Homemade Tonneau

Has anyone attempted to make a homemade tonneau cover for a fifties ford F-100? I am considering trying to make one up myself, but I am willing to listen to suggestions others may have of what I might start with, and what not to use or do with one. Or even items used for other applications adapted for this purpose. Also, there is an amish custom canvas guy near me. I might be inclined to see what he can do. Looking for something that doesn't necessarily have to lock. I would like to take the trip to the F-100 supernationals next May, but I would certainly like a way to keep luggage dry, carry a spare, and some other emergency supplies for the trip, and a bed cover of some sort would sure make me smile. Look forward to what you all have to offer. And thank you in advance.

You can have anyone that fools with boats and such to make one. They will use the snaps and you just pop them off. I really don't like that look.

Years ago when the mini truck craze was going on I did a few where I used thin angle iron as a ledge. For a 6 foot bed I'd use 1/2" plywood. Cut it at 4 foot and hinge it at the bed closest to the cab. The next 2 feet of plywood I'd hinge it at the end of the 4 foot section. So the 4 foot section was hooked to the bed and the rest was hooked to the end of it, wood to wood. For hinges I used piano hinges. You can get them at any home improvement store. Make sure you mount them from the bottom. Not the top. Get it where it's tight. Adjust it where you need it and so on. Once you get it just right take it back apart and go to the fabric store and grab some marine grade vinyl. Black or whatever color you want. Get some spray glue and coat the wood and vinyl as you lay it over the 4' section and then over the 2' section. Pull it tight and pulled 2 or 3 inches around the back of the plywood and use stamples to hold it. Get both pieces done and put it all back together. The bigger piece first then the smaller piece. It will be tight pushing it down in the truck but that's what you want. So now you have a flush fit cover. If you want to put in bags or smaller stuff just open the smaller piece that is closest to your tailgate. If you need it bigger then just flip the 2 foot section up and let it lay down on the bigger piece and then open the bigger piece with the smaller piece laying on it. You can get really fancy and grab a couple shock that hold the back hatched open on cars and mount it on the bigger piece so it stay open if you raise it. You just have to make sure the shocks are laying flat when the cover is down so it doesn't try to push it up while you are driving. If you have a good bed floor and you make a tight fit you won't have to worry about any lock to hold it down. The weight and snug fit will keep it in place. If you get it good and tight you won't be able to pull the back up without first dropping the tailgate. dropping the tailgate to get the back section up keeps you from having to put a handle on the top too.

I did almost the exact same thing on a 96 ford ranger "splash". Made angle frame that used standard truck cap clamps to hold it on bed rails. Made a rail for the front of the bed that I bolted hinges to which then bolted to my plywood top. I covered it in black vinyl from local fabric shop. We never used it much as a truck so the entire top hinged up from back. I just used slide bolt locks in the back to keep it down, just open tailgate to release them. I think I bought some HD rear gate shocks and made mounts so when you raised it up, it would stay up...been since well '97 since I made it, can't remember. I just pulled vinyl over top, stabled to bottom and trimmed. You could see the bare plywood, but it could've easily been finished out by either nice staining or just covered al with vinyl.
I used either an automotive or standard door rubber tubed style seal for around bed top, stayed pretty dry.

If I ever did it again, I would do like Steve did and make it in two or three pieces.

Good ideas both. The old Ford boxes bevel outward at the top, but I think what you are trying to make me see is that the cover will be below the bevel, resting on top of the angle fastened to the vertical portion of the box side. Tougher to seal up this way, and though I'm not really after "water tight", as tight as possible would keep the wind from getting under it and opening it. Plus keeps stuff as dry as possible. Furthermore, if the gas struts are fastened to an offset bracket, they would not only hold the cover up, it would also pull it down once the offset comes overcenter on the way down. This would also allow the cylinders to be mounted lower, needing a longer cylinder, but also standing more vertically possibly. Now- figure out how to fasten the angles along the edges now that the paint work is completed. The two piece deal sounds a bit handier, either way, single or two piece, it would go a long way to keeping most stuff back there drier, and out of sight so's you could leave it out in the motel parking lot with spare tire and such in the back. I would probably put a latch on it with a key for traveling, with two rods running into the back stake pocket to hide them. My tailgate has two bolt style latches, so I need to raise the cover to open the gate. Thanks for the suggestions, let you know what I decide and how it all goes. Some day when I'm really more smarterer, I'll figger out how to get some pictures on here, and hopefully show what I've come up with.

