Truck cap blues

From : steve k

Q: hi i am in the market for a truck cap to fit my 99 ram quad cab. i go and check on a real nice one in my small town. $350.00. on the sign next to it it says it came from a ford f250 club cab or whatever they are called. this cap was beautiful probably a $1000+ cap. i had every intention of buying it right there on the spot until i measured it. it was 4 inches too long!!! what the #@$#!! i guess i made the mistake of assuming that all short beds were the same length. or am i making a mistake and it will fit no one was home so i couldnt ask him or even put it on my truck. thanks steve .

Replies:

From : bob

you should also measure across the bedrails. most caps are specific to both the model and year of production as body styles are different with different makes and they do change with time. this does not mean that you may not find a cap to fit that was actually made for a different truck. just means that you really do have to bring your tape measure with you and if possible drop it on to check the fit as sometimes even caps that were made for your particular make and model year may not fit your truck very well. good hunting bob hi i am in the market for a truck cap to fit my 99 ram quad cab. i go and check on a real nice one in my small town. $350.00. on the sign next to it it says it came from a ford f250 club cab or whatever they are called. this cap was beautiful probably a $1000+ cap. i had every intention of buying it right there on the spot until i measured it. it was 4 inches too long!!! what the #@$#!! i guess i made the mistake of assuming that all short beds were the same length. or am i making a mistake and it will fit no one was home so i couldnt ask him or even put it on my truck. thanks steve .

From : tbone

sorry but there is no standard short or long bed between makes. sometimes it is width as well as the length that is different and iirc my 97 ram is wider at the back than it is in the front by an inch or two. it is unlikely that a cover or cap for a ford will fit on a dodge so you need to either find one designed for your application or be prepared to perform some modifications to make it fit. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving hi i am in the market for a truck cap to fit my 99 ram quad cab. i go and check on a real nice one in my small town. $350.00. on the sign next to it it says it came from a ford f250 club cab or whatever they are called. this cap was beautiful probably a $1000+ cap. i had every intention of buying it right there on the spot until i measured it. it was 4 inches too long!!! what the #@$#!! i guess i made the mistake of assuming that all short beds were the same length. or am i making a mistake and it will fit no one was home so i couldnt ask him or even put it on my truck. thanks steve .

From : woody

on tue 13 jul 2004 103949 -0400 steve k smk17@cornell.edu wrote hi i am in the market for a truck cap to fit my 99 ram quad cab. i go and check on a real nice one in my small town. $350.00. on the sign next to it it says it came from a ford f250 club cab or whatever they are called. this cap was beautiful probably a $1000+ cap. i had every intention of buying it right there on the spot until i measured it. it was 4 inches too long!!! what the #@$#!! i guess i made the mistake of assuming that all short beds were the same length. or am i making a mistake and it will fit no one was home so i couldnt ask him or even put it on my truck. not only are the length and width different between brands and between yeas of the same brand but shape varies as well. the front bed rail and the tail gate on my 2004 ram have more curve than on my 97 ram. also the cab height and hence cap height on the new truck is about 3 higher than the old. both trucks have 8 beds but the old cap would not fit right on the new truck even if the colors were the same which they are not. talk to a cap dealer about fit. btw i am happy with the jeraco cap that i got for the new truck. .

From : mac davis

on tue 13 jul 2004 103949 -0400 steve k smk17@cornell.edu wrote its been my experience that caps are very specific... a friend wanted to sell me his because the dealer wasnt giving him anything for trade in.. it was from an 81 toyota long bed i had an 81 toyota s5 long bed.. the cap didnt fit because of slight cab-to-bed difference and slight difference in back of cab angle.. hi i am in the market for a truck cap to fit my 99 ram quad cab. i go and check on a real nice one in my small town. $350.00. on the sign next to it it says it came from a ford f250 club cab or whatever they are called. this cap was beautiful probably a $1000+ cap. i had every intention of buying it right there on the spot until i measured it. it was 4 inches too long!!! what the #@$#!! i guess i made the mistake of assuming that all short beds were the same length. or am i making a mistake and it will fit no one was home so i couldnt ask him or even put it on my truck. thanks steve mac .