DIYAndy
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
DIY "True" Authentic Hillbilly III, Incline, All Metal/Plastic, Truck Bed Cover (Tonneau) for the 2019/2020 Ford Ranger.
During this Corona virus-19 pandemic, Ohio required to "shelter or stay in place" I had only two choices - (A) be with my family upstairs or (B) go in the basement/garage and design/construct another Ford Ranger lightweight, inexpensive truck bed cover. I chose B
My Ford Ranger friends insulted me when they said "I lost my way and should go back to my Ohio hillbilly roots" This new truck bed cover (Tonneau) design will settle, once and for all, any doubts that my Ford Ranger friends had of me.
Since I had already built a corrugated, polycarbonate dog house roof for Fido, I decided to adapt the corrugated roof design for my new Ford Ranger truck bed cover (Tonneau).
DIY III Hillbilly Hard, Incline, Metal/Polycarbonate Truck Bed Cover Features:
1. True, authentic, classy, hillbilly, corrugated, polycarbonate roof, cover design.
2. All metal (6061-T6 aluminum) and plastic (polycarbonate/aka Lexan) truck bed cover construction. (zero % wood used)
3. 100% corrosion and rust protection - aluminum and plastic don't rust.
4. ~ 100% weatherproof/waterproof - all "roof" components are sealed with silicone caulk and flex seal. Roof fastener hardware has neoprene/EDPM washers for leak prevention.
5. 100% UV/sunlight protection. (each "top" corrugated, polycarbonate, plastic roof panel is specially treated for UV protection).
6. Very light weight, truck bed, incline cover (including aluminum frame and corrugated plastic roof)~ 35 pounds.
7. Very low maintenance - other than cleaning the corrugated plastic roof panel with isopropyl alcohol and maybe even with whiskey or moonshine?
8. Easy to obtain truck bed cover frame materials - from the metal junk yard, metals supplier and/or from Home Depot.
9. Low cost ~ $360. (Due to national stoppage aluminum prices are going down) (Commercial Tonneau versions of the hinge design run upwards around $1000 and greater)
10. Heavy duty and strong 3" x 2" x 3/16" and 2" x 2" x 3/16" angle 6061-T6 aluminum and with 2" W x 3/16" AL brace plates on the welded panel frame.
11. Two "spring loaded" universal gas lifters/struts are used to incline the truck bed panel cover. (they can be both easily detached from the panel cover in 20 seconds)
12. Truck bed cover has two tie-downs, using rope ratchets, for security protection only when the tailgate is unlocked and lowered.
13. Truck tailgate can be opened/closed with the truck bed cover in the incline or down position.
14. Very low cost to repair/replace the polycarbonate corrugated panel cover. ( ~ $17 per panel - 3 was used)
15. Load rating for the polycarbonate corrugated panel cover ~ 40 pounds per square foot (using 24" centers) (Please note: You cannot stand on this panel cover!)
16. All bolts, nuts and fastener hardware are 18-8 stainless steel and aluminum rivets for outdoor use. (64 3/16" x 1/2" AL rivets and ~ 60 special 18-8 SS bolts with nylon nuts )
17. No drilling and machining on the truck bed frame and rails.
18. Natural material colors - no painting required. (mill finish aluminum and three polycarbonate, opaque, optional colors to choose from (red/green/grey) - Castle Grey was chosen.)
19. Truck bed cover can be completely released from the truck bed in several minutes. Two clevis pins (with hairpins), two "spring loaded" quick release gas strut joints and a ~35 pound aluminum/polycarbonate cover/frame makes this task easy peasy.
20. Cover security is provided/protected by the heavy duty 3/16" aluminum grid plates below the polycarbonate panel/cover surface.
21. 18-8 stainless steel, socket, button head, fastener hardware on the truck bed cover "roof" makes the truck bed cover look modern with a "macho" flair.