If you want me to post any pics just send them through the club's email and we can put them up.
Scroungers_CC@Yahoo.com

As for holding the angle pieces on???? Most body shops are using that glue to put quarters and everything on now. Big Dog showed me some at his house. He glued two pieces of sheet together. I tried as hard as I could to pull this stuff apart and it didn't budge. It's like it's welded on. That would save the paint but I don't know if you would ever get it back off the bed if you didn't want the cover on it.

I've used tons of the Fusor panel adhesive for both my mustangs, lots of other body panels, and even in a greenhouse to hold aluminum rail to steel I beam- good stuff indeed. I will probably use that for bonding the side rails in... thanks for the reminder (sometimes can't see the forest for the trees).

No, it won't come back off once it's adhered. It's permanent. One popular use is in reskinning roofs after rollovers. Watched a video of a roof cut off, a replacement bonded back in place, and that vehicle rollover tested after the repair to see if it held up, or met standards, yada, yada. It held just fine. You guys got me thinkin', so I'll go look it over this weekend and scheme a little and have an idea when I'm all done.

dieseldr wrote:.  You guys got me thinkin', so I'll go look it over this weekend and scheme a little and have an idea when I'm all done.

You have to watch what you ask for around here we are full of good info or just plain full of it at times.  

If you use an angle frame for it, could you put some type of flat wetherstripping between it and rail then clamp it on. Maybe not, I'm not sure what type of lip your bedrail has once it rolls over in the bed. Most of my trucks always had about a 2" or so lip that worked perfect for clamping angle too.
The flush type ones I've seen use a T type bracket/weather seal. Once it is attached to top, and lowered, it seals down on top of bed rail making it almost water tight.

Wished I had pics from way back then, but I thnk I only have one pics I even took of the truck, owning a ford was like having a burr under my saddle.  

This is the only pic I have, hard to see cover, but it's on there.
When we traded it in , the salesman asked where I bought it, he couldn't believe I made it.

TAHOE wrote:I I'm not sure what type of lip your bedrail has once it rolls over in the bed. Most of my trucks always had about a 2" or so lip that worked perfect for clamping angle too.

No lip just flat sheet metal straight down on this one.

Dat's da mudder right dare!

I just took some measurements, and I need 79" long, and 48 1/2 wide at the rear, and 49 and 1/4up front, so I'm lookin at 48 1/2" wide. A full length A-lu-min-ium angle at the top on each side would provide a "sill"to lay against, provided I use 1" angle, and pay attention to how I secure the hinges so it doesn't run off one side too far. Plus I could place a rubber seal strip on top of each side to keep some weather out. I hope to not keep this as a permanent fixture, since it's kinda my parts chaser for the business in the summer, and a cover doesn't always fit the bill. I think a sheet of aluminum would make a nice cover, but the 48 AND 1/2 kinda throws that out the window. But the 1" angle would help pick up the slack. If I set down and do some calculations, I think I could do this in 4 or 5 folding sections for convenience, and end up with a better fit overall. But the extra hinges would "let in" more of the weather. Not wanting this permanent, I'm thinkin a one piece top would be acceptable.

How about that white textured 4x8 waterproof "board" sold for use in bathrooms, shower stalls, and the like, glued to a 1/2 plywood? My feeling is that a full exposed sheet of bare aluminum is a bit too gaudy for an old fifties pickup. All else failing, a sheet of 20 gauge steel adhered to the plywood and painted to match the white top sounds a little more attractive, and a little less "cheap looking" than flat plain aluminum. Plus, hooking up a locking latch into the back end of it would be easier in my opinion.

Thinkin out loud- excuse the smoke.

TAHOE wrote:

Wished I had pics from way back then, but I thnk I only have one pics I even took of the truck, owning a ford was like having a burr under my saddle.  

Made you get up and move, huh!?

Arieldouglas wrote:

TAHOE wrote:

Wished I had pics from way back then, but I thnk I only have one pics I even took of the truck, owning a ford was like having a burr under my saddle.  

