Custom Hard/Soft Tonneau Cover

[88GMCtruck]

Custom Hard/Soft Tonneau Cover, Custom made!


This is a Tonneau cover my Father and I devised up one weekend, it's a Hard cover with a soft covering. It is very duarble and watertight, and after installing my tailgate lock, secure. The tonneau can be built any way you like, this is just an exaple of how I built mine.

First off i wanted to say that i am not respondsable in anyway for anything you do this is merly a guide of what i did to create a cover for my truck. I spent about $70 total on my cover, and i also made on for my Mother's Ford Supercrew, costing about $150.

Things you need:
3/8" CDC or CDX (outdoor) Plywood
2x2 8' boards
1 1/4" galvanized deck screws
3" galvanized deck screws
outdoor paint (optional)
1/2" foam
Outdoor/Marine grade vinyl in a color to match/compliment your truck
Leather Sewing thread in the color of your vinyl
Spray glue
3/8" Galvinized staples
Weather stripping
Seam Sealer
A ways of fastening your cover (hinge and struts, eyes and hooks, bunjee, etc)

Tools:
Scissors
Sewing Machine (needle and thread could work)
Staple Gun
Saw
Drill
Screw Gun
Hammer
Sawhorses
A friend
Possibly other tools!
PATIENTS!!!!!

First measure your bed, inside the rails and outside. Determine how many pieces of 2x2 you will need (2 sides, 2 ends, 2 or more middle braces plus smaller pieces between the main 2x2's). The 2x2's will be a frame on the inside of the bed rails. Secure these together with 3" galvanized deck screws (predrill the holes or they will split the boards!!!!). I suggest to brace the corners of the frame with the scrap plywood for added rigidity. Then buy the approprite amount of plywood to cover the area over your bed rails (Usually 2 sheets). Note: newer bed have more curved sides and such, and making the plywood cut right takes time, and also covering this with vinyl can be more complex. You will want this piece to be the shape of the outline of your bed rails, but make shure to leave a 1/2" or so around the edges for the foam's thickness. Next secure the plywood to the frame, for best results do this while it is on the truck so everything can be lined up correctly. Secure the plywood to the 2x2's with 1 1/4" galvinized deck screws. Now if you want paint your wood assembly (this protects moisture from going into the wood).

Next you will need enough foam and vinyl to cover this structure and go under the edges (where is rests on the rails) When i measured mine i added 2" for the edge and about 6" for under the rail portion, this is added to EACH end. The foam usually comes in 24" wide rolls. Use spray glue and glue the vinyl down, over the whole top, sides and under the edges of where it will sit on the rails. Unless you have it speacially made/ordered, you will need to sew your vinyl. Mine has a seam in the center going left to right. My mom's has 2 seams (cosmetics) that run with the gap of her tailgate to the front of the box. Make the piece cover the plywood. Next line it up in the foam/plywood structure, and wrap the vinyl around and glue it (if wanted) to the foam. I have not tried this on either of my covers so you are on your own. Trim the vinyl so it comes to the frame of the cover (under the rails). Staple it down (corners are TRICKY, i suggest if you are new make a few practice trys). Now fasten the cover however you like. My cover uses four "L" hooks that slide into my canopy brackets. My Mother's ford uses round eyes and bunjee's that hook to the cleats in her bed. With a tailgate lock, the bed is locked and shut tight. ENJOY!

Pictures!

My 88 Sierra






Questions?!

[quiksilverz71]

Those look pretty sweet! Nice article

[cxpcman]

nice work.... how much does it weight ? i ask because y have that idea in mind but hust for a frame then put some fiberglass instead of wood

[Joe]

Originally posted by cxpcman
how much does it weight ?

Nice job, but I'd be concerned about weight and how easy is it to remove and replace by yourself?

[cxpcman]

i also was thinking in 2 or 3 separate panels so you can fold it ..or separate the 2 indivuual panels yourself

[88GMCtruck]

It's pretty versitile, you can pretty much do whatever you want with it.

I would estimate that weights between 40-60 lbs. I can easily remove it by myself, although the size is a little ackward, two people makes it a breeze.

[cxpcman]

well it looks really cool and you an be proud all you have donw is really custom,taillights cover grill and everything

[88GMCtruck]

I get bored so I i like to improvise. I have custom polished switch panels on the dash, a matching face on the cb, blue face lights on the cb, the tonneau, grille, taillights, custom front plate mount, my sub box, etc. These are the things I have made.

There are also other things around the truck that i bought.

[addiction2bass]

very nice!
i also wanna do about the same thing but as flush as posible and hard top.


nothing beter than a good custom job well done! good job!
ya got any ideas for me on mine? http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forums/...3&page=1&pp=15

[HardcoreZ28]

That looks sweet man. Definately soomething I'd like to do. Do you happen to have any better pics of how you have it held down?

Also what kind of mpg gains to you guys usually see with these covers?

[Bob T]

Very nice. The boat upholstery guys use stainless steel staples; they might last longer than the galvanized, particularly in a damp climate. No idea where to get 'em any more.

[addiction2bass]

Originally Posted by HardcoreZ28

That looks sweet man. Definately soomething I'd like to do. Do you happen to have any better pics of how you have it held down?

Also what kind of mpg gains to you guys usually see with these covers?

they realy dont change your MPG......... its so minor youll never see a difference! if ya want beter MPG stay off the gas pedal and be easy............ ;)

[ianbroste]

do you have any problems with the padding getting wet?

[cxpcman]

Originally Posted by addiction2bass

they realy dont change your MPG......... its so minor youll never see a difference! if ya want beter MPG stay off the gas pedal and be easy............ ;)

you cant expect big mpg change ..what i notice in mine was driveability under strong wind roads

[addiction2bass]

true but i think you could get beter gas milage just by staying off the gas.LOL
hell i get like 2-3mpg less because i started hot rodding the truck.LOL

[HardcoreZ28]

Anyone think of trying this variation?? I was thinking about building this cover myself, but before covering it with the foam and vinyl, how about adding a cutout of a bowtie or flames on top of the flat plywood for a 3-D effect? Do you think some kind of adhesive would be able to hold up to the elements and keep the shape looking good?

[addiction2bass]

well you could try but im not sure with it being outside.... the suns heat would probably make it flaten out quick enough... and not to mention the weather proofing material used to cover it wouldnt stretch enough most likely for it to look anything more than a lump under it.

[HardcoreZ28]

Hmmm.....very good points....I wonder if there's a way I could do like 2 layers of vinyl or something.....like cover a bowtie in vinyl and the whole flat cover....then screw the bowtie on from the underside......maybe then I could do a black cover with white bowtie or blue to match the truck.

[addiction2bass]

ya that would work preaty good.

[ianbroste]

it would probably work if you cut out a bowtie from a piece of plywood then screwed that to the plywood. then covered the whole thing with foam (using spray adhesive on the wood and the foam) then spray adhesive the vinyl and the foam and lay down the vinyl. put some heavy books or something around the edges of the bowtie to make sure it gets a good bond.