Construction project skills needed for this project:
1. Aluminum welding (You could also hire out for any local welder than can weld 6061-T6 aluminum)
2. Aluminum metal cutting, riveting and drilling. (Some metal shops will cut the material for you for a fee - if not get out MR. hacksaw or angle grinder
3. Polycarbonate plastic cutting and drilling. (Read the PalRam roof installation guide for a better understanding about this plastic polycarbonate corrugated roof material)
4. Metal painting for the custom made, A36 steel welded truck bed clevis hinges and brackets.
Special notes on the corrugated foamed polycarbonate sheet roofing material:
PalRam makes three different versions of their plastic "universal" corrugated roofing. It can be found at Home Depot, Menards (low cost) and even at "mom and pop" hardware stores (high cost). The "SunTuf" version is only transparent (you cannot use this version due to lack of truck bed security - you can see thru it) but their "SunTop" version has three opaque colors to choose from - Sedona Brick, Rain Forest Green and Castle Grey. I chose Castle Grey as a neutral color for my Lightning Blue Ford Ranger XL (6 foot bed)
Please note: Extreme care is needed if you decide to re-paint this polycarbonate(aka Lexan) plastic another color - you will lose all UV protection!
Project construction materials and approximate cost. (For 6' Ranger truck bed - lower $$$ for 5 foot bed)
3 sheets of PalRam (1/16") 8'L x 26"W "SunTop" Castle Grey corrugated foamed polycarbonate roofing. (~$51)(Length cut to users specs) (The 26" width was not cut but overlapped with other sheets)
3" x 2" x 3/16" angle 6061-T6 aluminum Qty. 2 - 67 " Length - truck bed frame vertical rails. (~$71)
2" x 2" x 3/16" angle 6061-T6 aluminum Qty. 4 - 53 3/4" Length - truck bed frame horizonal rails (~$73)
2" x 2" x 1/8" angle 6061-T6 aluminum (corner brackets for holding all corners, using rivets, in place for welding) Qty. 8 - 5/8" (0.625") width/length (~ $10)
3/16" X 2" 6061-T6511 Aluminum Flat plate (for frame grid cross braces) Qty. 2 19"L and Qty. 4 20"L (~$32)
Horizontal Purlins ~ 20 feet. ( ~ $12)
Vertical Purlins ~ 12 feet. (~ $6)
Fastener hardware - 3/16" 1/2" grip pop rivets, #10 18-8 SS socket head button screws, special roof washers with nylon locknuts and #10 18-8 SS socket head flat screws with nylon lock nuts. (~$55)
Custom welded hinge bracket assembly and gas struts/lifter assembly (~$50)
Please note: Re-measure "your" truck bed again to make sure all materials will fit.
I left 3/4" clearance on both sides so the gas struts/clamps/brackets will fit. Also I left 2" near the bulkhead and 1" near the tailgate for easy cover panel installation and removal.
The finished welded "outside dimensions" (for 6' truck bed) for the aluminum cover frame was/is fairly exact- 59 3/4" width and 67" in length.
All corrugated roof purlins were centered on this aluminum angle frame grid.
Since the Ford Ranger has a designed in slight decline from the tailgate to the bulkhead/cab frame then rain water will flow from the corrugated polycarbonate roof to the cab frame. Snow/ice will just stay in place. Special roof fasteners have EDPM rubber seals along with applied silicone to prevent leaks. I will do MPG testing to see if the air flow from the corrugated roof will save fuel.
Construction helpful tips/hints/suggestions:
1. Use corner brackets and pop rivets to secure all frame corners temporary for aluminum welding.
2. Use of 3/16" 6061-T6511 aluminum flat plate for re-enforcement for horizontal cross angles.
3. Riveted all "horizontal" SunTop purlins to the aluminum welded frame using 3/16" x 1/2" grip aluminum rivets.
4. Use hex socket head flat screws and nylon nuts to hold the "vertical" purlins in place. Counter sink the holes with a counter sink bit for flat head socket screws installation.
5. Use 100% silicone sealant to seal all outside frame/palin edges and then paint all purlin "outside" ugly brown edges black using Rustoleum primer plastic paint.
6. All fastener hardware is #10. Pop rivets uses the same hole (3/16" hole diameter) for easy project construction. (64 rivets and 80 SS nylon nuts and bolts were used.)
7. The holes for the roof panels "only" have to be larger by 1/16" for expansion/contraction of the corrugated plastic. (3/16" + 1/16" = 1/4" plastic drill bit was used)
8. All #10 (3/16") fastener holes were drilled into the purlins "first" then a clear, corrugated foamed polycarbonate roofing "test" panel was used to mark the holes locations and then these hole locations were transferred to the finished panels. Use a 1/16" bit on the clear panel location then drilling through the finish panel for the exact location. All holes on the finish roof panels will have to be re-drilled again to 1/4" using a plastic drill.
