[Thunderhorse]

No, not the ones on the sides of the bed, the one between the bottom of the bed and the cab that runs the width of the frame rails. I came across a FB post that referenced it last night and mentioned that since it contacts the cab it rubs the paint. I've seen it from above several times and it didn't look like it made contact; there appeared to be 14" or so of gap. But sure enough I went to look from underneath and it was rubbing-the seal actually curves down and does not go straight across as I had thought. FWIW there are also some posts on it on a couple other Dodge/Ram forums, and it seems that the 3rd gens have these also.

So this morning I crawled under the truck and pulled out the 5 plastic fasteners that held it on (and one is right above the fuel tank, it took as long to get off as all the others combined:zav and cleaned the part of the cab. There is definitely a line where the paint is worn though there wasn't any rust; I can't help but think that you rust belters may have rust there. I painted over it with my trusty tube of PW7 and once it dries I will be gorilla taping over the line with 2 layers and reinstalling the seal. I figure it is there for a reason and have a couple theories as to why it is there:

-Aerodynamics: I don't really think it'd save any fuel, but I am sure it keeps stuff from blowing up on the back window, or perhaps it keeps stuff from getting sucked under the truck.

-Underbody component protection: It could be there to keep stuff off the driveshaft or keep the driveshaft from flinging stuff up towards the back of the cab. The fuel pump also appears to be mounted just behind the gap, under the bed, so it may serve to keep water away from the electrical components. Obviously the fuel tank is still exposed and the seal is not going to be 100% effective, but it would keep water from pouring on it.

-Cab vents: usually when you drive in the rain, water mist flings up around the underbody. The cab vents that allow you to close the doors, and accommodate temperature changes within the cab without blowing out seals and windows are in the back wall of the cab, maybe 8" above this seal. It may be there, at least in part, to keep water from getting thrown up into the vents, which are angled down.

Regardless, I will not claim to be smarter than Ram's engineers so I will be getting some more tree fasteners and reinstalling it later today (maybe not the fastener directly above the gas tank lol).

The main reason I am posting this is that most issues with our trucks are recorded here on the Z but I had never seen this before, so I am sure many of you haven't either. I will absolutely not tolerate rust on my truck (fortunately they only salt very infrequently here), and figured y'all deserve to be made aware

 

[Biga]

I saw this before as well and I was going to check mine. If you have friction causing the paint to wear off that same rubbing/friction should keep any rust from being able to form. Though if you park your truck for any length of time that's when the rust could start.

 

[GTyankee]

another pix of the horizontal piece, found it while looking for a pix of the underside of the bed, unfortunately the cart covered that shot

I have to think that the 3 rubber pieces on the front of the bed are to keep help restrict exhaust fumes from entering the rear vents
The vents open from the bottom to help keep rain from coming in from the top & back of the cab.
I hose the top of the horizontal rubber piece off because hay & other things build up on there & could rot & smell bad

I am not sure why the vents are really there for, except to relieve air pressure in the cab when you are closing the door with the windows rolled up

 

[Thunderhorse]

Thanks for adding the pics:smileup:

 

[Thunderhorse]

Oh wow, this is a sticky already! Throw this in the knowledge pile along with this one: http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=190868

Just completed the mod. It got real dark around the time I got home from AutoZone, but it hasn't started raining yet and fortunately they carry both the tree fasteners I went there for, and the Gorilla Tape that I thought I'd have to go to Walmart for. The fasteners were the "Needa" brand "Universal Body Panel Retainers" part no: 454910. Fortunately they come in 3 packs and there are 5 on the seal because I screwed up the very first one and had to pull it back out. Having bought 2 packs I had 6 fasteners which left me with just enough to fix my error without going back to the store.

You will find that there is a hole in the bed steel on each side of where the seal mounts-I thought it odd at first that when I went to put it back the seal contacted the cab past where I ran the tape, then when the second hole on the seal failed to line up with a hole in the bed I figured out that I had put it too far over. I started on the passenger's side, the same side I pulled the seal off from, because there is more space without the fuel lines there. Having just got home from the store I forgot that the muffler would be hot :doh:so either give it time to cool off or wear long sleeves.

The tape and fastener directly over the gas tank are easier to put on than the fastener in that location was to get off. I used needlenose vice grips to get it off FWIW. The tape went on fairly easily, I made sure to stick part of it up so that it would go straight across and then pushed it straight across to avoid bubbles. Even if it comes off at the top of the tape seam the seal should hold it on and keep from rubbing the paint by just rubbing against the tape. I do not think the seal will ever be able to get through the Gorilla tape (which is why I used it over the duct tape I already had) but will keep an eye on it to make sure the tape doesn't come unstuck.

Since I put the seal back on I should avoid whatever issue the seal was designed to solve, and the tape, while it would look gaudy, is not visible unless you go to looking for it. Pics (couldn't get a good one from the top):

 

[Omac]

Great thread I'll have to check mine and prob do the same mod to protect the paint. I don't mind going under my RAM it's high enough I can use my creeper.

 

[striker2237]

Uh.............crap? I don't think I have one honestly but I'll have to check again

 

[mikeru]

Nice idea. :smileup: Just wondering why you went with gorilla tape, and not something made for this type of application like 3M paint protection film? I've used gorilla tape on the exterior of an older truck in the past, and it always starts to peel away after about a year of being exposed to the elements.

 

[Thunderhorse]

Nice idea. :smileup: Just wondering why you went with gorilla tape, and not something made for this type of application like 3M paint protection film? I've used gorilla tape on the exterior of an older truck in the past, and it always starts to peel away after about a year of being exposed to the elements.

I didn't have any of the film to apply and IME the tape has held up well before. That may be a better option and I may do it if I revisit this

 

[TruBlu]

Coming from someone who drives in a salt filled area during the winter, thanks for posting this! I'll have to address this as well. I bet a lot of salt and grime accumulates between the cab and bed. I try to hose it down back there best I can during the winter. Undercarriage too.

 

[Jared26]

Good info! I'll have to get around to doing mine.

 

[sprocketary1952]

I wondered why my 2016 was holding snow back there, I can hear it rubbing on the back of the cab when it starts turning to ice.

 

[DMDODGE]

This is a really good post with good photos. Thanks to all of you, appreciated!

 

[Ranger482]

Lots of discussion about this seal no longer being installed at the factory on later build 2019s and the lack of the seal creating additional cab noise.

Some are ordering the seal and installing themselves. Reports are that it helps reduce the cab noise.

 

[ChrisBigHorn17]

Ill have to get under my '17 and make sure it hasnt rubbed too much yet. Will install a piece of paint protection film between the seal and the cab so I can keep it in place for noise reasons but not ruin the paint down there.

 

[sprocketary1952]

I am going to pull mine off, tired of the noise from the ice rattling around on the back of the cab, I will see if I notice any other difference. My Silverados have never had anything like this or this problem.