DIY Tonneau Cover

davidforlife · Sep 27, 2023

Gonna be honest, I improvised a lot, so I can’t really share a helpful step by step.

It’s made out of plywood, wood filler, spray paint, weather stripping, a jigsaw, and lots of sandpaper.

The cover attaches to the bronco using the same mounting points as the hard top, but I had to buy longer bolts to account for the 3/4” plywood. I made it 3 separate pieces to reduce the weight of each panel and make the installation easier, but could be done as 2 pieces.

There’s weather stripping where the panels meet and on the underside to protect the bronco. It should also help keep rain out of the cargo area; I’ll report back on that.

I was still waiting on the bolts to arrive when I took these photos, so it’s not bolted down. I’ve also improved its rigidity with additional bracing and some E-Track rails. I’m very happy with it.

More installed photos to come!

Orca5150 · Sep 27, 2023

Looks good

nabronco21 · Sep 27, 2023

Nice work and looks good!!

PleaseDontRoll · Sep 27, 2023

Dang, looks sick, you've inspired me. This plus Raptor Liner, got my next project

Bad_Bronco · Sep 27, 2023

davidforlife said:
Gonna be honest, I improvised a lot, so I can’t really share a helpful step by step.

It’s made out of plywood, wood filler, spray paint, weather stripping, a jigsaw, and lots of sandpaper.

The cover attaches to the bronco using the same mounting points as the hard top, but I had to buy longer bolts to account for the 3/4” plywood. I made it 3 separate pieces to reduce the weight of each panel and make the installation easier, but could be done as 2 pieces.

There’s weather stripping where the panels meet and on the underside to protect the bronco. It should also help keep rain out of the cargo area; I’ll report back on that.

I was still waiting on the bolts to arrive when I took these photos, so it’s not bolted down. I’ve also improved its rigidity with additional bracing and some E-Track rails. I’m very happy with it.

More installed photos to come!

Nica job..... Gives me an idea to make mine made out of heavy Vinyl. I will play with this.

Valhalla · Sep 28, 2023

Hey man, that looks really clean and reminds me of how I saw 60's Broncos jeeps and Scouts as a kid. people made what they wanted to do with them.
Looks nice ... gives me ideas!!

gonyr · Sep 28, 2023

Nicely done. I made something similar, but in 2 pieces, and not nearly as carefully crafted. I didn't bother with any weatherproofing. Mine was made primarily for a minimal security system to prevent somebody from grabbing my golf clubs when the top is off.

For anyone else making a hard tonneau cover, if you want to try to match the curve of the tailgate, it's approximately a 20'6" radius. Good luck - you'll need it. I should have just traced it and used a template.

rws · Sep 28, 2023

davidforlife said:
Gonna be honest, I improvised a lot, so I can’t really share a helpful step by step.

It’s made out of plywood, wood filler, spray paint, weather stripping, a jigsaw, and lots of sandpaper.

The cover attaches to the bronco using the same mounting points as the hard top, but I had to buy longer bolts to account for the 3/4” plywood. I made it 3 separate pieces to reduce the weight of each panel and make the installation easier, but could be done as 2 pieces.

There’s weather stripping where the panels meet and on the underside to protect the bronco. It should also help keep rain out of the cargo area; I’ll report back on that.

I was still waiting on the bolts to arrive when I took these photos, so it’s not bolted down. I’ve also improved its rigidity with additional bracing and some E-Track rails. I’m very happy with it.

More installed photos to come!

nicely done!

Felix808 · Sep 28, 2023

Great job! Makes the 2-door even better with an option like this

Can't tell, but does it have a bulkhead at the seats? That would be nice as a full enclosure that could be open or closed at will.

thenewjs · Sep 28, 2023

Looks good looking to make something similar but with expanded ABS plastic.

Syndister · Sep 28, 2023

I have some material that I think might be incredibly lightweight and rigid (I sell building materials) and it MAY perfect for this but it also might be a little pricey...can ANYONE give me a template? I'd gladly pay but I'd like to try with some 1/8" masonite first. Just to see if I can figure it out.

Johnny Mo · Sep 28, 2023

That's nice! It would be interesting to see if I can make a similar one the way I made my DIY cargo shelf.

Now you got my wheels turnin. The only challenge here is that there's no way to lock the 2nd row seats from folding and still accessing the cargo area when the Bronco is left alone parked.

JJ Bronco · Sep 28, 2023

Johnny Mo said:
That's nice! It would be interesting to see if I can make a similar one the way I made my DIY cargo shelf. Now you got my wheels turnin. The only challenge here is that there's no way to lock the 2nd row seats from folding and still accessing the cargo area when the Bronco is left alone parked.

Yeah would have been cool if the backseat folding function was lockable with a key or something. Probably not worth for Ford to do.

Johnny Mo · Sep 28, 2023

davidforlife said:
Gonna be honest, I improvised a lot, so I can’t really share a helpful step by step.

It’s made out of plywood, wood filler, spray paint, weather stripping, a jigsaw, and lots of sandpaper.

The cover attaches to the bronco using the same mounting points as the hard top, but I had to buy longer bolts to account for the 3/4” plywood. I made it 3 separate pieces to reduce the weight of each panel and make the installation easier, but could be done as 2 pieces.

There’s weather stripping where the panels meet and on the underside to protect the bronco. It should also help keep rain out of the cargo area; I’ll report back on that.

I was still waiting on the bolts to arrive when I took these photos, so it’s not bolted down. I’ve also improved its rigidity with additional bracing and some E-Track rails. I’m very happy with it.

More installed photos to come!

Is that a Bronco Door mounting bracket on the wall to the right of the tool cabinet? If so - how do you like it?

Ampelio · Sep 28, 2023

davidforlife said:
Gonna be honest, I improvised a lot, so I can’t really share a helpful step by step.

It’s made out of plywood, wood filler, spray paint, weather stripping, a jigsaw, and lots of sandpaper.

The cover attaches to the bronco using the same mounting points as the hard top, but I had to buy longer bolts to account for the 3/4” plywood. I made it 3 separate pieces to reduce the weight of each panel and make the installation easier, but could be done as 2 pieces.

There’s weather stripping where the panels meet and on the underside to protect the bronco. It should also help keep rain out of the cargo area; I’ll report back on that.

I was still waiting on the bolts to arrive when I took these photos, so it’s not bolted down. I’ve also improved its rigidity with additional bracing and some E-Track rails. I’m very happy with it.

More installed photos to come!

Looks really good, i been trying to find something like this and this gives me a good idea of how it could look mine.

DIY Tonneau Cover

davidforlife

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Orca5150

Member

nabronco21

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PleaseDontRoll

Well-Known Member

Bad_Bronco

Well-Known Member

Valhalla

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gonyr

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rws

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Felix808

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thenewjs

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Syndister

Active Member

Johnny Mo

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JJ Bronco

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Johnny Mo

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Ampelio

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