9. Tin snips worked well in cutting the 1/16" PalRam SunTop corrugated foamed polycarbonate roofing panels. Also, a jigsaw will work.
10. Ford designed the Ranger's truck bed rails in a gradual sloping curve shape. It starts at the bulkhead then rises gradually to the center curve apex then slopes down to the tailgate. Putting a flat aluminum metal surface that doesn't bend like wood on a curve surface is very problematic. I raised the aluminum frame "a little" at the bulkhead to compensate for this curve surface then filled in the space with weather stripping.
11. The custom made welded A36 steel frame to bulkhead hinges were made for a tool less truck panel cover quick release. Clevis pins with hairpins or spring clips were used in place of pivot hinge pins.
For security, the clevis pins or spring clips can only be release from the inside near the bulkhead/cab frame.
12. Three 26" wide corrugated panels were used and overlapped on the frame purlins. No width cutting was necessary but trimming for the user length was easy with tin snips or jigsaw.
13. The PalRam corrugated polycarbonate roof material is marked, in several places on the panels, to have ONLY one side facing the sun for UV protection.
14. After installing the hinge brackets on the support frame and before the polycarbonate roof is installed on the frame, only then try to adjust the gas lifters/struts for smooth operation. Both struts should have the same panel cover load equally divided between each other for proper operation.
15. Be prepared to spend some DIY time in the construction of this special truck bed cover! It took several days, away from the family, from start to finish. Be sure to have plenty of liquid refreshments on hand to bribe your helpers in the construction of this truck bed cover.
Complete removal sequence of the hillbilly Ford Ranger truck bed, lightweight, aluminum/plastic cover.
1. Unlock the tailgate and lower it.
2. Remove the two security rope ratchets from the rear cover D rings.
3. Incline the truck bed cover then use 2 x 4 to prevent the cover from falling and detach both gas struts/lifters with the spring loaded connectors.
4. Remove the 2 x 4 and lower the cover down.
5. Craw underneath the truck bed cover and release both hairpins from the clevis pin hinges or spring clips and push the clevis pins/spring clips away from the hinges.
6. Pull straight back the 35# truck bed cover off the vinyl rails and store it away in a convenient place.
My dog Fido now likes to jump into the back of my Ford Ranger truck bed with the new designed cover - it reminds him of "his" home.
End of completed project
DIYAndy 4/25/2020
See pictures below.
During this Corona virus-19 pandemic, Ohio required to "shelter or stay in place" I had only two choices - (A) be with my family upstairs or (B) go in the basement/garage and design/construct another Ford Ranger lightweight, inexpensive truck bed cover. I chose B
My Ford Ranger friends insulted me when they said "I lost my way and should go back to my Ohio hillbilly roots" This new truck bed cover (Tonneau) design will settle, once and for all, any doubts that my Ford Ranger friends had of me.
Since I had already built a corrugated, polycarbonate dog house roof for Fido, I decided to adapt the corrugated roof design for my new Ford Ranger truck bed cover (Tonneau).
DIY III Hillbilly Hard, Incline, Metal/Polycarbonate Truck Bed Cover Features:
1. True, authentic, classy, hillbilly, corrugated, polycarbonate roof, cover design.
2. All metal (6061-T6 aluminum) and plastic (polycarbonate/aka Lexan) truck bed cover construction. (zero % wood used)
3. 100% corrosion and rust protection - aluminum and plastic don't rust.
4. ~ 100% weatherproof/waterproof - all "roof" components are sealed with silicone caulk and flex seal. Roof fastener hardware has neoprene/EDPM washers for leak prevention.
5. 100% UV/sunlight protection. (each "top" corrugated, polycarbonate, plastic roof panel is specially treated for UV protection).
6. Very light weight, truck bed, incline cover (including aluminum frame and corrugated plastic roof)~ 35 pounds.
7. Very low maintenance - other than cleaning the corrugated plastic roof panel with isopropyl alcohol and maybe even with whiskey or moonshine?
8. Easy to obtain truck bed cover frame materials - from the metal junk yard, metals supplier and/or from Home Depot.
9. Low cost ~ $360. (Due to national stoppage aluminum prices are going down) (Commercial Tonneau versions of the hinge design run upwards around $1000 and greater)
10. Heavy duty and strong 3" x 2" x 3/16" and 2" x 2" x 3/16" angle 6061-T6 aluminum and with 2" W x 3/16" AL brace plates on the welded panel frame.
