Bed Waterproofing (3rd Gen Tacoma)

#1

Hi All,

I’ve been looking for tips on sealing my bed 100% before installing my GFC, and seems like there isn’t a thread with all the info in one place so I thought I would start one (I’m building #1050 so I’m thinking way ahead)

What are people using for sealant? Where are you applying? Two main areas I’ve seen are:

  1. Front Corners where bed sides meet front of bed
  2. Under Bed Rails? Is this necessary for 3rd gens?

Has anyone found other areas that a lot of water is getting in? I’m not that worried about small quantities, anything large enough to create puddles I want to seal up…

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#2

on my second gen i have water getting into the bed thru the bolts holding the side rails on. 2012 with 104k miles… which reminds me i need to sort this out

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#3

I am very intrested in the thread as i am build #1027 and I was looking into sealing my bed. I know that there can be water intrusion form both of the side cubbies toward the tail gate. May need to put some sealant around those areas. For the front corners toyota makes filler plugs (parts number 62541-04010 and 62542-04010) They are a bit over priced IMO. I have also seen people use black silicone or you can get some water resistant adhesive foam pads. When i had a tonneau cover they were supplied by the company. I heard if you contact Truxedo (a tonneau cover company) they can provide you with the foam caps at little or no cost. See picture below

foam%20pads
foam pads.png1052×776 177 KB

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#4

I haven’t had any water intrusion on my 3rd gen. All I did was:

  • added a tailgate seal (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IPQWXZQ)
  • used aluminum foil tape and silicone under the side bed rails
  • used butyl tap to fill any gaps where I could see light coming in (upper corners at the cab being the main place).

Edit: and I got some seals for the bed cubbies from a user on tacomaworld. can’t find the link right now though.
Edit 2: I think i got the seals from: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trying-to-gauge-interest-on-selling-an-add-on-piece.490631/

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#5

Butyl tape is your friend! Front corners are the worst. I haven’t seen any water coming from the side rails.

There is a guy that makes gaskets for the cubbies and covers for the “teeth” holes where the cubby door sits, little 3D printed jobs on that other forum. I hate PayPal so I crafted my own shitty versions out of JB Weld putty and foil. And a bead of silicone around the cubby works just fine too.

I noticed over time my bed has changed/flexed some. After removing the GFC when it had been on my truck for over a year, gaps in the front corners opened up. Before I put it back on, I pushed more butyl tape in and they closed right back up with reinstall

#6

Very basic question. What is the purpose of the aluminum tape in addition to the silicone? Do you cover both the rear panel and the underside of the rail with tape, then apply the silicone to that?

#7

Not my picture, but this is essentially how I applied the tape:
https://twstatic.net/attachments/img_20180930_124638083_hdr-jpg.2966729/

after applying the tape, i then ran a bead of silicone around the edges before putting the bed rail caps back on.

#8

So aluminum tape means smaller holes and less, and silicone blocks the water that does get in. Got it, thanks.