RetraxPRO MX Retractable Tonneau Cover for 2024-2026 Toyota Tacoma (5' Bed)

Here's the short version. Follow Retrax's install sheet (below) for your truck's exact steps, part letters and torque settings.

1. Prep the Tacoma bed. On 2016-2023 5' beds only: stick the supplied foam pieces under the canister's aluminum lip, remove the front tie-downs (T-30 Torx), and take off the cab header rail (five T-30 screws), clean both ends with soap and water and then isopropyl alcohol, stick on the bulkhead gaskets and refit it with the bolts at 66.5 in-lb (7.5 Nm). On every Tacoma, remove the tie-downs (on 2024+ trucks take off the black track cap first) and slide two mounting cleats into each track. Before the cover goes on, bolt the cleats (on 6' beds, with the plastic spacer blocks) to the Retrax rails with the 1/4-28 fasteners and a 7/16" wrench.
2. Assemble the cover. Remove the shipping screws, brackets and white shipping tubes from both sides, and keep one shipping bracket to use as a spacer later. Pull the cover 6-8" out of the canister and hold it there while you guide it into each side rail's channel and seat the rails in the canister. Fasten the rails to the canister with the four 10-32 x 7/16" screws, then slide the front cover under the rails and fasten it through the top of the rails with the two 10-24 x 3/4" screws and the 1/8" Allen wrench, all to 32 in-lb. Leave the protective film on until the end.
3. Set it on the bed. Some drop-in bed liners need notching at the front corners to clear the canister. With two people, lift the cover onto the bed with the canister at the bulkhead and the front seal lying flat on the bulkhead; trim the seal if it runs past the bed rail caps. Slide the cover back and use the shipping bracket as a spacer to set both rails 1/8" from the tailgate.
4. Mount the rails. This truck uses no clamps: bolt each rail to the cleats in the bed rail track with the 3/8-16 x 1.50 fasteners and split washers (2024+ trucks add a 3/8" flat washer), using a 9/16" wrench. If the rails sit too far apart, add 0.050" shims between rail and spacer until they are parallel.
5. Square the rails. Measure across the rails on top of the front cover and again above each cleat bolt; all three must match within 1/16". If they don't match, use the 0.050" shims from the previous step. With the cover closed and latched, the weatherstrip should show equally on both sides; if one side shows less, move that rail forward toward the cab.
6. Drains and final checks. Peel off the protective film, push a drain tube into each side of the canister and turn it clockwise until it clicks twice; the tubes usually exit through a hole drilled in the factory bed plug or another suitable hole (check for lines before drilling). Open and close the cover and tailgate to check that it rolls without rubbing or binding, and re-check the rail bolts after the first week of driving (a warranty condition) and now and then after that.