i was thinking about making a hard bed cover for my S10. i want to take some 1/4 thick plywood, cover it in resin, then use something like dupont truck bed coating for a nice black coat. supported around the sides with aluminum angle metal and a cut off hinged part about 2 ft from the back for fuel cell/battery access.
what do you think?

SOUNDS do-able , BUT you could probably buy a used one for less than the materials may cost you . resin is like 40.00 a gallon ,the glass is 20.00 ,the coating is 100.00 ,and so on ... think i would buy one !

I made one similar to that 20 years ago but covered the 1/8" masonite with black vinyl and it worked great.

LK

I was going to do the same back in the day, but use 2 pieces of 1/2 or 3/4 plywood bed was 6+ feet x 4+ feet wide so the plan was to get a 4x8 sheet of wood sideways so the front piece was 4foot and the back part of the bed would have had a piece about 2'4" that would be the part that flipped up. And cover it with some black vynle with a piano hinge for the opening. jim

what do you think?

I think you read my mind.
Maybe thicker plywood and you may need some kind of bracing to prevent sag and flex. (or did you read my mind on that too?) :)
Good luck!

can you use the resin without the fiberglass? i just want the resin to add stiffness and make it water resistant? i want to use the 1/4 inch for light weight

The plywood will sag over time.. Ask me how I know, plus it'll weigh a ton.
The next one I built I used some 1"x1" angle thin wall and built a frame. Add a couple of cross braces and then covered it with 3/16" lexan and countersunk screws in that to keep them flush. Then you could paint it or cover it in vinyl. The new tarp covers that are being used on boat canopys can be had in just about any color.

RandyB.

The plywood will sag over time.. Ask me how I know, plus it'll weigh a ton.
The next one I built I used some 1"x1" angle thin wall and built a frame. Add a couple of cross braces and then covered it with 3/16" lexan and countersunk screws in that to keep them flush. Then you could paint it or cover it in vinyl. The new tarp covers that are being used on boat canopys can be had in just about any color.

RandyB.


That's what I did & covered in 1/8" masonite & vinyl.

LK

just buy one.

I built one for an old Silverado Show truck, I had, one time.
I used FRP. You can buy it at Lowes. It's Fiberglass Reinforced Panel. It had 7/16 fiber board on the back side. If you order it, you could get it 5 ft. wide, but it is a special order deal. I used 1" Alum.square tubing on the back for bracing and glued it there with construction adhesive.Auto panel glue works too. I used a door weatherstrip on the edges to seal it to the bed. I then sanded and painted it to match my truck with a big bowtie in the center.It weighed about 60 lbs., and held up chicks nicely, as well.:D