To seal or not to seal??

[VT Woodsman]

Guys i have the typical diamond plate wrap on my quarter panels where they meet the rear of the cj. Well at the top there is a slight 1/16 gap where they sit up against the body. In theory during rain water can creep in between the body and the diamond plate. I was thinking of running a bead of paintable silicone tub sealant across the top to stop water from creeping in then painting it. Some times im hesitant to seal things because moisture then can get trapped and start to rust. Also when you apply rocker diamond plate, do you seal it to the body ,or just screw it on. I would think water could really get behing rocker plate.

 

[rr41mag]

I painted both sides real good and just bolted them on. I never thought about sealing them.

 

[PaRenegade]

They make / offer a rocker guard tape / seal product for that exact situation.
Tough Stuff Products 000184 - Tough Stuff Rocker Guard Gasket - Quadratec
Or I would use a flexible silicone sealant such as RTV blue. I've used that for my windshield hinges and light mounts and it worked for 15 years. You could also use some s.s. washers and a rubber washer to space it out slightly so water won't be trapped. But it will still trap mud so you'd have to spray that space out whenever you wash it.