Homemade Tonneau... Just for the Winter.

[xridgelinex]

Originally Posted by mrlizzzard

All the work in here is great,here's what I did.I know longer have the Ridge as I bought a NBS Silverado with a short bed.I purchased an undercover topper for $600 but here's the kicker.

I have a small tent that fits on the tonneau and I sleep in it when doing car shows.If you can do this on the Ridge it would give you a tonneau and a tent for a few bucks more.

That's a cool idea, but I am 6'9"...

[xridgelinex]

Originally Posted by landbaronbob

Nice job! I'm wondering the weight and any mpg gains?

Thanks,
Bob

The mpg gains:

Strictly city driving with lots of start/stops with being lucky to get to go 30mph, I have not seen any gains.

In the past my usual mixed driving with 70% HW, 15% at 45-50mph and 10% City, I was consistently getting 19.5 - 19.8mpg for over a year. On the last 4 tanks my numbers were 21.3, 21.1 and 21.2, and 21.2mpg ... ~7.9% increase.

I can only tell you that I had only one tank of strict HW runs back and forth to Saratoga, NY and home (It's racing season). I never go faster then 69mph. Usually runs like this I will see very low 23's. This tank was 25.1mpg, ~8.6% increase.

[JerseyRidge]

Awesome cover Xridgelinex !!! Beautiful job !!! Man,I bet that would look sharp on a Black Ridge.

[xridgelinex]

Originally Posted by JerseyRidge

Awesome cover Xridgelinex !!! Beautiful job !!! Man,I bet that would look sharp on a Black Ridge.

Thanks... It makes my silver look just as a cool as a black RL....

[JerseyRidge]

Originally Posted by xridgelinex

Thanks... It makes my silver look just as a cool as a black RL....

I'm sure it does !!! Again, Awesome Work !!!

[xridgelinex]

Originally Posted by landbaronbob

Nice job! I'm wondering the weight and any mpg gains?

Thanks,
Bob

Bob and also to you PUG... I finally went out and weighed the top. I don't know how much the rails weigh themselves but they are aircraft grade aluminum and are very lightweight... The total weight of the tonneau top is 36 1/4 pounds.

[xridgelinex]

Update...Still loving my cover.... Added some rubber to seal up the rest of the cover (I originally wasn't going to but I guess I needed something to do)... It was leaking by the cab section and the section split. The section by the cab was due to the design of the cover where I made the diamond plate bend over three of the sides. The diamonds created the gaps... The split, well that's self-explanatory...

The pic shows the rubber that I used (dim. 1 1/2" with a 3/4" flat section<- which is the size of aluminum tubes that I used)... Here is the ebay ad where I purchased it.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Super-Tough-Double-Bulb-Gasket-Seal_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33655QQihZ017QQite mZ270045835743

I cut off one of the "tubes" and split it open to place in the middle section. In the front I "stuck" the rest of it to the wall of the bed and smushed the cover up against it.... Will post pics after since it is now pouring...

[zuhl]

That looks awesome. Makes me very anxious to get me a MIG to give it a try. Great job.

[xridgelinex]

Originally Posted by zuhl

That looks awesome. Makes me very anxious to get me a MIG to give it a try. Great job.

Thanks... It's not that hard to make. . .

[zuhl]

You dont happen to have the plans or dimensions you used do you? And the materials?

I was wondering about the side rails. I have an Access soft tonneau cover now and the rail is very thin at the aft part of the bed to allow the trunk to open. Did you have any trouble with that?

I also have a silver, but I was thinking that when I did it, that I would like to paint it black or dark grey. Maybe even use some of that DIY bedliner material. I really like the look of it as in your pics, but I have had several toolboxes on my former trucks made from aluminum diamond plate and it just oxidizes so easily. And then it leaves that grey dust all over everything in the toolbox.