55.2-59 bed cover and spare tire

[sawyerrm]

Search for TF truck continues and getting close. I will need to get a bed cover and from reading other posts there are two major brands Gaylord and Craftec. The Gaylord goes over the bed rails while the Craftec fits within them. I suspect the Craftec is not a rain resistant as the Gaylord.

I notice that some TF trucks have the spare mounted next to the fender while others seem to be under the frame or not in use. So finally, here is my question. Should I eliminate trucks with fender/frame mounted spares from my search? In other words, is there enough clearance b/w the spare and the bed rail for the Gaylord? I expect you need about 1/2 inch clearance b/w them. I left a message for Gaylord but no response yet.

Any other words of wisdom?

Thanks,
Rob

[sawyerrm]

Looks like Gaylords won't work, without some mods to the bracket

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/sp...abrication.pdf

Maybe a moderator can delete this thread, I would do it if I could figure out how.

Rob

[_Ogre]

i'm sort of partial to side mounted spares and bed cover(s)

[sawyerrm]

Wow, that looks amazing!

Rob

[Stevetoxic]

I've had a Craftec on my Apache for the last 6 months, my truck lives outdoors here in England (no garage).
It keeps the bed dry the only problem is occasionally during heavy rain, water builds up on the top stretching the cover making it sag, it returns to shape as soon as it dries out.
I'd recommend it.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Steve,
I took a quick look at Craftec's website and they quote $309 and $110 more for canvas. Only $30 more for something called "Max" - whatever that means. But it also says "minor drilling required" - how many holes and what size are we talking about? I assume is to mount the pressure shocks? Other?

[Stevetoxic]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Steve,
I took a quick look at Craftec's website and they quote $309 and $110 more for canvas. Only $30 more for something called "Max" - whatever that means. But it also says "minor drilling required" - how many holes and what size are we talking about? I assume is to mount the pressure shocks? Other?

5 holes to drill Dan, three small ones to secure the aluminium strip that the cover hinges on (also attached with double sided tape) and another two where the rams attach to the bed sides - not visible outside the truck.

[Janky59]

I bought a Craftec bed cover in March and have been happy with it so far. It cost $314 total, includes shipping. I went with the base vinyl material in black. They were responsive to my emails and questions the whole way, a fellow named Eric FWIW.
I've used some small C-clamps so far to avoid drilling holes. I still need to rig up a clamp based bracket for the gas springs. Keep in mind they don't have a kit listed on their site for the Fleetside, but they have dimensions on file as they have made this cover before, and I sent them my own dimensions as a backup. It took me several evenings here and there to assemble it all. I did some extra deburring and chasing threads, I'm just picky about some things.
It hinges at the front, and removes easy if you have something tall to carry (like my trash can to the dump last week) in the back.
As I have to make some drives in the rain, and parked in the rain, I wanted something to protect my bed wood, and its sort of a nice look anyway. It is fairly taught, it ripples a little at highway speeds, nothing to worry about. It sheds water quite nicely, no puddling anywhere. As you can see in the pictures the stringers have a decent bow in them.
Not a bad piece of kit.

[Janky59]

Long story short - my Craftec tonneau blew off my truck at a stoplight and was run over by 2 cars, so it is toast. I'm in the market for a replacement. A few years ago at a show I saw an early 60's C10 with a cover by Extang. I really liked the design and construction. Some searching on the '60-'66 forum yielded this info:

Extang manufactures two systems for the Chevy C-10 1960-1966 which is as follows:

BlackMax
6 ft bed PN:2320
8 ft bed PN:2325

Full Tilt Snap
6 ft bed PN:8320
8 ft bed PN:8325

Full Tilt Snapless
6 ft bed PN:38320
8 ft bed PN:38325

If you have any further questions please contact us via email or at 800-877-2588.

Checking dimensions between my '59 Fleetside bed and the later 60's beds, I'm pretty sure the bed cover sized for those years "should" fit on my '59, the basic width and length seems to be the same. I see that the 60's beds have an extra post inside the tailgate opening, but this shouldn't play into it fitting a '59 (or earlier years for that matter).

My hunch is it will fit, unless I'm missing something.

Thoughts or comments anyone?