Show me your shell!

Yes, mine has a little dust. I installed a 2nd LED light above the windoor (haven’t connected it yet) and when adjusting the Velcro I noticed a little dust. Mine is not that bad. I think it is because of the dust in the factory. Mine is well glued to topper. I would think a good vacuum would take care of it. I use a Dyson brand. Also, when they installed the topper, they used an air hose and cleaned everything out.

 

Hey guys, just thought I would comment on the dust in the carpet thing. It’s leftover fiberglass dust from the manufacturing process. These things are made in high dust environment. I just lay upside down with a vacuum and vac it. I have had several camper shells over the years, just wear a mask.

 

Thank you to everyone for their observations and recommendations! This never happened with my older A.R.E. shell, so I have been concerned.

I'm going to vacuum the crap out of it, then wash down the carpeting with a high pressure hose, and then run a fan & heater to dry it out. If it's still happening afterward, I'll call A.R.E..

 

Just to mention on the subject of vacs, when I replaced the seal and cleaned up my Leer, I had it off the truck and upside down. Used a Dyson DC 41 and really vac'd the hell out of it. Still have dust when snapping back the cargo net I secured to the cap ceiling.

 

ARE MX. I’ve had ARE MX’s on all three generations of my Tacoma’s along with a Ranger and a S10. I like the extra height inside and the flat roof for my Yakima rack “stuff”.

 

With an MX cap, anybody know what size tarp I'd need to cover the truck front to back, at least down to the tires. 12'*16' should do it I'd think. Trying to decorate the taco for a trunk or treat at the kiddos school and trying to plan my costs

 

Went to my local A.R.E. Dealer today where they connected my LED light above the windoor. This is so I can only open the windoor at night and turn on that light only, instead of having to go through the back door. It is bright enough for my application. They didn’t charge me anything. Remember I stated that the dealer was the #1 reason why I purchased A.R.E. Over Leer. I asked them about the “magic” dust and they said it comes from the factory assembly line process and is fiberglass. When they installed mine, they used an air hose to clean it out. But I still have a little. Since I don’t sleep in mine or disturb the material, nothing is falling down. I’ll probably vacuum it later at the time I clean out the back.





Wild Bill and his magic dust

I think I’m starting to glow......I’m my own LED

 

So I have 17+ year old fiberglass dust embedded in my liner... Joy.

 

It's all good, probably reached it's half life by now

 

I would keep the leer... the color matched leer looks better in my opinion. Where are you in SWFL. I live in Cape Coral.

 

Not mine, but thought I'd share:

 

Thanks, I did keep the Leer and am very happy with that decision! I had big plans for the ol aluminum topper but agree that the Leer looks better!

I live in South Ft. Myers/Estero area. I've got family in the Cape and that is actually where I picked up the Leer from!

 

Got my leer 180 installed today!

 

Has anyone done any custom paint jobs/paint matches for their shells? I want to buy a used one and I feel like I'm searching for a needle in a haystack by trying to find a nice one in the right color.

 

@Carson_SR54x4 it took me 6 years of casually searching local Craigslist before finding my current color matched Leer. Since I had my aluminum topper I wasn't actively looking or I probably could have found one in few months.

There were always nice toppers available, but most didn't have side windoors and that was my no.1 requirement! If your not picky, a good deal will pop up!

If you can find a good deal, figure about few hundred to have it painted. ($300-500 depending on shop, color and quality of work).

Many years ago I bought an ARE topper for my Colorado and me and my buddy painted it to match. He had the equipment, booth, and access to automotive paint supplies. It turned out decent enough for my first time ever painting!

 

Not sure about silver but I was skeptical on an actual solid match to the factory 040 Super White using Duplicolor's rattle can. It was close enough I really couldn't "see" a difference. Of course I knew it wasn't the same but yeah, pretty damn close.

Prep is going to be key if you do go the DIY route. Lots of vids out there.

 

Alright. Thanks for the input

 

sure you saw this in the 1st gen section but if not, check it out. Talk about inspiring... lol a lot more patience than I have I think.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...0-craigslist-20-year-old-camper-shell.626924/

 

@Carson_SR54x4 did you see this "local" listing?

https://sarasota.craigslist.org/pts/d/myakka-city-toyota-tacoma-topper/6971574246.html

Silver, mid-rise, windoors!

 

Swapped out the SnugTop Rebel for an ARE DCU. Before and After.