My DIY F-150 Hard Tonneau Mod and Install on R1T

[broc]

I thought I would share this for ideas even though it probably isn't useful to most owners because:

1. My R1T was delivered last month with NO tonneau cover.
2. I had a Lomax tri fold low profile tonneau from my 2019 Raptor that got totaled several years ago.

The cover was pretty scratched up and I figured that whatever it would fetch on Craigslist would probably be less than the Rivian manual one costs. When I originally ordered the manual Rivian cover I figured it was like the powered one but with no power. Pretty disappointed that it sounds like it is four individual pieces. Pretty archaic. This will hopefully get me by until there are some more options.

Basically I made the panels narrower and shortened the panel closest to the cab to shorten it from 5.5' to the 4.5'. The panels and bracing underneath are made of aluminum and joined with double stick tape.

It turned out great and fits well. The seal on the old cover is on the bottom which keeps it from sliding very freely in the channel and the overall thickness of the cover and seal is a bit thinner than the track. I may put the seal on top of the cover and add some kind of HDPE strips to the bottom to shim it up and make it slide in easier.

Having the panels joined together should seal well but also makes it a bit more cumbersome to install than the Rivian design separate panels.

Brian

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[Rivan]

This looks good actually, if you can seal it enough I Do not see a reason for Rivian's Cover, the only idea behind the 4 separate panels are to store them in the Tunnel .... I would have used that the last few days where it was raining none stop in SoCal.. ..

a side note, That table next to your Truck and the metal ruler is giving me a heart attack.. lol

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I wonder...would a Ford Maverick or Honda Ridgeline cover be a better fit that doesn't require cutting?

 

[moosehead]

Well done man. Did you apply anything to the cut edges or just dremel them down smooth?

 

[broc]

Thanks! Maverick one may fit without any modification if it was thin enough at the edges and had just the right dimensions. Unlikely but you never know. Bakflip mx4 look like the right design but it would have to be the perfect size. All of the hard tonneaus are about $1K so the rivian option probably makes more sense......if it ever arrives. Wish they would just do a tambour style cover. Those work great and it seems like there is enough room for the spool above the gear tunnel.

On cutting aluminum, no need to smooth edges. Track saws (Festool or Makita)cut so well they leave what looks like a machined edge. Awesome tool to have.

 

[mini2nut]

Looks OEM!!! Great job repurposing a used Lomax hard tonneau cover.

I had the exact same Lomax cover on my Tacoma and sold it before I got rid of the vehicle. It may have worked on my R1T with some modifications similar to yours.

I’m going to kick myself for selling it if the upcoming Rivian bed slats are $1800.

 

[sacramentoelectric]

You managed to do something in a weekend that Rivian couldn't do in 15 months; you built and displayed a manual tonneau cover for the R1T. I'd add the top you modified also costs $900 less than Rivian's mythical manual tonneau cover. They should hire you. Want to take over their coms department too?

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Thanks! Maverick one may fit without any modification if it was thin enough at the edges and had just the right dimensions. Unlikely but you never know. Bakflip mx4 look like the right design but it would have to be the perfect size. All of the hard tonneaus are about $1K so the rivian option probably makes more sense......if it ever arrives. Wish they would just do a tambour style cover. Those work great and it seems like there is enough room for the spool above the gear tunnel.

On cutting aluminum, no need to smooth edges. Track saws (Festool or Makita)cut so well they leave what looks like a machined edge. Awesome tool to have.

The one advantage of an F-150 cover is you can usually find them used. I picked up one for my Lightning locally for $200. I have a powered but if I didn’t, that might be worth $200 and a weekend.

 

[Sgt Jmack]

Great job upcycling.
I wonder though, is the Rivian piece actually water tight once installed, or do those panels simply sit on top of the bed rail/groove track similar to how these lay on top?

 

[DirtyJester]

I thought I would share this for ideas even though it probably isn't useful to most owners because:

1. My R1T was delivered last month with NO tonneau cover.
2. I had a Lomax tri fold low profile tonneau from my 2019 Raptor that got totaled several years ago.

The cover was pretty scratched up and I figured that whatever it would fetch on Craigslist would probably be less than the Rivian manual one costs. When I originally ordered the manual Rivian cover I figured it was like the powered one but with no power. Pretty disappointed that it sounds like it is four individual pieces. Pretty archaic. This will hopefully get me by until there are some more options.

Basically I made the panels narrower and shortened the panel closest to the cab to shorten it from 5.5' to the 4.5'. The panels and bracing underneath are made of aluminum and joined with double stick tape.

It turned out great and fits well. The seal on the old cover is on the bottom which keeps it from sliding very freely in the channel and the overall thickness of the cover and seal is a bit thinner than the track. I may put the seal on top of the cover and add some kind of HDPE strips to the bottom to shim it up and make it slide in easier.

Having the panels joined together should seal well but also makes it a bit more cumbersome to install than the Rivian design separate panels.

Brian

Nice… very nice indeed!!

 

[David 2]

I sent this question to EV Sportline yesterday

 

[suprteck]

Retrax is making one also. Supposedly at the end of the year

 

[broc]

Retrax for the win. That would be awesome if true. The longer Rivian takes to get a tonneau, the bigger and more worthwhile the market gets for the aftermarket. It will be interesting to see if the Rivian manual is just 4 slats with no party trick like becoming a table or something. If it is just slats, there should be a lot of room for small aftermarket or DIY to duplicate the idea much cheaper. A quick search of honeycomb panels and edge extrusions looks like the cost to make one could be $400 or so and could be made with a table saw and chop saw. Just need to find black panels and black anodized extrusions.

 

[R1Tims]

WOW Great job!!
Did your R1T come with the power tonneau rails? I assume your updated cover then slides into these rails? not familiar with your type of cover, to remove do you slide it rearward to remove and to open? OR does it just flip open? it looks like the cover is under the rails in the picture.

As for the comments about bed sealing...The OEM power Tonneau does not seal. Bed still gets wet. I know this for fact as I have one.

 

[NY_Rob]

It's encouraging to hear other providers have aftermarket hard tonneau covers in the works.

It's too bad for Rivian because if they don't get their super simple 4-panel manual cover out s00n we (including me) may start asking for $800 refunds on the cover not delivered w/the truck.

With me, they took away my spare tire option.. they lost $800 as I replaced it with a Ram 1500 wheel and 20" winter tire for 1/2 the cost. They also lost out on the $140 floor mats sale because I replaced them with the 3D Maxpider mats. If they fail to deliver the manual tonneau in a reasonable amount they will lose out on another $800 from me.

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