tonneau cover suggestions

Well around these parts my mazda is like the caddilac from gone in 60 seconds. I leave the keys in it and the windows down all the time. If someone does something to it I'll know about it before there done.

Care to give details Roach? I was trying to think of a way to make one myself using glass as well, but I know it's best to learn from other's experiences

Its actually a fiberglass cover that was on a wrecked Mazda behind my shop. It was one of the kind that sits directly on the bedsides and tailgate. It was free so....all I did was cut the bitch to fit directly inside the bedrails and fiberglass the edges that were cut. Used some flat door hinges on the bottom from the store, bolted them to the front and then to the front of the bed, and fabbed up some support brackets using angle iron and the little adjustable rubber things that hoods sit on to line up with the fenders. Doesnt make sense I know but it would if I showed you. Oh yea, its got two kickass body lines in it too so it isnt 100% smooth.

Nice find and mod then bro. I was thinking it would be a tough job do make one that good from scratch lol. It'd be lots and lots of sanding most likely Anywho, it does look sweet flush mounted like that.

I bought some stuff to do mine. I want to keep it light so it's easily lifted/removed when needed. I looked at the stuff needed to do it like okdragger, with the 3/4" ply, but by time I did that and bought the covering I'd have almost, if not, as much in it as if I would have bought a soft vinyl one. The vinyl, leather look a like stuff runs about $15 a sq. yard. I figured I'd need about 18' of it because it only comes in 54" width, and I need 57" just to do the inside to inside area, with no overlapping/folding under at the ends.

So in my quest to do it light weight, I found some Luana 1/4" plywood that is actually moisture resistant. I bought 2 4x8' sheets of it at $11/ea. For my bracing, the expensive part, I'm using 3/4"x3/4"x1/8" aluminum angle iron. 8' lengths of this stuff ran $15 ea. and I bought 4 so far along with one 3/4"x1/8"x4' stick of flat aluminum to use, if I wanna bolt some the angle iron together, for making corner pieces.

1 single covering isn't what I want to do cuz I would still have a single seam somewhere. So I know there are the "tri-fold" covers out there and I thought about sort of replicating that "look" and have each piece seperatle removable, or even hinge all 3 pieces. This is still quite possible.

I also, after seeing one on here, doing the seam down the middle and hinging each whole side to be able to be lifted up, but not sure about the look there.

I thought about doing one 4' length and a seperate 2' length at the tailgate area for accessing putting groceries and stuff in. But I don't like the big length and small length together really.

While writing this I am now serious;y contemplating doing the 3 seperate, but hinged, sections. I originally didn't think about hinging all 3 pieces, but now that I am thinking, I think that would work great.

I don't plan on covering it just yet. The Luana is so smooth I think that if I put down enough coats of paint and sand it if needed, it will then possible look like fiberglass smooth. And of course I'll poly it when I get the paint finished for extra weather protection. Once that's done I'll just use some door edge molding, or similar something, to go around the edges. Or maybe I can round it off well enough.

This thing will fit inside the bed and be flush mounted if all goes as planned.

If needed, if the paint doesn't look good, (which for now will just be blakc probably, though I am considering trying to match the truck paint), I can still cover it with some laminate if I wanted, or even vinyl material.

Now I'll go the drawing board and fiigure out my hinges and framing. Working a nice lil bow in the middle for water run off would be good too.

Anywho, sorry for the long post, I'll try to get some pics of it as I'm working on it for future peeps to use if needed.

Damn I love your truck!

So clean!

Thanks hotdawg cant wait to see pics i love the look of the flush mount and hope it works out for ya.