New Leer 180 Weather Proofing

Just picked up a Leer 180, gave the truck a quick wash, and noticed a good amount of water enter the bed area after the wash. Was wondering if anyone had advice for weather proofing the inside so water/dust does not enter as I plan on building out a bed and camping out of it for extended periods.

Looks like water entered from the cab side on both corners(seam in between cab and cap) and also a lot from the tailgate/hatch.

Thanks in advance!

 

Did you seal the truck bed before putting it on? Water gets up under the side bed rail caps and also in from two large gaps at the upper front corners of the bed.

 

I was having many similar issues with my truck. To stop all water from coming in the rear end I purchased the RSI ultimate tailgate seal, along with the RSI rock block I believe it is called. RSI makes great products, I also use their ultimate cap seal.

Water and dust also come in very easily through the storage compartments on either side. I solved this issue by simply removing them and cutting a piece of ABS plastic to size, then calking the seal and bolting it into the six OEM holes.

As for the water and dust coming in through the bed rail caps, I place HVAC tape over all of the holes in the bedside. Once you reinstall the bed rail caps, the clips will puncture the tape and the tape will wrap around the clips. I also caulked the bed rail caps to create a proper water tight seal. The HVAC tape is mainly for dust coming up through the holes in the bedside.

Like you mentioned, water also gets in through the front or cab end of the bed. To seal the two large gaps on either side I used strips of closed cell foam which I then caulked around to complete the seal. There are also drainage holes in the floor of the bed which I sealed.

I went a little bit overkill but now I don't have any dust or water coming in. I've slept through heavy snow and rain storms along with constant trips to the desert with no issues.

 

It’s more likely that most of the leaking is from the truck bed itself, not the shell. Tacoma beds are not meant to be watertight, there are several gaps and points of ingress.

The one leak I had from the shell was at the brake light (Leer 180). It wasn’t sealed at all. I pulled the light out and ran a bead of clear silicone around it and reinstalled. No leaks since.

The rest of the leaks were around the truck bed:
The gaps at the front corners are the biggest culprits. There are several ways to seal them up. I just used butyl tape and kept cramming it in from both sides until no more would go.

The rail caps also let water under them and can drain into the bed. I pulled mine off and taped over the holes, slitting them with a knife to still allow the cap to be seated but decreasing the size of the holes. I also ran a bead of silicone under the rail caps on both the inboard and outboard sides of the holes.

For all those truck bed leaks, this was the video I followed. It details what I described above.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8MX0RvSCXg
It’s been completely dry ever since, including several rainy nights.

 

Those front corner leaks are such a PAIN in the ARSE! I duct-taped the corners, thinking that would solve the problem, but NO Sir. The first light rain soaked my sleeping platform. Such an aggravating problem. Thanks for the video link. I'll have to regroup and start over.

 

My son's Leer leaks. Fixed the roof leaks, but even our dealer couldn't eliminate the lower leaks around the front and the side doors. My solution was to use a King Size waterproof mattress cover in the bed. Keeps his equipment dry and to open just unzip open the side doors and roll up the top towards the front. The cover is made of material similar to the blue tarps.

 

Can anyone clarify the width of the foil tape he used/you're using along the bed rail? I'm guessing 2.5" but could also be 3.9"? Any ideas?

 

2.5” The holes under there are in two closely spaced lines and one strip of 2.5 covers them all with room to spare. See that video at the 5:00 mark.