Hey all,

I need a cap for my '97 F-250 SCLB, and I found one I like the look of (though I haven't seen it in person, and do not yet know if it is still for sale). It's from a '92-96 F-Series, 8', like my 8' bed. But I don't know if it's from a Supercab or not, and my truck is a SC. I'm assuming there's no difference between caps for regular cabs and those for supercabs, but I wanted to ask, to make sure--are they identical?

Also, any feedback, good/bad or otherwise, on Jeraco caps, generally, would be appreciated. I like taller caps, for ATV's, garden tractors, etc...and this one is allegedly 30' high (from the bed rail)--is that about as high as they come?

Thanks in advance.

BigSix

 

any 8' cap from a 80-97 ford , 68-87 chevy , 70?-93 dodge will fit your truck. The newer truck 's beds all taper from the front to the back as well as the cab angles being different

 

that is not all correct.

a 97 f250+ bed will fit but not a 97 f150.

and it has been posted here before that chevy and dodge caps do not fit.

 

here is a 87 chevy cap on my 86, Fits perfect.
<a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/diesel_brad/?action=view&current=000_0362.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/diesel_brad/000_0362.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

you are correct on the 97 F150 being differt though

 

I had a '94 fiberglass cap fit on my '87. Sort of.


I didn't have the key for the locking rear latch, and it was bound anyway. I only had to stretch the back a little, didn't make a huge gap around the window, since there's a lip inside the windshield portion anyway. Once I got it centered, I just drilled three holes along each side, right up through the bed and cap, and bolted it down. Forget the bit diameter, but the heads of the bolts were no bigger than a half inch.

 

one or two may fit but to say ALL fit is incorrect.




also, to fit one or two with gaps or too wide or too long may work for some people but not for others.

 

Only reason for the gaps was that the cap was off of a '94 Dodge, not an older one.

But, I got it for free, so I couldn't complain. If the latch mechanism was functional, I think it would have still locked, the gaps weren't major.

 

thats the thing. they didnt make differnt caps for differnt trucks back in the day. you went to a cap dealers and all they asked was 8' or 6.5. that was it. untill chevy changed the body stlye in 88 ford in 97 w the f150 /99 for the superduty and dodge in 94 ALL 8' caps were generic.


To the OP i liked my Jerico cap. It was off of a 93 DODGE before my crew cab.And it fit perfect. It even had ribs in the roof to match the cab roof.
<a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/diesel_brad/?action=view&current=img035.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/diesel_brad/img035.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

Correct, the 97 F150 had a styling change that year so the year ranges should have been:

80-96 ford F150/250/350
97 F25/350
68-87 chevy
70?-93 Dodge

Assuming the Chevy/Dodge years are correct. They look correct to me but I don't own either so my opinion on the matter isn't worth much.

About 3/4 the cap/topper manufacturers made their caps generic enough for these particular year ranges that they're sized to fit all three brands - Ford, Chevy, and Dodge. The remaining 1/4 do in fact make different lips on the bottom that rest on the bedsides for the different brands.

The important measurements are what the cap/top physically rests on - the tailgate top, the bedsides, and the back lip across the back of the bed.

8' Dodge truck beds of this era typically are 1/2" shorter than a ford, and 3/8" narrower. Chevy I am not sure of. There are minor differences, but many of the cap manufacturers were smart enough to compensate so things were "close enough" to make one top for three brands, thus lowering manufacturing costs.

This is why some people say cross-brand caps/toppers fit fine across all three, and others do not. It depends who they buy from, and also how close of a fit you expect.

The bed cap I have in the garage for my 93 F350 crewcab was yanked off my old 1970 Dodge D200 extended cab longbed, and it fits fine. It lines up quite nice on the outside and on the inside there is 1/8" of lip overhang over the bedsides on each side, if I manage to line it up correctly which is a pain by myself. I never did get around to installing the pulley system I removed from my old garage when I moved here. Still in boxes, and probably why I never put the cap/topper back on.

Anyway, to the original poster - when buying a used cap, bring either the truck or a tape measure, just to be sure.

