DiamondBack Covers | Modifications

I had a little water coming underneath the rubber seal due to the bizarre design of the plastic cap top on the bed sides. Look and you’ll see it’s like a simple maze. So the water would go down the gutter in the center by the hinges and flow down the bedside top channel thing. So I used some weather stripping they provided to dam up those patterns

 

Love the removable drawer system!

 

I fit my Rtic 65 under my cover

 

I have a 2018 TRD Off road Short bed, with factory LED bed lights. been reading about the Diamondback cover SE version and it looks like its definitely what I'm looking for in a tonneau cover. With the 2018 it has LED lights at approx 30 degree angle right at the end of the Utility Track rail where Diamondback, has you remove the plastic cap and bolt and install a metal extension but with the LED lights I dont see how this i going to work the Composite bed doesn't go straight . Anyone have the LED bed lights can confirm DiamondBack addresses this configuration, This cover looks to be one of the most durable designs ive seen really like it.
Thanks

 

It shouldn’t interfere. The extension DB gives you is angled to match that line, and it slides right into the end of the rail so it should be above your light

 

Yeah. There is a little bit of play with the aluminum angled piece you slide into the track before you bolt it in. I don't see an issue. It sits high enough as well.

 

?

 

I’m assuming you can’t, but are you able to reinstall the end caps on the deck rails or do they stay off permanently now?



Finally got my Truck Bed Cover and love it!

 

Very nice Tacoma. I was looking at the DB 270 also, looks. Like a great fit.

 

Thanks man! Look forward to seeing some more mods that people do. There are a couple I already plan on doing myself with a bed rack, but it’s cool to see what others come up with too. I really like this mod



Just trying to think of what to put there. I can see it coming in handy tho. Just like the mounting of items underneath like the axe and whatnot.

 

Not of that plane but my other plane crashing
Durafly Tundra Crash While Head Tracking with FPV
https://youtu.be/sGPpH4FEm0Y

 

Congrats on your son! May you & your family have an awesome new year in 2019!

Thanks for the compliment on the bed rack setup. I would imagine that the design of the Diamondback cover; namely, the angled edges all around the cover, and how it sits evenly on all the bed sides and tailgate when installed properly kind of stiffens the bed already. I haven't done any scientific research on it and I'm not a mechanical engineer, but the approximate 150lbs of the cover should help keep the sides straight. When I added the additional approximately 200-250lbs of FRO bed rack, rtt, and other off road accessories on top of the cover, I think the added weight would help in preventing bed flex. If I added more weight, then there could be an issue of the sides bowing under stress of the load on top. So far, with regard to the static load, the bed looks like it's holding up well. At this point, I don't feel like there's really much more I need to add on there for what I like to do with the truck. If I do, then I might get another Front Runner rack for the roof of the cab and pile up gear on that. (Maybe, a Prinsu, but I like the idea of being able to transfer accessories back and forth between racks, should I want to, if I got a roof rack from the same company as the bed rack.)

With regard to dynamic load and off-roading, it's holding up well, also. Mind you, I'm new to off roading and the suspension setup I drive on is all stock down to the tires. A short list of off roading/driving I've done: mostly fire roads with a little blue and black diamond sections of trails in the Big Bear/Lake Arrowhead areas of Cali during camping/shooting/wheeling; off roading on a fire road from Te Ah campground area toward Zion National Park in Utah; off roading on a fire road to Thunder Mountain in Utah to scout out a mtb bike trail; off roading to a camping/shooting site in Calico/Yermo, CA. ...and hopping some curbs when I cut corners while driving badly in urban settings, Haha. I haven't tried rock crawling or something more extreme while off roading. Bed stiffeners would likely be very beneficial for those activities. I did get bed stiffeners last summer by Total Chaos (a fairly local to me and, I think, is a woman owned company) for peace of mind. However, I've yet to install them! Note: my setup stays on all day, everyday, ever since I installed the bed rack, rtt and mostly everything else I kept adding to the rack on the Diamondback cover since last June/July 2018 before doing a trip to Zion/Bryce Canyon, UT from Los Angeles, CA. The bed still looks and feels solid on the 3rd Gen Tacoma. My wife and I also recently got back from a long road trip during the holidays from L.A., CA to Colorado Springs, CO to Layton, UT, and back to home. 99.99% was on tarmac road travel. A 270* donut/skid at Frisco, CO was done in the snow in a parking lot to make a u-turn after some snowboarding at Copper Mtn. and minimal off roading was driven on a snowy dirt/gravel access road in Antelope Island, UT when we checked out the Buffalo Corral for some pictures of Buffalo in the distance.

All that said is just to say that the setup seems to be working fine for the past six months and I've been enjoying creating memories without any major issues to the bed with that rig set up the way it is, so far, thanks to God. God willing, many more adventures can be had and new lasting memories can be made with family, friends and the Tacoma in 2019.

 

You assume correctly. I wish I woulda known this before adding my front rail to the bed. Could have used the caps there instead of purchasing them.

 

Debating going with the SE or HD for my short bed tacoma. I've got a cvt RTT ill mount on top with the front runner system mentioned earlier. Would the SE be sufficient to hold a 100lb RTT, and a couple people inside? This just about maxes out the 400lbs but not sure if the 400lb rating is a static load or dynamic. Might have answered my own question to just go with the HD haha

 

In Florida and, with our rainy climate, I can't keep mine from leaking (2018 Pro with Diamondback SE). I installed the front gasket and eventually used the black butyl tape instead of the silicone (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2017-tacoma-bed-rail-gap-leaking-camper-shell.518376/). The front seems fine now and the water appears to come in around the center panel then run up and down the bed rail. I contacted the company and they suggested that it might be clamped too tight causing the rail caps to compress and that I might consider replacing the rail caps with steel caps (http://www.kbvoodoo.com/shop/toyota-tacoma-bed-side-rail-cap-system-short-bed-fits-years-2016-2017). This seems to me like it could be the problem/fix. If I squint, I can make myself see the gaps between the rail cap and the bed being ever so slightly larger to the left and right of the center panel.

