DIY temporary tonneau / bed cover?

[wildcattdw]

Yeah, I looked for 5x8 ply, 1/2 thick, but there was none locally and I didn't want to have to wait if I ordered it.

Finally got the painting done. Since I had to heat the garage, I wanted to make sure I could get it all done in one day.

Turned out pretty well.

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[PVguy]

A couple of tips for those using wood products for a tonneau cover.
If you are you are using dimensional boards, you should be able to get pine 1x6 V-groove, T&G , 1x6 or 1x8 boards. They will be typically V-groove on one side and flush on the other. More-or-less #2.
For plywood I would recommend MDF. It comes in 1/2” and is something like 7-ply. The MDF face is excellent for paint. And very smooth.

 

[mroe]

Yeah, I looked for 5x8 ply, 1/2 thick, but there was none locally and I didn't want to have to wait if I ordered it.

Finally got the painting done. Since I had to heat the garage, I wanted to make sure I could get it all done in one day.

Turned out pretty well.

I may need to do just this before my manual tonneau arrives!

 

[jbowen52]

Looks like a great solution. I used a similar trifold cover on a Ram 1500 for years. Good enough for me to cancel my manual tonneau option. Thanks

 

[jbowen52]

Do you know if the factory cross bars can still be installed with the cover in place? Thanks

 

[jbowen52]

received the Maverick tonneau today from Amazon - same one as mentioned above. Used some m6 wing nuts and bought two $1.99 straps fromHarbor Freight. Ideally it would be nice if it was an inch or two longer- I feel like some water might get in.

I agree, looks like a great solution. Will the factory cross bars fit with the cover on? Thanks

 

[sjohanson]

the factory crossbars will be tight but I think they will fit! I need to slide the whole cover over to the left a bit.

 

[jbowen52]

the factory crossbars will be tight but I think they will fit! I need to slide the whole cover over to the left a bit.

Thanks for the quick reply. I am very familiar with these trifold covers. They will move around and do flutter a bit at high speed. I could only ever hear it when the back window was open on my Ram. Not an issue here without an opening back window.

 

[HB1]

Do you know if the factory cross bars can still be installed with the cover in place? Thanks

Tight, but doable if you squeeze a bit.

 

[HB1]

Thanks for the quick reply. I am very familiar with these trifold covers. They will move around and do flutter a bit at high speed. I could only ever hear it when the back window was open on my Ram. Not an issue here without an opening back window.

So far mine has worked really well, no movement, pretty much watertight from rain and very solid at freeway speeds.

 

[jbowen52]

Tight, but doable if you squeeze a bit.

Excellent!! Thanks for the info.

 

[jbowen52]

So far mine has worked really well, no movement, pretty much watertight from rain and very solid at freeway speeds.

Great news. I have used a trifold for years on a Ram truck. It was pretty watertight and only fluttered a bit at speed. I had a rear opening window and it was only noticeable when the window was open. Not a problem here.

 

[mini2nut]

Yeah, I looked for 5x8 ply, 1/2 thick, but there was none locally and I didn't want to have to wait if I ordered it.

Finally got the painting done. Since I had to heat the garage, I wanted to make sure I could get it all done in one day.

Turned out pretty well.

Nice job!

I’m seeking some black powder coated aluminum slats similar to this that will fit into the composite bed channel.

The specs are 5/8” thick, 5” wide and 6’ long.

These interlocking aluminum slats would be perfect except they are not 1/2” thick

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Veranda...WrFSHNdbK2kaAu9vEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#overlay

 

[kozak79]

My plan for a temporary manual cover will be to use Veranda Cellular PVC Fascia boards, 1/2" x 12" and 48" continuous hinges. Here's the design, which folds up for gear tunnel storage. My truck is white, so no need to paint.

 

[Mfurman]

Hi, just got my R1T and it had no cover at all. Here is what I did:
Bought a 228 dollar Ford Maverick cover off Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3MGFX2Z?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details. You need to modify install a bit,
You use the cover "tunnel" to mount/slide the brackets into and screw down the cover.
Replace the included wing screws (they are too wide for Rivian side plastic mold) with M6 nuts.
I flipped the included brackets upside down to get tighter grip
The back locking bolts won't work because they hit the plastic side of the Rivian bed, so I bought two heavy duty Bungy cords that locks the back. works like a charm.

I'm planning on doing this as well - What length Bungy cords?

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