ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos

tom_tucker · Jun 16, 2023

ARE MX Bed Cap Topper - Installed w/photos. Options were fold down/sliding front window, clothes hangers (x4) and roof tracks. No lights or carpet. Figured I can always install lights later. No carpet because I figured it would leak some. Not really anywhere for the water to go once it's in the gap. Also, the ARE site showed the clothes hangers as small metal ones. These were 4 big plastic ones and not spread out that far.

Pros: At $3100 including tax, not a bad investment extrapolated over 10 years. I've heard of people buying caps for 15 y.o. trucks then no resale value. Lots of cargo room here, 2x my old wagon. Gas mileage only a little bit affected. Perhaps 1-2 MPG, not a big deal. With the higher MX, I'm able to get all the way in and not feel too cramped to get to the bulkhead. I'm fine tent camping so not a bid deal that's it's not a "camper" shell. Can be removed, but definitely will take 2 men, or one juiced up Arnold S.

Cons: "Free" install means they don't do shit to water seal it. Just one layer of putty tape. I took it back one time and they just added a second layer. Then they blamed the Maverick's open vertical rail channel drains which was total bullshit. After that I moved it back and add lots of butyl rope in the gaps under the front of the shell. Helped a little but still leaks. Some reduced visibility which was expected. Very splintery and rough fiberglass inside. I'm gonna need to mask up and sand it down at some point. Finally, I had grand plans of removing it by myself, but no dice. Im 5' 8' 150 lbs. Too big and cumbersome for the average bloke. At least I smarted up and quit before I dropped it.

So the question is, how to fill the gap at the top to keep rain out in the first place? I'm thinking either 3m paint protection tape or a well crafted and cut white pool noodle stuffed in the gap. See photos of the gap. Thanks for reading and any suggestions in advance!

Ford Maverick ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos 20230614_182000

Ford Maverick ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos 20230614_182015

Ford Maverick ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos 20230614_182029

Ford Maverick ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos 20230614_182056

Ford Maverick ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos 20230614_182129

Ford Maverick ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos 20230614_182149

Ford Maverick ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos 20230614_182245

Old Fart · Jun 17, 2023

tom_tucker said:
ARE MX Bed Cap Topper - Installed w/photos. Options were fold down/sliding front window, clothes hangers (x4) and roof tracks. No lights or carpet. Figured I can always install lights later. No carpet because I figured it would leak some. Not really anywhere for the water to go once it's in the gap. Also, the ARE site showed the clothes hangers as small metal ones. These were 4 big plastic ones and not spread out that far.

Pros: At $3100 including tax, not a bad investment extrapolated over 10 years. I've heard for people buying caps for 15 y.o. trucks then no resale value. Lots of cargo room here, 3x my old wagon. Gas mileage only a little bit affected. Perhaps 1-2 MPG, not a big deal. With the higher MX, I'm able to get all the way in and not feel too cramped to get to the bulkhead. I'm fine tent camping so not a bid deal that's it's not a "camper" shell. Can be removed, but definitely will take 2 men, or one juiced up Arnold S.

Cons: "Free" install means they don't do shit to water seal it. Just one layer of putty tape. I took it back one time and they just added a second layer. Then they blamed the Maverick's open vertical rail channel drains which was total bullshit. After that I moved it back and add lots of butyl rope in the gaps under the front of the shell. Helped a little but still leaks. Some reduced visibility which was expected. Very splintery and rough fiberglass inside. I'm gonna need to mask up and sand it down at some point. Finally, I had grand plans of removing it by myself, but no dice. Im 5' 8' 150 lbs. Too big and cumbersome for the average bloke. At least I smarted up and quit before I dropped it.

So the question is, how to fill the gap at the top to keep rain out in the first place? I'm thinking either 3m paint protection tape or a well crafted and cut white pool noodle stuffed in the gap. See photos of the gap. Thanks for reading and any suggestions in advance!

RV repair tape, is what I sealed the gap between the cab and the ARE cap, 4" is what I bought, works well. Amazon was pretty cheap, I haven't been all that satisfied with the FlexSeal stuff at the big box lumber stores. If you tap on the photo and enlarge you can check it out.

Ford Maverick ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos IMG20230531152412

Maverickman74 · Jun 17, 2023

Looking good! We are picking ours up Monday. As for the interior surface, any thoughts on spray in bedliner? It comes in white and should be easy if the windows are removable.

NoMavJoe · Jun 17, 2023

I ordered the same A.R.E. MX cap also. I had a tri coat paint cost of $155 for the hot pepper red. Also added the head liner covering for $184. Didn't like the raw fiber glass look and worried that maneuvering around inside the truck bed with the topper on might be uncomfortable brushing up against it.

The topper dealer I ordered from in the New Orleans Metro area charged $155 for installation. Other misc. costs for clamps, shipping, logic module for the brake light interface, etc.

My total was $3,422 after tax. Again, this is install and factory painted to match the hot pepper red Maverick.

I called the next day and had the front drop down window added for another $185 plus tax. I was worried about accessing the gap you mention. I plan on opening the drop down window and trying to fill the gap between the truck and topper with a similar fix to the possible pool noddle solution.