 

To All,

Thank you all for the excellent feedback! Your experiences and pics are very helpful and much appreciated!

The good news is-it's still for sale. I spoke with the seller tonight and it turns out I'm the ONLY one to respond. He wants $200., swears there's no leaks and he just replaced the lift cylinders. It has three sliding windows, with screens.

The cap is going on my (new to me) '97 F-250 Heavy Duty, so that's the OBS (Old Body Style) truck. And it's a Supercab. But it's not yet licensed, so I'm going to pick it up with my old truck, the '88 F-150.

The seller of the cap had it on his '92 F-150 regular cab, which he said it fit fine, but I just wanted to ask you guys this question:

Is the angle of the back of the Supercab identical to the angle of the Regular Cab?

Because I'm not so worried about a fraction of an inch of overhang, along the box sides (in or out) as I am the angle between the cab back and the cap front. Of course, since I won't even get to see the cap on the guy's '92 Ford (which he sold) I'm taking it on faith that it fit his '92 well, which he said it did. He does present as an honest, sensible guy, however, so I think I can trust him on the fit to the '92.

I will contact Jeraco in the meantime, to see if I can identify the precise model of the cap (it's got "sky windows) and see what they say about fitting the '97 OBS Supercab.

If I can post a pic of the cap, I will do so.

Again, I appreciate everyone's feedback, but I have to make two specific comments, though ALL of you have been a big help:

Brad--I love the firewood operation you've got going there, and what a beautiful winter shot of your truck! Is that your wood-heated farmhouse in the background? I'm envious--that shot would make Henry Ford AND Ansel Adams proud.... And thanks for the feedback on your Jeraco ownership experience. (That's a badass Crewcab you've put together too! I've always been a fan of the blue-and-white "two-toners".)

Frederic--thank you for your well-reasoned, detail-oriented analysis--but I've sort of come to expect that from you--keep it up!

SaikotikGunman--I know the PA DMV does not allow rust holes in vehicles, but that's still a pretty clean-looking '87 in your pic--is there a "no rust hole" rule even out in "The Pennsylvania Wilds"? We don't see "working trucks" without rust very often, especially in upstate NY.

BigSix

 

I must be missing something, but where is the "attachment" button?

Thanks.

BigSix

 

The supercab, crewcab and reg cab all have the same cab angle.


That is my neighbors farm house, I'm glad is is not mine. Needs way too much work for me. Thanks for the complements.

 

You're welcome.

We have the same laws in NJ and it is well known how to avoid this problem entirely.

1. Have your somewhat rusty vehicle inspected by a private facility rather than one of the state facilities. Most private facilities are not as thorough as the state and are also generally more reasonable. For example, my driver side mirror was missing a chunk of the glass because the night before my inspection appointment with a service station, some idiot must have bounced his head off the mirror while walking past. They passed me anyway, noting on the paperwork that I had agreed to replace the mirror within 30 days.

2. Rust holes are easy to hide temporarily. I am not recommending this as a permanent repair method but if you live in a climate such as NJ where winters can be miserably cold and you do body work in the spring/summer when it's nice, well, sometimes you have to "get by" until you can make the proper repair.

First, wash the body around the rust hole very well. Dry thoroughly using rags and compessed air. Attach a piece of duct tape over the hole, maybe two if necessary. Using a small air sander, blend the edges of the duct tape into the paint then shoot the whole area with rustoleum brown primer.

Brown is important because it sticks reasonably well to duct tape whereas the black and grey primers they have crack almost instantly. I have no idea why.

Once dry, shoot it with paint reasonably close to your vehicle color. An actual hole attracts attention. A repair done by an idiot does not. Of course if the inspector poked my "repair" with his pen it would have gone right through however he glanced at it, saw the paint was slightly mismatched, and kept moving down the side of my truck looking for holes to jam his pen into.

Again, this is a great temporary repair to to pass inspection and buys you about a month to get out of the cold, miserable weather into spring where you can do the repair correctly by welding in a patch panel.