I have the chance to get a super clean cap for my 1994 Ranger long bed, but it's made for and off of a 1990 Ranger, also a long bed. It's a good distance away, so I am trying to find out whether or not it will fit right before I spend a day and a tank of gas to go get it.
I called several manufacturers and none were of any help, each simply told me that there were different part numbers for each. The beds both measure the same inside, and the cab angles look close. The bed rails are wider on the '94, but some A.R.E. caps I looked at locally follow the body lines of the cab, not the bed.
The cap in question is a Glasstite, the one with the door that slides up over the cap when opened, it's also insulated and carpeted. I have another one to look at too, but that ones only cab height, but it's also off of an earlier Ranger, that ones off of an '88.
I realize I'd have to add a third brake light, but that's no big deal.

Has anyone tried a cap that was made for an earlier body style on a 93 or newer Ranger?

Got any pics of one installed?

 

doupt it would work becuase the top rails of the bed on a 2nd gen is totaly different then a 3rd gen...

 

Did have an old ARE alum. cap of my 89 Ranger n put it on my 94 Mazda B4000 it fit with no problem

 

I don't think the bed rails would be a problem, the only area I'm really concerned with is the cab angles. I have the measurements for both beds, and they both should take a 60" x 86" cap. On most fiberglass caps, the front window of the cap usually matches the angle of the back of the cab, an aluminum cap isn't as important since most of them are built with nearly vertical front and rear angles. I've borrowed a buddies cap off of his 1995, and it matches the cab angles exactly. I've heard that you can use a later cap on an early body style, but only if the later cap doesn't have the flared sides at the bottom. The ARE caps are flat at the bottom, so I don't see where it would make much difference there, the Glasstite has a bit of a flare, but not much. When the seller sent me those pics, I was thinking that maybe its off of a later truck originally, but I called Glasstite and they confirmed that its built for an '88 to '92. Why they only list those years I have no idea, I would have figured that if the older cap was different, it would range from '83 to '92?
Since Glasstite changed owners at that same time, they have no info on the older caps, and the fact that they added a third brake light in '93, makes me think that the people telling me it won't fit are only going by the part mumbers in front of them.

In my eyes, if it matches the cab lines, and it aligns with and sits flat on the bed rails, it works, adding a third brake light is minor.
I started looking at new caps a few months ago, the prices ranged for a barebones cap for $1500, all the way up to a few over $3500. With that in mind, I've been looking for a usd one, the one I found is about 150 miles away, but it's a high end cap in the right color if it will fit. It's of no use to me if it won't look right on my truck. I haven't had the opportunity to park along side of an earlier body style to compare the back of the cabs, if that area is the same, and the distance from the roof line to the top of the bed rails are the same, I think all else would be fine?

 

the beds insides and the cab angles are the same. its the top rails that are different. the bed floor/inner sides hasnt changed since 1983...

 

It'll fit trust me! I had a topper of a 1988 Ranger on my 2001 Ranger and it fits with no problem. The only difference is the newer toppers have a extended Curve that flows better with the later models but you don't need it to fit. The Flat part of the Bed rails is Exactly the same as the Gen I and GenII rangers

~HJ

 

Thats what I was hoping, I measured one on a 95 and one on a 1988, that I saw at a local cap center, and couln't see the difference at the rails, both of those were ARE caps. The one I borrowed was from a 95, and the sides didn't flare out at all to match the bed, just straight down. While it did leave a bit of a gap under the side edge, it didn't look bad or stand out.
Do you have a pic of an early one on your truck?
The cap I borrowed was a cab high ARE, it fit so close to the cab you couln't get a finger in between. I like that look, but cleaning the rear window is imposible. with or without the slider. (I don't have a slider in the cab, and really prefer not to have one. Every one I've ever had leaked). Having one in the cap is fine it does give a way to sort of clean the rear glass.
I may go tomorrow to pick up the cap, so long as the weather is good.
Has anyone added a erd stop light to a Glasstite with the slide up door?
Because of the way the door moves, adding one to the door will be tricky wiring wise, and since the door slides up on the roof, I can't use a top mount style on top.
But since the entire rear end is the door, it will have to be in the door somehow, it's just a matter of how to run the wires.

 

Here's a pic of my truck with the cap from a 1995 on it, the sides are straight and really don't follow the contour of the bed in any way. It would actually fit better if the fiberglass edge extended down past the metal frame a bit, the bottom edge of this one if totally flat. As is the one I am going to get.
I was actually more concerned with the way it matched up to the cab, I didn't want to get a cap that left a huge gap at the top of bottom around the window area. This cap had the third brake lamp in the window, and used a 3 way plug that connected to the rear tail lamp.

This cap fits OK, but even though it really don't show much, there's about a fingers space between the l lower edge of the bed and the top of the bed rail. Its actually not even all the way down, it's closer at the back then at the front. The cap you see was bought in 1995 for a 1995 Ranger a buddy has. The truck is my '94. Since the cap has no molding in stop lamp, I was wondering if they simply didn't carry over the old mold and add the stop light in the rear window?

 

Well, I went and got it, it looks good, but I haven't had a chance to put it on yet. I'll need to find a way to install a 3rd brake light in the early cap, the Glasstite has a strange door configuration and there's no real way to run a wire to the rear glass, and one can't be mounted on top since the door slides up and over onto the roof when it opens. The windows are also privacy tinted, so anything inside won't work, it will have to be external somehow.
Any ideas?
It isn't the right color like it was supposed to be, but it was free, all I had to do is go get it. I can deal with black on a white truck for now, I'll paint it in the spring once I figure out how to install a 3rd brake light. I still need to clean it, but it looks pretty good, especially for the price.