Trucks- cab/bed sealer

[MPGranger]

So I was walking around Lowe's after my wife's break from work today and inspiration hit me! I saw a Replacement Gasket Kit for stoves, fireplaces and furnaces. The package actually says "prevents air leaks, Improves efficiency" in bold letters. It contains a braided rope and gasket cement. The sizes I saw were 3/8" and 5/8". I went and measured my Ranger: top gap is 1", side gaps are 1 1/2" and the underside is 2".

Provided I can find the appropriate braided ropes, does anybody see a problem with this aero-mod?

[d3vi1d06]

idk. try it see if it works. also purchase some goof off in case it doesnt...

edison invented the light bulb after 1000 tries.

[JasonG]

Hmmm,
Haven't seen it with gasket cement before. You mean like Permatex / form-a-gasket ?
The old stuff with retort cement would harden and crack, then fall out from the vehicles vibration.
With a flexible cement, it might work but would be tough to get to look good.
You don't need the fire retardant rope. Try 2" backer rod with smaller ones then regular urethane caulk.
That's how gaps are filled in concrete walls and it lasts many years.
And urethane caulk is paintable.

[JRMichler]

Be careful. There is a lot of movement between the cab and the box in a pickup truck. I believe that other aero mods will have much larger benefit. But if you really want to seal that gap, I've seen a foam gasket about 2 inches square in the hardware store. It's designed for air conditioners or something. Bond it to either the cab or the box and let the other side slip.

[sid]

I use foam pipe insulation. I feel the foam rubber type seals better than the flexible plastic foam. But it requires a lip on your topper, which all my toppers have had, to keep the foam in place.

[TomO]

I believe this is the stuff that JRMichler is talking about:

You can use silicone caulking to keep it in place and even double it up where needed.

I've used it for sealing up gaps between structures before and smaller versions for ecomodding purposes on cars. It holds up to weather very well.

[Ryland]

Why not just use a bicycle inner tube? cut it into a straight tube if it's not otherwise large enough and seal off the ends, inflate it just a little so you can stuff it in place then inflate it more so it expands enough to firm up.

To cap the ends use rubber cement, jar lids and wrap it in thread to keep it from coming apart.

[sc2dave]

How much of a difference does it make to fill in the cab-bed gap?

[Kodak]

I second using a flexible, forgiving material over a hard one.

[TXwaterdog]

Originally Posted by Ryland

Why not just use a bicycle inner tube? cut it into a straight tube if it's not otherwise large enough and seal off the ends, inflate it just a little so you can stuff it in place then inflate it more so it expands enough to firm up.

To cap the ends use rubber cement, jar lids and wrap it in thread to keep it from coming apart.

Back in 1999 I had a single cab f150 and a camper on back. I used an inner tube to seal the camper to the open cab window. This is a great idea and I bet it works better than the gasket you've sourced.