Truck Cap mounting question

[The_Epsicle]

I just bought a Raven bed cap today from some guy on craigslist, It's the same color as my truck and fits like it came off it originally, it has some paint issues but for $100 it was a steal, the guy was just trying to get rid of it. He took some mounting clamps out of a F-150 topper for it and they're not working, they got me home which is an hour drive but I looked and they've already cracked the fiberglass so they've got to go. Do any of you know a good way for mounting a bed cap that won't damage the bed cap, I had a thought about using the four post holes that are already on the side of the bed but I'm not sure how I'd do that. The best solution would be clamps that actually fit if any of you know where I could find some. I should add it hasn't been sealed yet and it was slightly misaligned(it needs to come a 1/2in. forward.).

I appreciate the replies in advance!

 

[Haywire6000]

I usually use sine thin wood strapping and small c-clamps.

 

[The_Epsicle]

Thanks, that's what I did.

 

[97RangerXLT]

yeah, anything to distribute the load of the c clamps over a large area of the fiberglass. whether it be metal or wood. I think I would go with something metal as it will not compress (ie loosen up) over time.

AJ

 

[straycat]

I had a cap for about a year. I got it for free. It did not come with any clamps. I went to Ace Hardware and one of the guys there got me some metal clamps that fit perfect. Try there or at Lowes or Home Depot.

 

[racsan]

i use the stake pockets to secure mine, ive got those eye-bolt things that go in the stake pocket, i figured out where i needed the 4 holes in the mounting flange of the cap, assembled the pocket tie downs through the holes i made in the cap mounting flage, put on a extra nut just under the eye so that when i sat the blocks into the pockets, i could draw the tention down that much further after twisting the eye to compress the rubber block and secure the cap. i put the foam sealing tape on the bed of the truck itself. ive used this arrangement for some time now and like it, plus it give me 4 secure internal tie down points.

 

[The_Epsicle]

i use the stake pockets to secure mine, ive got those eye-bolt things that go in the stake pocket, i figured out where i needed the 4 holes in the mounting flange of the cap, assembled the pocket tie downs through the holes i made in the cap mounting flage, put on a extra nut just under the eye so that when i sat the blocks into the pockets, i could draw the tention down that much further after twisting the eye to compress the rubber block and secure the cap. i put the foam sealing tape on the bed of the truck itself. ive used this arrangement for some time now and like it, plus it give me 4 secure internal tie down points.

I've got it secured pretty good for now, I like having the ability to take it on and off quickly. But I originally wanted to mount it in the stake mounts but I wasn't sure how exactly, where could I get one of the "eye-bolt things"? The other thing that concerned me is since it is fiberglass I didn't really want to drill too much and cause cracks down the road, so is yours fiberglass or metal?

 

[racsan]

here is what im meaning: http://www.realtruck.com/keeper-anchor-point-tie-downs/

my cap is a fiberglass or plastic cap, but the bottom where it mounts to the truck is a alumminum frame. i think the brand of cap i have is a gemtop, its the same year as my truck, not sure if the company exists anymore.

 

[The_Epsicle]

here is what im meaning: http://www.realtruck.com/keeper-anchor-point-tie-downs/

my cap is a fiberglass or plastic cap, but the bottom where it mounts to the truck is a alumminum frame. i think the brand of cap i have is a gemtop, its the same year as my truck, not sure if the company exists anymore.

Mine's a Raven also the same year as my truck and it has fiberglass rails, I think I'll stick with the clamps for now just to avoid complications. Thanks for showing me those, they'd be pretty nice to have I'd imagine.

 

[momule]

My topper has the bottom rail molded as part of the fiberglass but reinforced with an aluminum plate front and sides inside the fiberglass. What I do to mount is put aluminum diamond plate cut to width and length of topper interior rails, then bolted it all down by drilling through diamond plate, fiberglass and bed rail. Gap is sealed with a butyl rubber gasket made for watertightness and it does NOT leak. The install is perfectly solid and all it takes is removal of 6 bolts to remove the top...probably less hassle than using clamps and having to line it up each time I take it off. Removal takes 15 minutes tops.

Because of the roof rack on the topper I use a simple rope/pulley arrangement to lift it up off the truck in my garage where it can stay up and out of the way until I reinstall the topper again. The only downside is the holes in the bedrail but when I sell the truck I'll cover them with cheap bedrail covers if the buyer wants.

I do it this way because years ago when I was a young dumba$$ I used clamps to install a topper and it flew off on the highway in a storm. Aluminum trash everywhere and since it was late and no witnesses I just kept on driving. Not necessarily the clamp's fault of course (remember, I was a young dumba$$, as most young people are), but that's never happened again.

 

[The_Epsicle]

My topper has the bottom rail molded as part of the fiberglass but reinforced with an aluminum plate front and sides inside the fiberglass. What I do to mount is put aluminum diamond plate cut to width and length of topper interior rails, then bolted it all down by drilling through diamond plate, fiberglass and bed rail. Gap is sealed with a butyl rubber gasket made for watertightness and it does NOT leak. The install is perfectly solid and all it takes is removal of 6 bolts to remove the top...probably less hassle than using clamps and having to line it up each time I take it off. Removal takes 15 minutes tops.

Because of the roof rack on the topper I use a simple rope/pulley arrangement to lift it up off the truck in my garage where it can stay up and out of the way until I reinstall the topper again. The only downside is the holes in the bedrail but when I sell the truck I'll cover them with cheap bedrail covers if the buyer wants.

I do it this way because years ago when I was a young dumba$$ I used clamps to install a topper and it flew off on the highway in a storm. Aluminum trash everywhere and since it was late and no witnesses I just kept on driving. Not necessarily the clamp's fault of course (remember, I was a young dumba$$, as most young people are), but that's never happened again.

Thanks for the idea, I'll look into it when I have some money. I live on the great plains so I'm no stranger to powerful storms, last year my town had two tornadoes go through and the parts of town that weren't hit by the tornadoes were hit with 100+mph straight line winds, that's of course before I mention the marble sized hail, driving rain, and lightning taking trees and power lines out left and right, there was lots of damage from that storm. All that being said I would hate to have my topper get ripped off while I'm driving, I'm not too sure about these clamps but they seem to be doing the job for right now but I definitely don't want to take this thing through a storm like that the way it's secured. I have no real garage to store the topper in(since the aforementioned storm that is), every time I want to move it me and my brother have to carry it it's a pain in the butt but at least it's lightweight!