the front corners actually proved successful.
I find that it's annoying, but not enough so that I'll go OCD on it. I just have to remember those locations when I stash stuff in the back.

 

Perfect I’ll take the side cubby out sometime this week and tape up the drain holes and put a bead of silicone around the inside before reinstalling. Also I’ll look into the rear door gap you’re talking about when reinstalling, I thought I saw an extra leer seal for those corners on eBay that are precut with 3m tape that doesn’t come from the factory. It’s in the link below, would this work for covering the rear door gap?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LEER-100XR...p-seals-5-Diecut-79154-set-of-2-/322522054525

 

I use my cubby for electrical connections. I used butyl tape around the outside to cover the holes. No dust or water.

 

I have a cap on mine and the only prep I did was tailgate seals. I installed Rhino Rack removable legs/crossbars and did silicone those drilled holes.
https://www.etrailer.com/Roof-Rack/Rhino-Rack/RRRLT600.html
Tailgate seal:

$29 ESI Ultimate Tailgate Seal with Taper Seal 10ft for use with Truck Caps and Tonneau Covers

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IPQWXZQ?ie=UTF8
This summer I plan to pull the cap and redo the cap seal as I picked up this:

$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

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NCC0SY6?ie=UTF8
I have bed stiffeners that do not appear to have any leakage around bolts. I also plan to paint the cap interior in gray while it's off. The biggest issues I have with water getting in are from condensation with weather changes and the window door seals. I check them every month and the inside screws that clamp the seal against the inner and outer "windoor" pieces get loose. I plan on taking them totally apart, sealing with silicone, and blue lock-tite on said screws.

 

I have a Leer 180. It would not be effective in my case, as the water is coming in at the top corner of the door not the sides.

 

i had that happen on an old topper and found that readjusting the rear glass and latches to make it squeeze the rear seal fixed my issue. Just took some trial and error over a week or two, just loosen it all up and have a buddy slightly push down and compress the seal with the door and retighten everything.

 

I initially bought that topper seal for the bottom but I have a Leer 100xl with all the options like carpet headliner, removable front window, and interior lighting and when I pick it up I thought there is no way it is under 200lbs so I ended up returning the seal and buying the same style from that brand except it is for toppers on over 200lbs and the rubber is a little stronger and more a triangle bubble shape.

ESI Ultra Cap Seal 1 1/2" Width x 5/8" Height x 23' Length, EPDM Rubber for Caps Over 200 lbs

$41 ESI Ultra Cap Seal 1 1/2" Width x 5/8" Height x 23' Length, EPDM Rubber for Caps Over 200 lbs

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MPMBIZW?_encoding=UTF8