Brainstorming: custom bed cover

[snipecatcher]

WARNING: DO NOT START BUILDING THINGS FOR YOUR TRUCK, YOU WILL BECOME ADDICTED AND LOSE SLEEP AT NIGHT THINKING OF THE NEXT THING TO DO.

I put up pictures of my kayak rack in the Tacoma folder, and so far I'm happy with it, but I'm thinking of going in a whole new direction. I'm thinking of this:

Basically I would build a frame out of say, 1" angle iron, then cover it with sheet metal, so that the total height was about 8" taller than the bed. It would be angled on 3 sides (no angle at the front.) The flip up doors at the front would be about 2 feet wide, and very similar to those you might see on a regular truck tool box. This way I can keep all of my tools and such protected from the weather, but more importantly, protected from dishonest people. I currently have a large ammo can (rocket box) that holds most all the tools I'll ever need (sockets, chain, air compressor, jack, etc.) but I could always use more storage, especially if and when I do some traveling. For instance, I really wanted to take off to Florida to fish for a few days this past summer, but got to thinking about having to haul all of my equipment up to a hotel room every night, because hotel parking lots seem to be a favorite place for theives. I could also put kayak hull mounts on top of this, which would keep my kayak below the roofline of my truck, helping considerably with wind drag and handling compared to what I have now. Has anybody done anything similar to what I have pictured? Any opinions or general fabricating advice are welcome.
-Dan

 

[ntsqd]

Angle is heavy and not really great structurally unless the loading is very specific to it's orientation. In particular no Torsion allowed.
If you favor dimension over wall thickness you'll get more, lb for lb, with tubing, particularly if you have generally known load direction(s) & orient rectangular tube accordingly. Can take this to the extreme and design the frame lots of small tubes ala a trestle bridge or the "Birdcage" Maseratis.

If you are going to use a steel or aluminum skin I suggest using self-sealing pop rivets (Chk places like Aircraft Spruce if no local supply) and bonding the skin to the frame using an epoxy type structural adhesive. Miller-Stephenson 907 would be one good choice.

Personally I'd favor using 1/8" or 1/4" marine ply (also bonded to the frame) and glassing the whole thing. Years ago my dad did this using wood for the frame and it lasted well beyond the period we owned that truck as I used to see it around from time to time.

Trim-lock.com has easy solutions for sealing rubber type stuff. Might also look up Metro Molded Parts and Steele Rubber just to see what they have.

Design-in gutters at the hatches, not just flats. Picture a shallow, square bottomed 'U' shape. The inner verticle has some of the trim-lock sealing bulb on it, sealing to the underside of the lid. The lid also has a perimeter flange on it that drops ~75-80% down into the 'U' shape, forming a semi-labrinyth seal.

 

[snipecatcher]

hey

Thanks for the advice. I'm not entirely sure what I want to skin it with yet, but the price of aluminum is downright ridiculous. Aluminum would be the best thing for me though, because I live about 200 yards away from salt water, so everything rusts around here. Also, I don't get along so well with fiberglass and it probably wouldn't turn out too good. I was wondering the same thing about the angle iron, because I would like to be able to stand on top of it, which would require a lot of framework, but even if I use round tube, I'll probably still need a lot of framework to keep the skin from flexing too much. I'm really just thinking out loud on this as it's not high on my list of things to build, but I really do need to do something about my top heavy kayak rack, and this would serve several purposes. I didn't really think about the gutters, but I would probably build the front hatches about 1" higher than the rest of the cover.
-Dan

 

[JSX]

Have you seen these? http://www.diamondbackcovers.com/

 

[ntsqd]

I just completely fail to understand the appeal of tread plate panels. To borrow a quote from a friend: IMHO aluminum diamond plate panels only belong on fire trucks.

Other than that, those look like a reasonably well thot out & constructed product.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I just completely fail to understand the appeal of tread plate panels.

I sort of agree. In my experience you have to cover most any flat surface with some sort of grip tape or something to keep from sliding off when they're wet. Although, diamond plate is better than smooth aluminum. Fire fighters have the advantage of always wearing grippy rubber soled boots, which work well with diamond tread.

 

[ntsqd]

I don't have a problem with strips or sections of it where you're likely to step or stand.
I just fail to understand why a person would want a whole bed cover made from it. To each their own I guess.

As I noted though, the underlaying structure of that product looks worthwhile or worth copying for one's own cover if so inclined.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I just fail to understand why a person would want a whole bed cover made from it. To each their own I guess.

Yup, I don't get it visually, either. A tool box, I can see the top being done in tread, for example. The body of the box does not need it, but it's possible that using all one material is cheaper, though.

 

[snipecatcher]

yeah

I wouldn't use treadbrite material. Not that I could afford it anyways! I was thinking of using plain old sheet metal, or possibly marine grade plywood. Either way, it would be coated with Herculiner. I'm still thinking of doing this, but only doing the front half of the bed, because I'm lazy and like to be able to just throw my gear in my bed without have to unlock something every time. It would basically be a tool box, but a bit longer, and would go all the way to the floor so it would be very deep too. Depends on how busy I am over x-mas break!
-Dan