Custom Truck Caps — Build Your Perfect Fit | ARE Truck Caps
We build custom truck caps to match your exact truck bed dimensions, paint color, and work requirements. Every cap starts with precise laser measurements of your specific make and model, ensuring panel alignment, weatherseals, and door clearances meet factory tolerances. Our caps are engineered for daily commercial use — reinforced roof structures carry 400+ pounds of cargo racks and equipment, while contoured side panels match your truck’s body lines without gaps or overhang.
Whether you haul tools for a job site, gear for outdoor recreation, or need secure lockable storage, we configure door placements, window styles, and interior height to your workflow. Each cap ships with OEM-grade paint matching your truck’s factory finish and stainless steel hardware rated for corrosion resistance in salt and moisture environments.
- Laser-measured fit for your truck’s exact make, model, and bed length
- OEM color-match paint with multi-stage clear coat finish
- Reinforced aluminum roof frame supports up to 500 lbs distributed load
- WeatherTech seals block water and dust at all panel joints
- Choice of side door, rear swing door, or lift glass configurations
Materials & Construction Process
Every custom truck cap begins with a one-piece aluminum roof frame — the same extrusion process used in commercial-grade truck caps designed for fleet service. We TIG-weld corner joints and reinforce stress points where roof racks and cargo systems mount, then apply a powder-coat primer before the first fiberglass layer.
Side and rear panels use hand-laid fiberglass over precision-cut foam cores, creating a sandwich construction that resists impact better than single-skin molded caps. After curing, each panel receives four stages of automotive paint: epoxy primer, base color matched to your truck’s paint code, metallic or pearl mid-coat if specified, and two layers of UV-resistant clear coat. We wet-sand between stages to eliminate orange peel texture, so the cap’s finish matches your truck’s factory panels under direct sunlight.
Door & Window Configurations
Side Door Access
You choose whether side doors hinge from the front or rear of the cap, and whether they include sliding windows or fixed glass. Front-hinged doors work best when you park against walls or in tight garage bays; rear-hinged doors give you full access when the tailgate is down. Each door uses a three-point rotary latch that compresses the weatherseal evenly around the frame.
Rear Access Options
Rear barn doors, single swing doors, or full lift glass — we configure based on how you load cargo. Barn doors split the opening down the center and swing 180 degrees, clearing the tailgate when both panels are open. Lift glass raises on gas struts and locks in the open position, letting you access the bed without removing a tailgate-mounted bike rack or toolbox.
Paint Matching & Finish Quality
We pull paint codes directly from your truck’s VIN or door jamb sticker, then cross-reference with manufacturer spectrophotometer data to account for metallic flake size and pearl interference pigments. Two-tone trucks get masked and sprayed in separate sessions, with the break line positioned to match your cab’s body line.
After final clear coat application, caps cure in a temperature-controlled booth for 48 hours. We then color-sand the entire surface with 2000-grit paper and machine-polish to remove any dust nibs or runs, bringing the gloss level to match your truck’s original finish. Caps ship with edge guards installed on all corners to prevent shipping damage, and we include a quarter-pint touch-up bottle of your matched base color for rock chips or minor scratches.
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Custom Truck Cap Buyer Questions
Production time is typically 4-6 weeks from the day we receive your truck’s measurements and paint code. Custom paint matching adds 7-10 days for spectrophotometer analysis and test spray panels. We schedule installation once the cap clears final quality inspection, and most installs take 90 minutes at our facility.
Rush orders can be accommodated for an additional fee if your truck model uses a common bed size and you’re willing to accept a standard color from our inventory rather than a VIN-matched custom mix.
Yes — we pull the OEM paint code from your VIN or door jamb sticker, then cross-reference with manufacturer formulation data to replicate metallic flake density, pearl pigment concentration, and clear coat thickness. We spray test panels and compare them to your truck’s hood or fender under natural daylight before committing to full production.
Factory paint can fade over time, especially on trucks older than five years. If your truck has significant sun fade, we can spray to match the current faded color rather than the original code, so the cap blends seamlessly with the existing body panels.
A standard-height custom truck cap for a 6.5-foot bed weighs approximately 180-220 pounds depending on door configuration and window coverage. High-rise models add 40-60 pounds due to taller side panels and additional roof support structure.
Both versions use the same aluminum roof frame gauge, so payload capacity remains identical at 500 pounds distributed load. The extra weight of a high-rise cap affects fuel economy by roughly 0.3-0.5 MPG on highway driving due to increased frontal area and wind resistance.
We provide a limited lifetime warranty on structural components — roof frame, door hinges, and mounting clamps. Paint finish is covered for three years against fading, peeling, or delamination under normal use. Weatherseals and gas struts have a two-year replacement warranty.
The warranty transfers once if you sell the truck, provided the cap is professionally removed and reinstalled. Warranty claims require photos of the defect and proof of original purchase; we ship replacement parts with installation instructions for most repairs.
All ARE custom caps include pre-drilled mounting rails on the roof structure, compatible with Thule, Yakima, and Rhino-Rack crossbar systems. The aluminum roof frame is reinforced at mounting points to handle 500 pounds of static load — adequate for kayaks, ladders, lumber racks, or rooftop tents.
We recommend distributing weight across at least two crossbars rather than concentrating load in one spot. Dynamic load rating (weight while driving) is approximately 165 pounds to account for road shock and wind forces at highway speeds.
Wash custom truck caps with the same soap and technique you use on the rest of your truck — pH-neutral car wash soap and a microfiber mitt. Avoid automatic car washes with stiff brushes, which can scratch the clear coat over time.
Wax the cap every 3-4 months using a carnauba or synthetic sealant to protect the clear coat from UV degradation. If you notice water spots or tree sap, remove them within 48 hours using a clay bar or dedicated spot remover — acidic contaminants etch through clear coat if left to bake in the sun.
We need your truck’s year, make, model, cab configuration (standard, extended, or crew cab), and bed length. For custom builds, we also measure the bed rail width at three points — front bulkhead, mid-bed, and tailgate — since bed rails can be slightly out of spec on trucks with aftermarket lift kits or heavy payload wear.
If you’ve installed bed liners, tonneau cover rails, or stake pocket accessories, let us know during the initial consultation. We’ll adjust the cap’s mounting clamps to clear those items without interference.