Okay, so the new to me full size 93 Chevy pickup needs a cap. I've been trolling Craigslist, but unless it's a direct fit, don't know what will fit. Looking to keep what is in the bed dry, especially when it is the wife and I at Daytona, or the Mitty. As always, hoping to spend as little as possible.
What do you mean by "direct fit"? Back then bed size was pretty standard, so full size short/long bed is all you really need to go by, or at least I would imagine.
When I needed one for a Ranger, I wound up buying it on eBay. But, I didn't really know Craigslist back then. Aluminum ones go for giveaway prices. Fiberglass ones hold their value better, but if it's painted a really odd color they get cheap.
For fit applications try looking up tonneau covers. Bed size matters for those and the catalog should tell you what years will fit.
generally all you need to know is long or short bed and step side or fleet side. that's true across all domestic makes until the last few years or so. they kept them nice and universal.
Starting in 88 for GM and 94 for dodge the rear of the bed is narrower than the front, before that they were square. Get the seller to toss a tape down one side and across each end, then the enter height in front, and you should be able to know before hand if it will fit.
ford ones are too wide. you really need to find one for an 88-98 chevy, but they are everywhere and cheap. i found one on CL for my dad's s10 for $75, nice smooth no window fiberglass one that was in great shape.
Great guys! Now my searches can be more fruitful/less frustrating. This is why I love this board.
I recently purchased one off of craigslist for my 97 F350 for $100. before buying one I thought all that mattered was whether or not it was fullsize/compact or short bed/long bed. However, there is more to it. Not all truck beds are square. I found this out when I went to a Leer dealer to see why there was a gap towards the bottom of the hatch glass to the bottom of the cap where they meet the tailgate. According to the Leer guy the fiberglass over time has stretched to fit the square bed of my truck but was originally for a truck that had a bed with a wider front and more narrow back. But for $100 who can complain. I put some weather stripping on the back to keep as much water out of the back as possible.
Do you want to be able to install and remove this cap by yourself? If so, go for the lightness of aluminum. I can R&R the one on my Ranger by myself with no problems and one for a fullsize shouldn't weight a crap ton more than that.
I picked up a leer for my s10 for $30... just a matter of watching CL and timing... some of the gelcoat is peeling, the rear window gas struts are blown and no key... but it was $30 lol...
as mentioned if you want to take it off an alu topper is going to be much easier...
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