through the years :: many years :: i have had several covers made all with snaps , all have shrunk to the point when unsnapped ,you play hell pulling on cover to snap it, if at all . i do want the snaps on the side rail .... any material out won,t shrink . ps. i even tried convertible material a few times .....
I broke down and bought a tonneau cover for my F100 from Sacramento Vintage Ford. Stainless snaps, the slide-in front bead goes thru a split tube attached to the front gate. (invisible when attached) I pulled and measured where the snaps should be, then welded up a strap that sits flat on the 'shed rails' of the bad, with a 'J' shape, and a pilot hole in the 'crook'. Slid my locating 'J' bracket down each side, punching each snap hole where the snap would end up. Tonneau ended up not tight...until I washed it with a mild detergent and water. Dried and was drum tight! If it's hanging in my shop, I wait for the day to warm up a little, my wife can put it on then... or I can... I say the material they used was black "vinyl top" material, smooth, no grain. Thick, though...Heavy. It's 5 years old now, cost $145 new, delivered to my house. Love it, can't beat it. Only problem: Measure the snaps and they are NOT uniformly spaced. 7" between some, 6-3/4" between others. Random from other side, but unnoticeable. Crap. Three tarps later, my bed rails'll look like a collendar! (that's a strainer to you folks in Rio Vista!)
Have you looked at material used on boats? They are subjected to every weather situation. I used a marine grade & it held up well.
I was worried about sagging, etc. (some weight in the tarp material) So far, it sagged a little with the last rain. I didn't get to it until a large puddle formed at the front. The rake it has is pretty severe, but a 3 foot diameter puddle was 3" deep in the center! The squeegee was sharp, got the water off...Took the sun to taughten it. But on a clear day...it's passed a 6 cat test. "Hey! Scat! SSSSSTT...Get off there!" When they jump off, it's tight again! Just hope those 6 are the whole gang... Might stretch with 7... Hell, that b'stard's tighter than Dick's hatband...
I bought and installed a tonneau on my F100 from Mid-fifties F100s. Mine's white. It's been outside it's whole life (10 yrs) and it's still in nice shape. I have no idea what they make them out of but if your bed is smaller than the F100 bed maybe you could buy one of theirs and just use the material. I'm planning on doing that for my Model A RPU. It has been sagged and stretched by rain water (like Mike's) but it always goes back to normal. It's been frozen, wadded up, birds crapped on it, you name it and it still seems to come back. Sometimes it's hard to snap on, especially when it's cold out, but I let it sit in the sun and it always snaps.
Gosh, Bob...I showed the pic of YOUR F100 to MY F100 and it spit back at me when I tried to start it! That's a pretty blue doll! My tarp snapped on just like yours, (underneath) Made for a tight fit. That blue is just a shade deeper than mine was (1972!) Custom paint in San Jose by original owner, 1957. Mine's black primered for now...
I bought one from Mid Fifty for my 53 but could not make it fit at all. I got a good deal on a Gaylord glass one and plan to eventually (maybe) attach the Mid Fifty one to it with snaps. I used a roller to do a quick cover up on the Gaylord with satin black Rustoleum, but it still looks good so I procrastinate.
The Jalopy Journal
