The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Bed Cover

Anyone know a source for a tonneau cover for a 1950 3100?

Here's a neat one that the wife won't let me buy. I figured it would work by putting some 1"x1" posts on it and sit them in the stake pockets. She thinks it's gaudy, but it's definately just for the cruise nights....

Remember this movie?

There's a place named gaylords in Long Beach, CA that makes them for '47 & up chevy's...I haven't checked them out but I heard that they have them...

Gaylords

Another one that I have looked at is CheckMate.

CheckMate

Thanks guys, Checker looks promising....

Was going to wait awhile to post the question but this may be the time to bring it up.
Does anyone have any ideas on how a soft tonneau cover could be utilized on a Task Force era shortbed? Clincher is I would not want to drill holes for snaps and not crazy about gluing down Velcro strips. Too much money and time invested in bodywork and paint to start destroying the efforts. Only idea I seem to be able to come up with is utilizing the stake pockets in some way. Any sources would be appreciated.
Bruce

Possibly some sort of frame sections that run across the bed between the stake pockets? However, it seems like you would still need snaps at the front and the tailgate or it would blow off, unless you made a frame that hooked in the stake pockets and ran all the way around the bed...

Bruce, I once had to come up with a soft tonneau for a client with your same concerns about permanent attachments. What we ended up with was six tension points at the stake pockets by using flush-cut wood stakes and hairpin-style hood locks. I installed stainless "eyes" in the vinyl cover to slip over the pins under slight tension. In order to keep the edges from flapping and stripping the paint, I sewed magnets into the perimeter at 4" intervals. It looks like a fat, slightly boxy welt strip, but I wanted to make sure the magnet was strong enough to hold on with a layer of vinyl between it and the steel. It actally seems to hold better than snaps, although the truck it's on doesn't go past 60 mph so we don't know what speed will pull the magnets loose.

edit: I remember him telling me he once forgot to set the hairpins on the rear corners. He didn't make that mistake twice, as the cover flapped once and, uh, nearly ruined his seatcovers. If I were to try this again, I think I would have more magnets (closer together) on the front and rear edges, for such "senior moments."

Bruce-when I had my S-10, I had a wonderful soft tonneau made by a company in Michigan called Extang. It had "no drill" aluminum frame rails which attached (with clamps) to the rails of my box. The cover then stretched over the frame. Try your local truck and van supply place and see if they have a "rail tonneau cover" for '73-'87 GM stepside. Pretty sure the newer truck stepside box was almost identical to the '54-up box. Hope this helps.

Regards,
Wannabe

GMCpanel, something like your suggestion is what I have had going thru the noggin.

Hedgehog, This sounds like an interesting approach and I will definitely file this idea at the top of the list. Look for an email from me.

Wannabe, I have seen these clamp on aluminum frame covers however I have as yet to figure out how the clamps could be clamped to the smooth sidewalls on the inside of the bed.

Thanks all,
Bruce

Bruce-those rail covers actually have an internal expanding clamp to attach them down in the stake pockets on the stepside type truck. On my S-10, they simply clamped on the inside of the top bed rail.

They (Extang) call them the "No Damage To Truck" tonneau-and they ain't kidding! The price isn't too bad, either. Dunno if they've got a website or not, might be worth a Google.

Regards,
Wannabe

Thanks Wannabe I will give it a try and try to locate them.
Bruce

Wannabe, Just emailed Extang for info. FYI here is the link to their site.
http://www.extang.com/talkindex.html
Bruce

Thank you for contacting Extang. Unfortunately we don’t have any systems that will fit your truck. We do not make systems that go back that far. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.



Thanks again.
:mad: :confused:

I just looked at the year of your truck again - you have those stupid slanted bed top rails. That will make installing any tonneau cover an interesting challenge.

I have a design for one floating around in my head that I am going to try after I finish the rest of the truck. It would be fiberglass with an aluminum frame. It would fit the bed sides like a keystone and have sloped rubber gaskets with rain gutters to drain the water off and use the stake pockets to secure it. I have a few years before I do it though.

Read this post last week and I was sure I had pictures of the bed cover one of the guys in our club built for his '47 but couldn't find them, Luckily he came to our cruise night last saturday and I was able to get some pictures of it. Hope these help, It has a steel tubing frame and it has some thin metal on top of it. and the whole thing has padding and some vinal (sp) covering it all. Also he has it hinged at the front of the bed,
Gas shocks on the sides, and some rubber tubing for a gasket all the way around the bottom of the cover.
MONGO
[img]http://www.chevygmcofkc.org/Gallery/data/504/1DCP_1735s.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.chevygmcofkc.org/Gallery/data/504/1DCP_1733s.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.chevygmcofkc.org/Gallery/data/504/1DCP_1731s.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.chevygmcofkc.org/Gallery/data/504/1DCP_1729s.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.chevygmcofkc.org/Gallery/data/504/1DCP_1730s.jpg[/img]

KC, that's sure a slick (and HOMEBUILT, yet), solution for the early truck tonneau. Sharp lookin' truck, too. Thanks for sharing your pix.

Regards,
Wannabe

Mike K - thanks for the tip on Checker Pro, http://www.checkerpro.com/ I've been looking for a hard tonneau and gots lots of runaround from Gaylords - they didn't really seem interested in selling their $1000 covers. Checker was prompt, friendly, and a LOT cheaper. They're in the neighborhood (6 hours) so I dropped in to have it installed for free. I'm really pleased with cover. See it at
http://chuckthetruck.homestead.com/Page21.html
Thanks again Mike and Thanks Stovebolt!

chuckthetruck - Glad to be of service. The installation looks sweet.

Chuck, Looks really sweet, I like it even better than other's I've seen. I wanna run Side boards in my stake pockets eventually and like the way it leaves the pockets open. I wonder if I built my side boards right if they would clear it?
MONGO

KC, they build them custom so I'm sure you could coordinate with them.