I'll try using a product from the air conditioning industry called K-Flex sheet insulation. It's commonly called Rubber-tex by A/C techs.

K-flex is a black foam rubber sheet of insulation that can be cut into strips off the sheet.
Hopefully I can work the strips into place to fill the gap. The foam strips should conform nicely to the gaps seen in the picture.

This is a picture of the foam sheeting.

Ford Maverick ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos 1687050281479

tom_tucker · Jun 17, 2023

Old Fart said:
RV repair tape, is what I sealed the gap between the cab and the ARE cap, 4" is what I bought, works well. Amazon was pretty cheap, I haven't been all that satisfied with the FlexSeal stuff at the big box lumber stores. If you tap on the photo and enlarge you can check it out.

The RV repair tape looks very effective at displacing water, thank you! Easy color match for us in white. I'm sold to look into it. Don't want anything that would peel the paint however. Needs to be removable.

Maverickman74 said:
Looking good! We are picking ours up Monday. As for the interior surface, any thoughts on spray in bedliner? It comes in white and should be easy if the windows are removable.

Thanks. My first thought about spray liner is that I'm pretty damn lazy in the short term. I took those photos in front of the ER as I was getting x-rays. My lungs are pretty hemmed up after smokin' too much pakalolo this year. Got a cough that would put B-Real to shame. No more vapors for a while.

Also, I think it's rough enough that I'm gonna want to do at least some sanding before coating with anything. Beyond that, I think it's a great idea to spray coat. I'd be interested to see what you think once you have it. There's lots of bends and contours and tons of stuff to mask off. Doesn't sound easy to me. The other factor is the hollow "hum" that the cap creates when you open the 4 door cab windows. So if bed liner deadens sound, that will work. Else, some type of rubberized spray could be the magic bullet.

The HPR is gonna be dope. Looking forward to seeing those pics much more than working on this cap, haha. Summer mode is here...

Maverickman74 · Jun 18, 2023

tom_tucker said:
The RV repair tape looks very effective at displacing water, thank you! Easy color match for us in white. I'm sold to look into it. Don't want anything that would peel the paint however. Needs to be removable.

Thanks. My first thought about spray liner is that I'm pretty damn lazy in the short term. I took those photos in front of the ER as I was getting x-rays. My lungs are pretty hemmed up after smokin' too much pakalolo this year. Got a cough that would put B-Real to shame. No more vapors for a while.

Also, I think it's rough enough that I'm gonna want to do at least some sanding before coating with anything. Beyond that, I think it's a great idea to spray coat. I'd be interested to see what you think once you have it. There's lots of bends and contours and tons of stuff to mask off. Doesn't sound easy to me. The other factor is the hollow "hum" that the cap creates when you open the 4 door cab windows. So if bed liner deadens sound, that will work. Else, some type of rubberized spray could be the magic bullet.

The HPR is gonna be dope. Looking forward to seeing those pics much more than working on this cap, haha. Summer mode is here...

Yeah I cant beleive Im less than 2 days away for our truck!! judging from your pics It would need a light sand to knock off the long strands. I think a couple coats of white spray in liner would fill it up after that. Other than that I just had a thought about brushing on fiberglass resin coat. It would still be rough but not pokey. There is a fair amount of strong fumes with resin. But not like spray cans would be though.

Also a tip on the cough, is try growing. I dont know why but having it living around the house like that seemed to slow me way down. 10 years later a couple hits a day max is all I ever do anymore.

Charles · Jun 18, 2023

Maverickman74 said:
Looking good! We are picking ours up Monday. As for the interior surface, any thoughts on spray in bedliner? It comes in white and should be easy if the windows are removable.

Old Fart said:
RV repair tape, is what I sealed the gap between the cab and the ARE cap, 4" is what I bought, works well. Amazon was pretty cheap, I haven't been all that satisfied with the FlexSeal stuff at the big box lumber stores. If you tap on the photo and enlarge you can check it out.

I find the best thing for storing tools in a garage is pegboard. Paint it the same color as the walls and it looks great. Nice looking truck!

mr mojo risen · Jun 18, 2023

I’m really not a bed cap topper kind of guy but I have to say what you installed looks really really nice. Well done!

Maverickman74 · Jun 18, 2023

Charles said:
I find the best thing for storing tools in a garage is pegboard. Paint it the same color as the walls and it looks great. Nice looking truck!

Unless you garage doesnt have very many walls. We are in a off grid 12x16 cabin with a lanai. My wife built me a 12x12 shop in front of it. Which has 1 wall and 3 overhead shelves. I added 3 12x20 welded 1" conduit framed tapr awnings that wrap 2 sides of it. It produces and 36x20 (with one bay being 12x24) shop. Unfortunatly my one doble sided wall is loaded with tools and shelves on one side and welding material on the other. I do hang alot of stuff on screws everywhere though. One day I will close it in and maybe get lucky enough to have room for a pegboard.

I dont have any pics on here of my shop but there is a quick clip of it inside on this "TV show" into we made to the new hit series "Maverick PI"

Old Fart · Jun 18, 2023

Charles said:
I find the best thing for storing tools in a garage is pegboard. Paint it the same color as the walls and it looks great. Nice looking truck!

