I've been wanting to put a cap on my 1996 Ram 3500 dually for a while, primarily to keep out the snow (and related melt that contributes to rust) during the winters. Also to give me a safe place to throw bags of trash for a few days when I need to make a run to the dump.

The truck, for reference:


I had my eye on this cap, which I think is just about the ideal option, but at $600 was a bit pricey for me:



Sadly it has since sold. I know the Leer brand and think this would have been a nice, high quality option, the only thing holding me back was cost.

8ft caps don't come up all that often for 2nd gens on local (NH) Craigslist, but there is now another option I'm considering. It's about 2hrs away, $150, and the wrong color (blue). It's also a brand I'm not familiar with, Century.


What are your thoughts on buying the Century and then rattle-canning (spray painting) it black?

 

Century makes good stuff. (they do campers and such too.) If you want to paint it, the prep work is what makes or breaks the paint job. For 150 bucks, I think it's a good deal. check it out good when you go see it, and if it is in decent shape, put it on your truck, and take it home.

 

For reference, I have painted before. I rattle canned my 1994 Isuzu Rodeo (first car) hood and roof after a minor accident and it turned out very good. Prep is, as you mentioned, the thing that makes or breaks it.

That and being patient and willing to do several layers. I primed, painted, and clear coated the Rodeo. I have also painted several pieces of heavy equipment (bulldozers, plows, loaders, etc.)

Thanks for the feedback on Century.

 

Cool. Should be able to get a pretty good match, and make it look nice too.

Pics when yer done.

 

Cool truck, considered rhino lining the cap? Would look pretty tough. The newer style ARE Overland have a two tone bedline style look. $150 is a good price for a cap that is structurally sound and has all the glass in tact. I don't think Century is a stranger to the cap market.

I went from a tonneau to a cap recently and held out for the newer frameless style. Here is what I grabbed








I lucked out and got exactly what I was looking for, a Leer 100XL in the right color. Paint is perfect and I paid $380 for it; I was willing and expecting to pay over double that. Needed a lock, gas shocks, 3rd brake light and some latch re-working but I am happier than a pig in ****. I looked on the classifieds daily for about 6 months before finding it. All depends what you're looking for and how much patience you have.

 

I love your truck.......

 

I was actually just considering this. I've been wanting to apply bed liner under the trim line on the side of the body for a while, but I've been uncertain about applying it myself. I might just take the cap as the opportunity to try out something like Monstaliner or Herculiner. I also might take it as an opportunity to find a good, cheap spray-in bedliner place (Rhino Liner, Line-X, etc.).

On the other hand, having this cap sprayed will easily put me back into the $600 range. Even painting it will probably bring me to $300 with materials alone... perhaps I am better off waiting for a cap like that Leer to come up again and spending the money to just be done with it in one fell stroke.

 

Just whatever you do for gods sakes match the paint!

 

You think? I don't dislike the orange per se, but I think it'd be both really hard to match the custom orange pearl that's on the truck and that it'd look really gaudy being all orange. I was planning on going black on the cap.

I think I've actually decided to hold out for a cap that is already black, I suppose I can be patient. I'm realizing that $600 for that Leer I linked an image of was actually a good deal and I should have made the time to go get it. $450 is a big difference, but I really don't have an over abundance of time these days and chances are if I buy the $150 cap it is going to remain blue (and crappy clear-coat-peeling blue at that), for quite a while.

 

In case anyone's interested in more of a reference. The previous owner had a cap on the truck that was black. It wasn't a high rise cap, but still, it gives a good frame of reference.