Before spending more money I am curious to know: Has anyone else had this problem? and if so, Were you able to fix it?

There must be a better way as I haven't seen anyone else posting about this. This weekend I took off the clamps and let it sit overnight thinking the plastic caps may "settle" then re-clamped the center panel the next day. On mine, there is a little ledge where the clamp contacts the center panel because there are two layers of the aluminum. I tried putting the clamps separately on both the lower part and the upper part, and both arrangements made the clamp sit sort of cock-eyed and I felt like I was over tightening to compensate for the less than ideal contact angle. This time I also put some 1" flat bar there to get rid of the "ledge" (probably 1/8" just had it lying around and it was the right thickness) and the clamps now sit much more naturally on there. The top jaw spans both the aluminum and the flat bar "fix". It seems like I didn't need to tighten it nearly as much.

Curious if the "ledge" thing is their design or just on mine. Seems like a flat clamping surface would be better and this may make a difference.

Any help/comments much appreciated. Want to get this situated before the summer rains.

 

I'm not sure if anyone else has pinpointed this with their Tacomas, but with regard to leaks into the 3rd Gen Tacoma's bed, I also found that when off roading the water/mud can come in from the bottom through the little compartments at the back if the compartments' panel covers are removed. There are holes in the slots of the compartments for the tabs on the bottom side of the covers to go into. I'm guessing water can get splashed in there when roads are wet, too. If the cover is on there, then there should be little to no water getting into the bed; maybe, just into the compartments. As far as leaks coming from the DiamondBack cover (I have the HD) and/or the top portions of the truck's bed, I'm still trying to figure out how water is getting in exactly. I do notice those gaps at the left and right side corners of the bed sides where it meets the front bedside. I'm going to fill those up with silicone and see if that seals it better to avoid the leaks. I've also read or seen videos about something on the top left and right sides at the tailgate where weather stripping or adding some silicone can help stop leaks into the bed. For now, I just try to keep stuff I want to keep dry in tubs, bins, or bags. Stuff I don't mind getting wet, I just toss them in the bed where they fit best.

From what I've learned, that weight limit is for dynamic load and should be about twice as much for static. I'd advise to contact DiamondBack's customer support to find out more info.

 

I know there’s a guy who makes 3D printed cubby caps that plug those door latch holes

 

For the record, I'm not expecting a completely waterproof seal...so I haven't plugged the holes in the in the bottom, but do keep the compartments closed. Also, I installed the ESI tailgate seal (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/best-tailgate-seal.517449/). I have checked after driving home in the rain and can see where water has dripped down from the bedrail area and it is on top of the wheel wells, so I have no doubt that it is coming from the top down to a large extent.

If you are going to fill those front gaps with silicone, there is a ton of volume there. That is one of the reasons I switched to the butyl tape. Also, it will run under that cab-side tube and out into the bed from the T30 holes, so that weather stripping that they send in the bulkhead prep kit is important to install.

 

As someone else mentioned, the bed side caps on the Tacomas have some cosmetic designs that leave gaps/channels on the surface. A flatter surface could help the cover seal better on the bed side caps. As you mentioned, KB Voodoo has some replacement caps for the bed sides and tailgate (not sure if they make one for the cab side of the bed). It looks like they have some that fit with the factory tri-fold cover available, but not one available to fit an aftermarket cover like ours. Either way, that'll cost about $200+. I'm thinking something like this: https://www.grainger.com/category/r...z8p6tZ1yz7r6oZ1yz8p32Z1yz883iZ1yz888bZ1yz887o
or this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078Z3CDHN/ref=biss_dp_t_buying_options
siliconed on to fill those gaps on the stock bed side caps, tailgate cap and cabside cap where the DiamondBack cover's seals would sit should help with providing a better seal on the bed caps, too. I'm not sure how that would look and if you would care how it looked. A thinner 1", 2" or 3" wide stripping might look better than a 4" one.

 

I was thinking that those ridges in the caps might be channeling the water, but it looks like the Diamondback seal seems to keep the water on the outside- for me anyway. At least I haven't seen the water on the inside of the gasket (on the top of the rail cap). There is one exception and that is at the spot where the center panel gutters drain the water after I open the panel. But this looks like it only happens with a small amount of water because the diamondback panel gasket is lifted up and not in place when the panel is open.

Diamondback suggested the steel rail caps because they won't deform when you tighten down the clamps, but I would imagine that the smooth surface would also be really helpful. I like the rubber gasket idea too. I was wondering if a thin gasket under the stock caps would work. It would be cheap and retain the original rail caps. To me, it seems like my problem is now that water makes its way under the rail caps along the sides as the water kind of streams backwards when driving (not as much water gets in if the truck is parked when its raining). A small gasket underneath should prevent this. I decided to try to reseat it and see what happens before spending any more money on it.

Has anyone else noticed that the clamps are kind of wedged due to that ledge? I was also contemplating some new clamps:

$41 API Clamps (4 Pack) Silver Compatible with Toyota Tacoma - 2005 & Newer - Mounting Channel Track Truck Topper Cap, Camper Shell

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K2K1QG9/ref=twister_B07K2HR59V?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Think this might make a difference by applying a more even downward pressure?