I like the base plan.

I doubt any type of hinge with a spring on it is going to have the required lift to raise it, and hold it up, particularly with any type of wind. But, have a look under the hood of your truck, at the spring assemblies used to hold up the hood. Something like this could be used, but placed further away from the hinge pivot, since it doesn't need to raise up to the same angle. Moving them further away from the pivot point *should* increase the leverage they can extert, therefore they may be able to handle the job most of the time.

Locking method. I would say the best idea, would be to use 2 separate latches, one per side. There are some pretty decent quality latches available that turn 90 degrees and are lockable. A good hardware supply should have these. These would allow the lock "bar" to go under the bedside. Not only more secure than a single latch/lock, but also a bit easier to keep out the way when loading stuff into bed, like plywood sheets, since a single latch/lock would almost require adding something to the tailgate.
A single twist style latch could also be used, with bars extending to the underside of the bed rails, but would require a bit more effort to insure they gave good overlap underneith, and still retracted far enough to clear, to allow opening.
Many camper-shell "toppers" use this type of system, single or dual, for securing the back window. Good design, but the glass is their main weakness, as it just gets broken out when a thief decides he wants what is inside.

 

RW - Our hood hinges do pivot several inches behind the back of the hood, which would work if there was a fixed piece of tread plate they sat under. In other words, something basically the size of the cowl. But, I like the idea of using the same hinges front and rear, as well as the spring helpers.

 

I'm not talking about the hinge itself. The coiled spring arms about 8-12" ahead of the hinges, that bolt to the fenders.


Forgot to add one more "tip". You're likely going to want some kind of handle on the underside of the cover. That aluminum is going to get hot in the sun, and this handle will allow pulling down without blistering the hands.......

 

OK, my mistake. Got it.

But, the hinges will have to be heavy duty, which describes our hood hinges. And, if they were moved rearward enough that the pivot point was right at the rear edge of the cover, they would work.

 

Heavy duty hinges can be made out of flat strap or angle iron, with an appropriate thickness metal, and easily incorporated into the frame work he intends to build.

 

I thought he was working on a Windsor ?????
Y/N ?

 

You are right good sir! When I was quickly looking for the part numbers for the post I could not find the correct one, however these have (from what I remember) close to the same compression height, volume and wrist pin diameter. I found the correct part number for you.

Speed Pro ZZL2488F40 - Speed-Pro Forged Pistons - Overview - SummitRacing.com

 

Good stuff!

Another thing to mention, the weight of this will be...

.125" tread around 100LBS
.062" tread around 65LBS

give or take a few pounds for extra bracing or things like handles, locks or anything else.

 

The only problem is the way a normal hinge operates on a single pivot. I think I will need a hinge that pivots up as well as forward in order to keep the lip closest to the cab from hitting the paint or bending. A friend of mine opened his 2009 (or 10 I can't remember) mustang trunk a few weeks ago and I had had a light bulb when I saw how it operated. The first thing that came to mind was the old mustang hinge (correct me if I am wrong) and how it works to keep the corners of the hood from digging into the cowl or fenders. The plus to that is it already has spring assist built in.

 

Just found this (thank you for the suggestion) I might have to notch the bed rail a little but it should do fine.

Disc Cam Lock, Nickel, 5 Pin, 1 3/4 In Long - File Cabinet and Cam Locks - Locking Systems - 1HYZ3 : Grainger Industrial Supply

 

I guess I will have to put the bed cover on the very, very FAR back burner for a while. Good ole Uncle Sam decided I needed to be in Alaska more than I needed to save money and build this bed cover. We just got on our feet up here and it is wonderful so far.... for all of you guys that would love to come up here for vacation ask me for some info and ill do the best I can. Just a little preview of Alaska, just north of our moose hunting area.

Otherwise I will be lurking around awhile if anyone has questions.

 

Sounds perfect - Alaska in winter. Maybe you'll actually have some winter? Here in OK we are having 70 degree days, definitely not winter.

Anyway, thanks for your service. Maybe you can work on the truck soon.