Ok, seeing that I have a leak, and will need to remove the shell to get to the 3rd brake light, and the window, I come to this question, again.

Do I remove, and sell, my shell?

I use it for the following:


1.Camping/Sleeping
2.Hauling Gear that is already in containers, that could easily be waterproofed.
3.Groceries when tasked to get them by the 'rents.



She's a color matched topper, and came with the truck when I got it in '06.



Here are the positive things that can come of it.

1. Reduced weight = slight increase in MPG.
2. My brother, and I are now riding my motorcycle, a Honda Rebel 250, which if it breaks down or is wrecked, would need to be hauled.
3. I have the chance of extra cash, possibly to put towards a decent tent, that can be used with out the truck, once she's gone.

A few negatives.

1. I'm told the shell increases the resale value of the truck.
2. If I were to store the shell, when not using it, I have no place to keep it, nor the tools or money to create a lift system for it.

I keep coming back to this problem, I've had it off once before, and liked it, aside from the decreased weight in the rear which required me to drive differently.

 

Sell it, shells make trucks look like vans IMO.

 

if you lived closer id take it off your hands since our trucks are the same color

anyways, doesnt increase your resale value overall, only to the right person who also wants a shell

and i actually noticed slightly higher mpg after i put the shell ON

 

That's my problem...

Air resistance / Weight

It isn't that horribly heavy, I've dead lifted it before, when it's centered on my back.

 

yea ive taken mine on and off a few times, needed to haul **** that sticks up real tall .... i got it for free and its already proven to be real useful when ive gone camping when its raining.

 

i say keep it on, i have a stepside with a topper and i've had it off for 1 summer that i've owned it, much easier for in the winter/rain you don't have to worry about it.

this summer i'm actually converting the bed into storage/an actual bed for camping on.

 

Maybe what I'll do is calculate MPG when I take it off to re-seal the 3rd brake light. I had taken it off when I took the cap off, and cleaned it so it didn't look like **** while I hauled my Moto.

 

unless you plan on replacing it with a tonneau cover I would keep it.

before I had a topper (hate how they look as well) the bed was pretty much usless here in MN. Rain, snow and highway speeds made it useless 99% of the time.

 

put it on craigslist and sit it out front of your house with a for sale sign on it and see how much you can get. Then if you can get enough sell it and pick up a roll up cover, thatll give you the waterproof u need for groceries and stuff, you could still sleep in there if you dont need to sit up and arnt claustrophobic (ive done it in my F150) and then if you need to haul the bike or whatever you can roll it up out of the way.

 

If you keep it put a basket on it so it looks better

 

i've had mine on and off a few times. im getting pretty good at taking it off and putting it on by myself haha.. i prefer mine OFF because if you get a call from your buddy saying he wants you to haul a quad or bike or something then its ready to go, not like if its ON then you gotta eff around taking it off..

mine is fairly color matched to my truck also and it keeps stuff dry when its on.

can you lean it against the house or something??? i say keep it.

 

I would just try and keep it somewhere if you dont want it on there. You will never know when you might need it. I have a tonneau cover and a cap. They both serve their purpose when you need them. Of course I also dont have an extended cab so I need the bed to be dry sometimes.

 

if I end up hauling something tall for a friend THEY are the ones who take my topper off and on. I dont even lift a finger.

 

it wont help your mpg but it depends on if u like it or not

 

Truck Cap Removal/Storage - GM-Trucks.com


I would like to do this, but again, not enough height in garage, nor $$.

 

I have a tent for a ranger, 50 bucks plus shipping! lol, I cant remember if I sold it or not...I dont think I did. Just let me know if you’re interested and I'll check...Damn, that’s sad as hell that I can’t remember...lol