A.R.E. Z Series Cap

The addition of a bed cap is mainly for dry space when traveling.

It also serves to protect various tools and equipment which are

permanently mounted in the bed. The most important of these to be

protected from the elements is the air compressor. The "Z" series is

A.R.E.'s top of the line cap. It is designed to blend in with the truck

as much as possible. The windows are recessed into the surface to

give more of an "S.U.V." appearance. The cap comes standard with

a fabric headliner. The color I chose went well with the dark gray

color of the Rhino Lining. The clamps that are used to secure the

cap to the bed are less than desirable for several reasons. They

extend into the area of the bed by a couple of inches. This did not

allow the tool boxes to be mounted right next to the bed rail. The

solution to this problem came from using some 5/8" stainless steel

fasteners to hold the cap to the bed. This creates a much cleaner

appearance.

Solid Rear Glass Window

To help increase vision through the rear window, I replaced the

truck's factory, sliding rear window with a solid glass version.

Cap Windows Tinted

Although the cap came with tinted "privacy glass," I applied an

additional layer of 9% tint. This makes the windows almost

opaque, when viewed from the outside.

Compression Boot

A compression boot is simply a foam rubber gasket which fits in

the window frame where a window would go. My reason for

installing one, is simply to eliminate one pane of glass to look

through out the rear of the truck. The two pieces of glass being

so close to each other create a lot of reflections that inhibit a

clear view to the rear. In addition, the outside of the two windows

get very dirty and obstruct the view even further. The boot just

presses onto the lip around the window opening. The other end

extends to make contact with the rear window of the truck.

Creating a completely waterproof seal is not an issue. Any

water that gets between the boot and the truck's window will

run down the glass and drain out where the two ends of the boot

meet. With the compression boot installed, vision out of the rear

of the truck is greatly improved. It also cuts down on cleaning

the outside of the truck's rear window.