Brat Bed Cover

[MSSLGECKO]

I got to thinking and decided that it would be mondo-cool to have a water-proof cover that attatched along the edges of the bed and have a plastic window incorperated to accomidate rear-view mirroring. My buddy may be able to hook up some excess gortex from his work for me, so it could formulate.

 

Any ideas on 1 - where to have a piece of gortex modified w/ attachment points and a window inserted and 2 - what's the best way of attaching it to the bed (buttons, snaps, etc?), I was thinking that if I removed the bed trim, I could put mount-points using the holes found under the trim.

 

It would look super cool coming up to the roof w/ a window in it.

[mcbrat]

actually, they made 'em just like that long ago....

 

my first Brat had the mounts stuff for it.

 

there was actually a metal channel shaped like "_C" on the roof between the chrome trim and the t-tops. the tonneau cover would have had a metal rod sewn into the leading edge, and it slid into the channel. this was done to keep the elements out, and not have the wind rip off your cover.

 

the sides and rear of the cover then were attache with button snaps that were actually drilled into the body, just past the chrome trim(better sealing). But you could do them on the trim as well.

[baccaruda]

Gore-Tex would cost you a ton, and they probably wouldn't sell to you, as they're very picky about what sorts of designs they will allow their product to be associated with (to keep inferior designs of garments off the market, and to keep priceshigh). Plus it isn't all that strong, at least not enough for automotive use. Your best bet is to use vinyl, most likely, although I've thought that kevlar would be nice to inorporate if you were installing a tonneau or a soft/convertible top or a canvas sunroof. Probably also too expensive.

 

 

I think that monstaru has a vinyl brat tonneau available.. PM him?

[NoahDL88]

Sailmakers come to mind as a place that could do your sewing. there used to crazy designs and thick materials.

 

But as i'm sure you know, Bozeman as i understand it, is no hotbed for sailboats

[MSSLGECKO]

Yeah, I was thinking a sailmaker could do it. But the closest one I know is about 300 miles away.

 

That's pretty sweet that they made them - are there any pic.s floating around out there? Your description of the design helps too.

 

As for material and pricing - I don't know, I know that my buddy can get surplus gor-tex and it sounded like the price would be decent if he could find me an excess piece and it would be really expensive if he ordered it. Does anyone else think that gortex wouldn't hold up? (IIRC this company uses 3-ply gortex where competitors use 1-ply)

 

Thanks for the input - this is why I post my random ideas on here

[NoahDL88]

Standard sail canvas might do you real well, theres got to be some kind of rubber coating you could apply like those weird rubber gloves your mom uses to wash dishes with.

 

 

Ross, MagnificentSubaru, i don't know if he's still on here, but at the HPSS1 he had a cover just as you are speaking of in place of his 3rd door on a 3 door coupe.

[baccaruda]

I still wouldn't use Gore-Tex. The advantage Gore-Tex has with clothing is its breathability, and your car has no sweat glands. I don't think it would hold up well in the long run. I don't know what your experience is with it, and i don't wish to come across as condescending, but I worked in a premium-level gear shop for a few years and know that it is pretty easy to damage just wearing it on a human body. I don't think it would hold up well with cargo perhaps poking it from underneath, and I think it would be destroyed by wind if you ever drive more than 30mph. Plus it's heavily vulnerable to heat or flame because it's a petroleum product. I don't know how it would hold up to UV rays in the long term so I can't say anything about that either way. Despite my tone, good luck with the project! Maybe you could even sell a few on the board after you come up with a design.

[MSSLGECKO]

Yeah, I guess that gortex wouldn't be preferable for a bed cover. That makes sense to me.

 

I guess I'll contact a sail/boat cover maker and see what they say. It's not a big area, so I imagine that it wouldn't be too seriously pricey. If anyone would want one of these, let me know, if I can get one, I can get 2

[baccaruda]

there you go. I've seen two tonneau covers, and they installed with snaps that had been screwed to the brat bed trim. I don't know if there would be a way to secure them without screwing snaps to something; maybe the brat body would be better? you would have better watersealing by stretching the cover further over the bed opening, and the funny part is that it would be easier to "erase" the snaps from the body of the car than it would be to replace the chrome bed trim if you ever wanted to present the car as restored or original or whatever.

 

Now, while I can say that Gore-Tex is wrong for such an application, the thought of having a tonneau slashed open by a thief has me interested in some sort of kevlar weave product. But I don't know anything about Kevlar...