Alibaba Aluminum Truck Cap

[257Stein]

Damn it! I should of read this thread before I just bought another fiberglass shell! I was looking into caps, but the sales people at the places I was looking all said they are not that good and takes 6-9 hours for them to put it together at more of a cost.
Maybe next one

 

[Muddler]

Damn it! I should of read this thread before I just bought another fiberglass shell! I was looking into caps, but the sales people at the places I was looking all said they are not that good and takes 6-9 hours for them to put it together at more of a cost.
Maybe next one

Yeah they were either lying or incompetent. This thing only took me a few hours and that was because I was by myself. I'm sure 2 guys could put it together real quick.

 

[K9kodi]

They bolt together easy. They told you that bc they wanted a sale and didn’t sell them. If they did sell them theyda told you they were the cats ass

 

[Alpine406]

I am following this closely, as I am in the same boat - looking to NOT spend $4k on the same thing I can get for $1500 or so. I did find this vid on YT that is pretty good showing the full process (fast forward a fair bit) and I like some of his improvements around silicon sealing, etc.

Another good one to show how it all comes together:

@Muddler did you have any issues with wiring in the brake light?

 

[BackCountryMulies]

I actually bout 2 of these for both of my Tacomas they are great! think I payed 2900 for both with shipping before the tariffs went up

 

[K9kodi]

How long before you had them in hand?

 

[RS_Non-Res]

I actually bout 2 of these for both of my Tacomas they are great! think I payed 2900 for both with shipping before the tariffs went up

@Muddler How loud is this shell when driving?
That was my primary reason for going fiberglass (three times) over traditional aluminum.

 

[jmsdad]

A few questions for those that have the cap/shell....

How hot does it get inside on a 90-100°+ summer day?

And what prevents the tailgate from opening? I don't see any lip on the rear door of the cap.

 

[Muddler]

I am following this closely, as I am in the same boat - looking to NOT spend $4k on the same thing I can get for $1500 or so. I did find this vid on YT that is pretty good showing the full process (fast forward a fair bit) and I like some of his improvements around silicon sealing, etc.

Another good one to show how it all comes together:

@Muddler did you have any issues with wiring in the brake light?

The brake light was easy from the cap stand point.

My Ram was a pain..I bought some harness that was in theory easier than fishing around for a wire under the chassis. Some ppl online were saying there was a CHMSL pig tail under the truck and other said there weren't for this model/yr. Trouble with the harness was I bought ththe wrong one, didn't know I had the smart tow system. Window sticker didn't say anywhere. Had goofy trailer errors when it was wired. Had to hack it apart and found that CHMSL pigtail.

Zero issues since.

 

[Muddler]

@Muddler How loud is this shell when driving?
That was my primary reason for going fiberglass (three times) over traditional aluminum.

I cant tell the difference between this and the ARE fiberglass cap I once had

 

[Muddler]

A few questions for those that have the cap/shell....

How hot does it get inside on a 90-100°+ summer day?

And what prevents the tailgate from opening? I don't see any lip on the rear door of the cap.

Cant tell you about the heat, hasnt been that hot here yet.

The cap door fits pretty tight against the top of the tailgate. I have the tail gate opener thing on my key fob and if I hit that with the cap door closed, the tail gate wont fall open when it unlatches. I actually prefer that the cap doesnt have a lip, my previous ARE would always freeze to the tail gate in the winter during warm ups/freezes. Real pain to open. With this cap when it freezes, I can just pop the latches on the cap rear door and yank on the tailgate.

 

[Alpine406]

I actually bout 2 of these for both of my Tacomas they are great! think I payed 2900 for both with shipping before the tariffs went up

That is a helluva good price for 2 units. I am sold on getting one for my '25 Tacoma. Do you have any weather or dust issues with the glass windows or small slider side window? I want to have the windows on the sides as I will occasionally sleep in the back of the truck and like the light/ventilation option, but was just curious about your experience. With that one photo mudding it out of elk country, I was curious how everything looked inside.

 

[K9kodi]

From my experience in knowing people with the aluminum modular caps, majority of yiur concerns are addressed in the construction or assembly rather of the cap. If you go to a cheaper facility id bet they are more worried about just getting it together and on so the next one is in. I have two friends w the style caps from smart cap. One has zero issues from a reputable cap shop with a long history of business. The other has a cap put together by one of those off road shops that lasts about 2-3 years before closing doors and his leaks at the seams and has to take it back. I would assume the windows are a non issue