11. Two "spring loaded" universal gas lifters/struts are used to incline the truck bed panel cover. (they can be both easily detached from the panel cover in 20 seconds)
12. Truck bed cover has two tie-downs, using rope ratchets, for security protection only when the tailgate is unlocked and lowered.
13. Truck tailgate can be opened/closed with the truck bed cover in the incline or down position.
14. Very low cost to repair/replace the polycarbonate corrugated panel cover. ( ~ $17 per panel - 3 was used)
15. Load rating for the polycarbonate corrugated panel cover ~ 40 pounds per square foot (using 24" centers) (Please note: You cannot stand on this panel cover!)
16. All bolts, nuts and fastener hardware are 18-8 stainless steel and aluminum rivets for outdoor use. (64 3/16" x 1/2" AL rivets and ~ 60 special 18-8 SS bolts with nylon nuts )
17. No drilling and machining on the truck bed frame and rails.
18. Natural material colors - no painting required. (mill finish aluminum and three polycarbonate, opaque, optional colors to choose from (red/green/grey) - Castle Grey was chosen.)
19. Truck bed cover can be completely released from the truck bed in several minutes. Two clevis pins (with hairpins), two "spring loaded" quick release gas strut joints and a ~35 pound aluminum/polycarbonate cover/frame makes this task easy peasy.
20. Cover security is provided/protected by the heavy duty 3/16" aluminum grid plates below the polycarbonate panel/cover surface.
21. 18-8 stainless steel, socket, button head, fastener hardware on the truck bed cover "roof" makes the truck bed cover look modern with a "macho" flair.
Construction project skills needed for this project:
1. Aluminum welding (You could also hire out for any local welder than can weld 6061-T6 aluminum)
2. Aluminum metal cutting, riveting and drilling. (Some metal shops will cut the material for you for a fee - if not get out MR. hacksaw or angle grinder
3. Polycarbonate plastic cutting and drilling. (Read the PalRam roof installation guide for a better understanding about this plastic polycarbonate corrugated roof material)
4. Metal painting for the custom made, A36 steel welded truck bed clevis hinges and brackets.
Special notes on the corrugated foamed polycarbonate sheet roofing material:
PalRam makes three different versions of their plastic "universal" corrugated roofing. It can be found at Home Depot, Menards (low cost) and even at "mom and pop" hardware stores (high cost). The "SunTuf" version is only transparent (you cannot use this version due to lack of truck bed security - you can see thru it) but their "SunTop" version has three opaque colors to choose from - Sedona Brick, Rain Forest Green and Castle Grey. I chose Castle Grey as a neutral color for my Lightning Blue Ford Ranger XL (6 foot bed)
Please note: Extreme care is needed if you decide to re-paint this polycarbonate(aka Lexan) plastic another color - you will lose all UV protection!
Project construction materials and approximate cost. (For 6' Ranger truck bed - lower $$$ for 5 foot bed)
3 sheets of PalRam (1/16") 8'L x 26"W "SunTop" Castle Grey corrugated foamed polycarbonate roofing. (~$51)(Length cut to users specs) (The 26" width was not cut but overlapped with other sheets)
3" x 2" x 3/16" angle 6061-T6 aluminum Qty. 2 - 67 " Length - truck bed frame vertical rails. (~$71)
2" x 2" x 3/16" angle 6061-T6 aluminum Qty. 4 - 53 3/4" Length - truck bed frame horizonal rails (~$73)
2" x 2" x 1/8" angle 6061-T6 aluminum (corner brackets for holding all corners, using rivets, in place for welding) Qty. 8 - 5/8" (0.625") width/length (~ $10)
3/16" X 2" 6061-T6511 Aluminum Flat plate (for frame grid cross braces) Qty. 2 19"L and Qty. 4 20"L (~$32)
Horizontal Purlins ~ 20 feet. ( ~ $12)
Vertical Purlins ~ 12 feet. (~ $6)
Fastener hardware - 3/16" 1/2" grip pop rivets, #10 18-8 SS socket head button screws, special roof washers with nylon locknuts and #10 18-8 SS socket head flat screws with nylon lock nuts. (~$55)
Custom welded hinge bracket assembly and gas struts/lifter assembly (~$50)
Please note: Re-measure "your" truck bed again to make sure all materials will fit.
I left 3/4" clearance on both sides so the gas struts/clamps/brackets will fit. Also I left 2" near the bulkhead and 1" near the tailgate for easy cover panel installation and removal.