Made you get up and move, huh!?

Yea move the furd across the street and in front of the neighbors house, so nobody knew it was his. 

Tch, tch, tch! Recovery is making you a bit grouchy, huh?

How ARE you feeling?

   

I'm thinking I have a plan here. I am going to have it removable by utilizing an insert in each stake pocket, attached to each insert will be a strip running the length of the bed at the top by the roll. Attached to the top of that strip will be an angle configured in its attachment to the strip so that it will have one leg horizontal (for a sill), one leg vertical, and the "hypotenuse" of the triangle against the strip. This will give a flat sturdy surface to attach either some snaps, or another type of flat bracket to retain a cover. The bottom of this strip will have a weatherstrip to seal it, and prevent rubbing thru the paint. I will fill the back gap, at the tailgate, with a matching "fabric" attached to a piece of plywood, the plywood being attached to the angle framework. This should afford the ability to install either side to side, or lengthwise bows to hold the soft top up. Side to side would allow many options, even the ability to skin it with a sheet of light gauge steel painted to match. Or do the 2 sectioned hard top mentioned before. So many different ideas right now. Will keep you posted.

Now you are thinkin'!

Arieldouglas wrote:How ARE you feeling?

I'm doing alright, still sore but doing alright. Thanks for asking. And recovery has nothing to do with me being grouchy, I was a grumpy a-hole long before this......Also please don't tell my 47, my F350, my 77 Bronco or the wife's T Bird, that I've been picking on fords.

Arieldouglas wrote:

TAHOE wrote:

Wished I had pics from way back then, but I thnk I only have one pics I even took of the truck, owning a ford was like having a burr under my saddle.  

Made you get up and move, huh!?

Yeah, everytime I had to go work on the stupid thing. My father in law retired from Fords after 45 yrs, I married his daughter, needless to say I had to own a few fords until I finally got her "broke". This truck was about the best of the ones we had though, had it only a year though, new baby and side folding rear jump seats just didn't cut it.

Chris55 wrote:

Arieldouglas wrote:

TAHOE wrote:

Wished I had pics from way back then, but I thnk I only have one pics I even took of the truck, owning a ford was like having a burr under my saddle.  

Made you get up and move, huh!?

Yea move the furd across the street and in front of the neighbors house, so nobody knew it was his. 

Thank you my kind sir.....Exactly!!!!
but now she drives a Chrysler product    


New idea sounds like it will work great. Anything to keep the paint from rubbing.

That is one sweet truck.

I hope the backyard engineering on the cover turns out half as good as the rest of it.... not that it's a showpiece, it's just a conglomeration of parts and stuff I had laying around from playing with stuff over the years. I needed a shifter, so I grabbed that old B&M ratchet out of a milk crate, no boot for it, but welded up a bracket and stuck it in. Found a Mustang bench at carlisle, and it looks right at home. For one of the cheapest projects I've ever built, it sure gets attention everywhere it goes.... I love driving it, even though it is all stock under neath in the running gear department. Even the Mrs. would rather take that on tour than her Mustang, in spite of the manual steering.... just remembered, her mustang has manual steer too. It needs just a little more gear for the trips on the interstate. It's only good for about 63 mph for long periods. With a 2.75 in it for gear, that only leaves me with 2.47's to go to. Right now an AOD is a thought, but I would rather not swap that all out and change over before a long trip.

And thank you for the kind words and compliment.

Mustang bench seat? Those are rare. There was a Stang on Hopple St. in Cincy Ohio years ago that had a factory bench seat in it. I thought it was cool that it was factory but didn't think it fit the car type...

The stang bench was a fluke. I saw a couple in Carlisle, they had horrible prices on them, since they were in terrible shape, not just the covers, but the foam and springs were shot, and they wanted upwards of $400 and up for each as I recall. FOund the one I put in the truck in the shape you see it, a fellow had it in the back end of his el camino trying to get rid of it for $225. I waved $200 at him, and I dragged it home. I walked by it 4 times that day before it struck me that it might be just what the doctor ordered for the 54. I'm happy with it, and lucky it wasn't gone before I had sense enough to go back and get it. Those old cabs are narrow!