Making A Truck Tonneau Cover
If you have a truck model car and you make use of it once in a while, chances are you need something that will protect your car from rain, snow, hail, and excessive sunlight to name a few, are some of your car’s enemy. When you left your car unprotected from these enemies, you might surprised yourself and shocked that your car is already starting to become unattractive just like a person who is suffering from too much stress. That is why, in order to avoid these scenario for your car, you need to have something that will definitely protect your car just like a tonneau cover.
Tonneau is a protective cover that is used at the top of the truck bed. Aside from the purpose of protecting the truck bed against any destructive elements, it is also utilize to protect the cargo. Tonneau cover is a very popular accessory for truck owners and drivers who regularly make use of their truck for transporting sensitive loads or cargo. It can be bought typically in a car accessory shop or even in online stores. If you want to become practical and wise, chances are, purchase these following materials in making a truck tonneau cover.
- One sheet of ? inch quality plywood
- Two 8ft 2x4s
- Two locking mechanisms that will be used to secure your cargo in the truck bed
- 2 T-hinges
- Eight 6mmx50mm hex bolts
- Eight 1” or longer wood screws or
- Eight 2 ?” or longer machine screws
- 16 ? fender washers
- 8 ? locking washers
- Paint that matches the color of your truck
- Wood sealant
- Wood stain
- Measuring tools
- Cutting tools like jigsaw
- Vinyl
- Sandpaper
Here are the steps that you need to follow in making a tuck tonneau cover:
1. Initially you need first to take the measurement, be sure that you make this step accurately because your tonneau cover on the latter part will not work effectively. Remove the plastic caps in the screw holes and measure the distance beginning from ?” to the front of the truck bed, to the center of the first screw hole. After that, measure the distance amongst the first two, and continue the same procedure to the succeeding sets of screw holes but provide ?” before your reach the end of the bed. You need also to get the measurement of the top of bed to the center of every whole. Right after then, measure the distance from the bottom of plywood to the screw hole by lessening ?” from the last measurement you have. By doing so you will determine where you can drill the whole in your 2x4s that must extend from ?” from the back and the front of the bed.
2. Visit the hardware store where you purchase the plywood and bring with you the measurements that you have. Show these measurements for them to cut it for you because cutting the plywood by yourself is somehow difficult to do.
3. Drill the holes that you have measured and provide a ?” diameter allowance so that you can make some adjustments if needed. If you have a drill press it would be better because you don’t need to visit again the hardware service center just to take this step. The hole must be at least 1” deep, then luck up theses hole using 6mmx50mm hex bolts. Other materials to be used to bolt the wholes are fender washers and licking washers.
4. Lay the plywood on the truck bed then push it until it reach the head of the truck. If the plywood does not fit properly, it means that you’ve cut it inappropriately. If this so, you need to lessen the width of plywood basing on your measurements until it fits on already to your truck using a jigsaw. Then make use of the sander to make the edges of the plywood smoother. Wrap the plywood using a vinyl so that it would look more attractive similar to those tonneau cover sold in the market.
5. Attach the hinges in the 2×4 at the front of the truck bed and on the toneau cover.
6. Screw the locking mechanism in the 2×4 and then bolt the second piece of the locking mechanism on the plywood. After then get your sandpaper and rub it on the surface of the plywood so that it will be smoother and will less look like plywood mounted at the back of your truck.
7. Put a finishing to your plywood by painting it. Paint all the surface of the plywood and be sure not to leave any spot that has no paint. Use a color of paint that matches the color of your truck.
Making a truck tonneau cover is not that hard to do. Simply follow the instructions stated above and then you will come up on a tonneau cover that has equal quality and apperance with those tonneau cover sold out there.
