Tonneau Cover from Ford Sport Track

[mibracedude]

I loved my Sport Trac split tonneau cover, it was very sturdy. When I bought my Baja i found a used Sport Trac cover, cut it down to fit the Baja and voila---heavy duty cover that is still hinged in the middle so that the cargo gate still functions. It was rugged enough that I mounted a bike rack that pivots up so that I can lift the rear portion of the cover. If anyone wants additional details feel free to contact me.

[dalerich]

Do you happen to have a picture of it? How did it fit around the bars?

[mibracedude]

Here are three pics, that is all I seem to be able to upload. I will try to add three more in another reply.

[mibracedude]

Here are a few of the bike wrack that is securely mounted to the tonneau cover.

[mibracedude]

When it is all loaded up I can haul five bikes. Note the weight of the back of the bikes rests on the bed of the truck, not the tonneau cover. With a carefully made cardboard pattern it fits perfectly and the bed of the truck stays dry.

[dalerich]

Very nice. I like how the bike rack can lift up. I have yet to decide what I am going to do for a cover, so this was very helpful.

[mibracedude]

Getting the tonneau between the bars was tricky. As you can see from the pics, I had to cut it to slip between the bars then added a couple of panels that fill in the gaps on either side. These panels came from the large amount of scrap left over from downsizing the sport trac cover. The panels exposed cut edge is beveled and polished then glued in place with PVC cement. The forward 1/2 of the tonneau is supported with a piece of angle iron with some fabricated brackets on each end that rest on the lip inside the Baja bed. This bracket is not visible and also serves to mount the bike racks to. The center piano type hinge has to be supported also. A 1 1/2" X 1/8" piece of steel was bolted to the sides of the bed using original Subaru bolt locations. This piece of steel has a hole located to accept the Ford support peg that keeps the tonneau stiff in the middle. When the cardboard pattern is made, align the tailgate edge of the pattern with the Ford factory edge of the rear portion of the donor cover. Otherwise the hinge will not be located properly and the cargo gate will not be able to swing up/down. Good Luck. Fun project.