bring44
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2020
- Threads
- 5
- Messages
- 142
- Reaction score
- 188
- Location
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Vehicle(s)
- 2020 JT Rubicon
- Occupation
- Professor
I'm not sure what gaps you are referring to. I just installed mine and it looks just like this in the front and @clweed. in the back. I was actually concerned that it was too far back, but I can actually close the top door in the aforementioned configuration. I didn't notice any gaps in the front bracket though...or do you mean the gasket. That's where I'm confused.I'm thinking RLD has the engineering and construction part down but struggles with the finer points of fitment. All their caps are almost identical other than dimensions so it's not really surprising and, as you said, I've never seen a cap that went on perfectly the first time. I mean Alu-Cab is well regarded as well and their first Tacoma cap fit like trash too.
Sounds like you had the exact same issues I'm currently having. Installing it where the front brackets fit, it was contacting my hard shell as well. Then on top of that, the rear hatch would not close unless i did them together and got the door behind the tailgate lip.
I spent some time on the phone with Joost and it seems that drilling these caps is normal. In fact that's exactly how all but the Gladiator and Tacoma caps are installed and he said they typically drill a lot of those anyway. The instructions I was given were to get the cap where I think it's right - where the rear hatch closes with effort but not an obscene amount and where the front is a little set back so it seals. From there it's just aligning the brackets, marking and drilling, and installing.
@FR33DOM has a shot (added below) where I think the cap needs to be and that results in the gaps that require drilling. In that position, my rear hatch is fine.
Going to take a stab at it today so we'll see how it goes. Also for any fab company out there listening, if someone does a mostly flat tailgate top plate that gets rid of that damn hump, I'm the first in line.
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