Art & Inspiration TONNEAU COVERS

Perfect for tubs like mine when the back seat area is converted to work like a truck. No back seat, dividers to hold stuff like cooler, tools, extra clothes and cleaning stuff.
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This car is a daily driver - weather permitting - and is called upon to haul everything from groceries to transmissions. This layout is perfect for that stuff and the rubber flooring is perfect as well.
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By the time you get the tonneau cover unsnapped over the back seat, she may no longer be in the mood.

 

Good looking car, is the body original? HRP

 

I am going to make a lightweight locking one for my ‘48 F1 out of steel or aluminum because nobody can keep there damn hands to themselves and I do not need to pay for hot rod part(s) and let someone else have them for free..

 

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Thanks! If you had to ask I must be doing something right!
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I installed one on my '55 F100, bought it from Sacramento Vintage Ford parts in '96. Great buy, heavy black vinyl, stainless snaps installed. Drilled my bed rails, installed male snaps, tight! $55.00, my son also bought one.
Tonneau never sagged, looks just as good now as it did 16 years ago. (really quiets the truck down, I have to pull the bed and replace the mount bolts...
My '56 Ford convert also had a tarp over the back seat, had Toupal's of San Jose do that one, 1858. $110, iirc.
Had to have it, older rodder Eric Bracher had one in his '56 Bel Air two dr. hard top... So cool!
Eric had Dean Jeffries paint a life size hand in the middle of his tarp: Hand was posed, "The FINGER!"
I didn't go that far.

 

I would love to put a tonneau cover the bed on my 49 Dodge pickup. I sure don't want to be concerned with it sagging, it will be sitting outside in the winter (we get snow here), so a snap on version may not be a great plan. I'm not opposed to having a framework, as long as I can have access to the bed to haul stuff on occasion.

I built one years ago out of sheet metal that hinged in the center, and was also hinged at the front 25 years ago. The back piece would lay over top of the front piece, then the whole thing would lift on the front hinges (truck hood hinges bolted inside the box). I used a prop rod to hold the cover open when I had to put something in the bed. That worked OK, but each time it rained, the center hinge leaked.

These days, I lack imagination on how to do a new cover for my 49, and the material I used on that earlier truck may no longer available. That one was make over 25 years ago, the memory isn't what it used to be.

I looked into buying a modern tonneau cover, but even places the advertise "custom covers" want to know what truck you have, then they tell you "They don't make any for your truck." I guess "custom" doesn't mean what it used to.

It would be a great help if a few guys could post a couple of "How to" processes, instruct us on the material used, where we might get that material, and let us know how it faired in the real world. Gene

 

I think it's got the look. HRP

 

Your right Danny,

 

I use to think of these tonneau covers as something for pickup trucks but seeing them in sedans on on roadsters, they look great on just about any type of hot rod or custom. HRP

 

This is the current tonneau cover on my avatar.

 

That looks great!, how is it holding up? HRP

 

My '41 p/u.


The date on the underside.

 

It’s actually about a year old. My upholstery guy made it a little bit bigger to allow for shrinking and expanding, that and it’s better material than the original one.

 

Raise your hand if you knew a guy that called them "Tonto covers"!

 

Here in the Sunny South I always heard them referred to as bed covers or bed tarps. HRP

 

Do you guys have any bracing under the cover, or does just pulling it tight with the snaps keep it tight enough it doesn't flap in the wind?

My truck will sit outside in the winter, its possible it may see several inches of over night snow sitting on it, before I can get the snow off of it.

 

Both of those covers will most likely be a problem out in the elements. Water or snow will weigh them down in the middle and create a dam. The extra weight will put a lot of strain on the fabric, s***ching and clips. On a vehicle that will need to handle the weather, there should be a couple of upwardly bowed support bars to keep the center higher than the edges. This will help to shed the water or snow. If the truck doesn't come out unless the sun is out, it doesn't matter.......

Some of the posted pics in this thread are more of a 'hard lid' than a tonneau cover. These will handle water and snow easily if made correctly.

 

Mine is just tight, really hard to snap when it's cold and easy when warm. Mine sits outside on an angled driveway under a car cover, so even heavy rain isn't a problem. If it was going to be in the snow I would make a cover out of wood or plastic to put on the bed under the cover (I have wood on my 60 Elco since it has no tonneau). If it's really going to sit through winter you can make a breakdown "table" over the bed area for snow.

 

My pal Dave built a wooden structure for support. HRP

 

This took some thought.

 

Back in the 50's my friend bob always had 49-50 Olds fastbacks and had covers made to cover the rear seat-----COOL

 

So, does that pull back as it opens, or does it pull back, then open? Also, it looks like it might close against the bed angles at the top of the bed sides? Does the cover lock?

I had a 54 Dodge pickup that had a steel cover. That was hinged with truck hood hinges so it moved towards the rear as it lifted. My 49 has a battery box in the left front corner of my truck bed, so the old truck hood hinges like I used on my 54 wouldn't work on this truck. The hinge set up you have would probably work.
Got any more pictures of the hinge setup?

 

On a 26-7 T, the back of the body curves back beyond the ends of the bed sides so a cover can't hinge off the back without hitting the body. So when Jack (The original owner) had the cover made they came up with a system that
would pull back then hinge upward. When closing, it would be lowered then pushed forward to seal against the body.
I don't believe it had a lock because the new owner said when g***ed it hard the cover would roll back on the small
hinges.
This is the only other pic I have and you can see the top extends forward of the front cross brace.

 

I found a couple more pics. The prop rod snaps into holders on the back cross brace.
I think the cover rests on the pads at the rear of the angled edges (back corners)