Dude, where’s my front bed rail?

yeah, there has to be an easy fix for this. Going to look in the topper threads…

 

The silicone is not noticeable in that gap unless looking for it. Of course, there is black to completely blend in.


I've driven and camped in torrential rain. The only water that comes in is the joint between the metal fenders and composite bed if I rally through standing water. Otherwise, my own condensation is a more significant problem.


Although, different tonneaus and canopies have their own, different leaking issues.

 

That was true stock, but they are (were) easy to permanently seal. Here in Mold City, I have had zero issues.

 

I believe you made a mistake on where you placed your sealant. (Not that this will do you any good now, but others might profit from this.) When I sealed mine, I put all the sealant inboard of the holes. The holes are where water enters, splashed up from below. If you seal outboard of the holes, you allow no avenue for the water to escape. It just pools up around the holes, promoting rust. And it does no harm to put extra sealant right along the inside edge. Excess sealant will be covered by the lip on the top cap.

 

Yeah. I saw your post after I did this. Makes all kinds of sense.

A couple silly excuses:

-- I was in a rush. The ST is in that box in the corner, and I got home later than I wanted that day.
-- There is still plenty of path for water to get out as I saw zero squeeze out anywhere. The rail cap was taller than my beads. I also don't see water pooling on the ground on dry days.
-- I shoulda hit the fender to bed joint.
-- I should be able to get back in there if I ever feel the need. But, I am sealed as tight as I need at the moment. Here, a bit of airflow is good for keeping mold / mildew at bay.
-- Here in WA, it seems absolutely silly to say, but we just don't rust here. Even my bikes that I used to ride in the worst weather have barely a fastener or two that have corroded. The only thing that kicks off rust is bare carbon steel, like so:

Here's a decent up-skirt shot that has never seen a spritz of Fluid Film, even though I have a fresh can on the shelf:
​

 

Bought mine on eBay for $40 it was oem of course that was before the wuhan thing.

 

Picked one up through parts.toyota.com last week. $46 including shipping.

 

I checked Amazon Canada and the rail is $148.00 CAD shipped. I called my local dealership and they were only $58.00 CAD. I ordered one. Good thing I hung onto my tie down cleats from my 2016 when it was written off!

 

I’ve honestly never even used the side rails or the quick release hook things that came with the truck. I mounted two extra tie down loops on the “floor” of the front of the bed. I use those and the two factory back ones almost exclusively when hauling things.

I like the idea of the rails, I just generally don’t haul things tall enough to utilize them. I even purchased and installed a bed rail on the front of the truck shortly after I bought it, but again haven’t used it.

 

Better to have more than you need instead of less. The D rings do rock though.

 

That’s my motto as well, better to have it and not need it as opposed to.... well we all know how it goes from there.