The finished welded "outside dimensions" (for 6' truck bed) for the aluminum cover frame was/is fairly exact- 59 3/4" width and 67" in length.
All corrugated roof purlins were centered on this aluminum angle frame grid.
Since the Ford Ranger has a designed in slight decline from the tailgate to the bulkhead/cab frame then rain water will flow from the corrugated polycarbonate roof to the cab frame. Snow/ice will just stay in place. Special roof fasteners have EDPM rubber seals along with applied silicone to prevent leaks. I will do MPG testing to see if the air flow from the corrugated roof will save fuel.
Construction helpful tips/hints/suggestions:
1. Use corner brackets and pop rivets to secure all frame corners temporary for aluminum welding.
2. Use of 3/16" 6061-T6511 aluminum flat plate for re-enforcement for horizontal cross angles.
3. Riveted all "horizontal" SunTop purlins to the aluminum welded frame using 3/16" x 1/2" grip aluminum rivets.
4. Use hex socket head flat screws and nylon nuts to hold the "vertical" purlins in place. Counter sink the holes with a counter sink bit for flat head socket screws installation.
5. Use 100% silicone sealant to seal all outside frame/palin edges and then paint all purlin "outside" ugly brown edges black using Rustoleum primer plastic paint.
6. All fastener hardware is #10. Pop rivets uses the same hole (3/16" hole diameter) for easy project construction. (64 rivets and 80 SS nylon nuts and bolts were used.)
7. The holes for the roof panels "only" have to be larger by 1/16" for expansion/contraction of the corrugated plastic. (3/16" + 1/16" = 1/4" plastic drill bit was used)
8. All #10 (3/16") fastener holes were drilled into the purlins "first" then a clear, corrugated foamed polycarbonate roofing "test" panel was used to mark the holes locations and then these hole locations were transferred to the finished panels. Use a 1/16" bit on the clear panel location then drilling through the finish panel for the exact location. All holes on the finish roof panels will have to be re-drilled again to 1/4" using a plastic drill.
9. Tin snips worked well in cutting the 1/16" PalRam SunTop corrugated foamed polycarbonate roofing panels. Also, a jigsaw will work.
10. Ford designed the Ranger's truck bed rails in a gradual sloping curve shape. It starts at the bulkhead then rises gradually to the center curve apex then slopes down to the tailgate. Putting a flat aluminum metal surface that doesn't bend like wood on a curve surface is very problematic. I raised the aluminum frame "a little" at the bulkhead to compensate for this curve surface then filled in the space with weather stripping.
11. The custom made welded A36 steel frame to bulkhead hinges were made for a tool less truck panel cover quick release. Clevis pins with hairpins or spring clips were used in place of pivot hinge pins.
For security, the clevis pins or spring clips can only be release from the inside near the bulkhead/cab frame.
12. Three 26" wide corrugated panels were used and overlapped on the frame purlins. No width cutting was necessary but trimming for the user length was easy with tin snips or jigsaw.
13. The PalRam corrugated polycarbonate roof material is marked, in several places on the panels, to have ONLY one side facing the sun for UV protection.
14. After installing the hinge brackets on the support frame and before the polycarbonate roof is installed on the frame, only then try to adjust the gas lifters/struts for smooth operation. Both struts should have the same panel cover load equally divided between each other for proper operation.
15. Be prepared to spend some DIY time in the construction of this special truck bed cover! It took several days, away from the family, from start to finish. Be sure to have plenty of liquid refreshments on hand to bribe your helpers in the construction of this truck bed cover.
Complete removal sequence of the hillbilly Ford Ranger truck bed, lightweight, aluminum/plastic cover.
1. Unlock the tailgate and lower it.
2. Remove the two security rope ratchets from the rear cover D rings.
3. Incline the truck bed cover then use 2 x 4 to prevent the cover from falling and detach both gas struts/lifters with the spring loaded connectors.
4. Remove the 2 x 4 and lower the cover down.
5. Craw underneath the truck bed cover and release both hairpins from the clevis pin hinges or spring clips and push the clevis pins/spring clips away from the hinges.
6. Pull straight back the 35# truck bed cover off the vinyl rails and store it away in a convenient place.
My dog Fido now likes to jump into the back of my Ford Ranger truck bed with the new designed cover - it reminds him of "his" home.
End of completed project
DIYAndy 4/25/2020
See pictures below.
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