It fit in the garage, my old F-150 work truck didn't.

prsncat · Jun 18, 2023

tom_tucker said:
ARE MX Bed Cap Topper - Installed w/photos. Options were fold down/sliding front window, clothes hangers (x4) and roof tracks. No lights or carpet. Figured I can always install lights later. No carpet because I figured it would leak some. Not really anywhere for the water to go once it's in the gap. Also, the ARE site showed the clothes hangers as small metal ones. These were 4 big plastic ones and not spread out that far.

Pros: At $3100 including tax, not a bad investment extrapolated over 10 years. I've heard for people buying caps for 15 y.o. trucks then no resale value. Lots of cargo room here, 3x my old wagon. Gas mileage only a little bit affected. Perhaps 1-2 MPG, not a big deal. With the higher MX, I'm able to get all the way in and not feel too cramped to get to the bulkhead. I'm fine tent camping so not a bid deal that's it's not a "camper" shell. Can be removed, but definitely will take 2 men, or one juiced up Arnold S.

Cons: "Free" install means they don't do shit to water seal it. Just one layer of putty tape. I took it back one time and they just added a second layer. Then they blamed the Maverick's open vertical rail channel drains which was total bullshit. After that I moved it back and add lots of butyl rope in the gaps under the front of the shell. Helped a little but still leaks. Some reduced visibility which was expected. Very splintery and rough fiberglass inside. I'm gonna need to mask up and sand it down at some point. Finally, I had grand plans of removing it by myself, but no dice. Im 5' 8' 150 lbs. Too big and cumbersome for the average bloke. At least I smarted up and quit before I dropped it.

So the question is, how to fill the gap at the top to keep rain out in the first place? I'm thinking either 3m paint protection tape or a well crafted and cut white pool noodle stuffed in the gap. See photos of the gap. Thanks for reading and any suggestions in advance!

I also had an A.R.E. MX shell installed on my Maverick. I am not having issues with water getting into the bed area. I suspect the reason why mine worked is a result of having Line-X install the spray-in bedliner (SPIBL) after I received the truck. The SPIBL may have created a flat surface for the tape to seal against.

I am glad I bought the mid-rise shell since I have already had several hauling situations a cab-high would not have been able to accommodate. I agree that it is not as aesthetically pleasing as a cab-high. Yet, the added utility has already made up for it.

Ford Maverick ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos 23_Maverick_XLT_BAP_EB_AWD

Crance · Jun 18, 2023

Shot in the dark here but would the roof spoiler not help? Sure it won’t keep it all out but I’m willing to bed it’d do a pretty decent job of it

Maverickman74 · Jun 18, 2023

Crance said:
Shot in the dark here but would the roof spoiler not help? Sure it won’t keep it all out but I’m willing to bed it’d do a pretty decent job of it

I'm thinking of making my own that bolts the screws in the fake vista glass window on the roof.

prsncat said:
I also had an A.R.E. MX shell installed on my Maverick. I am not having issues with water getting into the bed area. I suspect the reason why mine worked is a result of having Line-X install the spray-in bedliner (SPIBL) after I received the truck. The SPIBL may have created a flat surface for the tape to seal against.

I am glad I bought the mid-rise shell since I have already had several hauling situations a cab-high would not have been able to accommodate. I agree that it is not as aesthetically pleasing as a cab-high. Yet, the added utility has already made up for it.

I actually think it works with the Maverick aesthetics given the kick up in the lower black plastics.

Maverickman74 · Jun 18, 2023

Crance said:
Shot in the dark here but would the roof spoiler not help? Sure it won’t keep it all out but I’m willing to bed it’d do a pretty decent job of it

I'm thinking of making my own that bolts the screws in the fake vista glass window on the roof.

prsncat said:
I also had an A.R.E. MX shell installed on my Maverick. I am not having issues with water getting into the bed area. I suspect the reason why mine worked is a result of having Line-X install the spray-in bedliner (SPIBL) after I received the truck. The SPIBL may have created a flat surface for the tape to seal against.

I am glad I bought the mid-rise shell since I have already had several hauling situations a cab-high would not have been able to accommodate. I agree that it is not as aesthetically pleasing as a cab-high. Yet, the added utility has already made up for it.

I actually think it works with the Maverick aesthetics given the kick up in the lower black plastics.

tom_tucker · Jun 18, 2023

mr mojo risen said:
I’m really not a bed cap topper kind of guy but I have to say what you installed looks really really nice. Well done!

Thanks! No shade in the driveway, hence the white color. The Atlas Blue looks awesome.

Trust me, I had second thoughts about the cap. Before the cap, I slapped on a cheap roof rack on and my huge cargo box and went camping. I was sitting in the open bed on top of the cooler drinking a cold one, thinkin'...this is the life! This is tailgating! Unfortunately, I had already slapped down a 50% deposit, haha.

Perhaps I'll find a way to keep it off in the Summer for a few months...

ARE MX Bed Cap Topper Shell - Installed w/photos

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