dfunk72
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I made a cargo cover instead of buying one off the many sites that sell them. Even the inexpensive ones were at least $300 but most seemed to be between $500-$800. Although they looked extremely nice they were much more than I wanted to spend.
It's 1/2 inch plywood split into two sections, front and back. I took measurements and cut out the pieces which took some trial and error. Obviously these aren't cut perfectly but it's pretty good. Next I drilled holes to line up with the hard top screw holes and will use the machine screws to hold in place. I also purchased stainless steel washers to help distribute the force of the screws as they can dent the plywood.
The two pieces were sanded, primed, and painted with Mopar OEM paint to match the color of the Jeep. Finished it with a clear coat and installed. Total cost is about $109 as follows.
Plywood $50/2 = $25 (only used about half the sheet so I can use the other half for another project)
Primer paint x 2 cans $12
Mopar paint x 3 cans $36
Mopar clear coat x 2 cans $26
M8 stainless steel screws x 6 $8
Stainless steel washers x 6 $2
Sandpaper $0 as I already had this
The main security feature I haven't done yet is add a back that goes down behind the seats which will prevent someone from simply folding down the seats and reaching in. This isn't top priority for me since whenever I park I roll up all windows which makes it harder for a would-be thief to quickly fold down the seats and reach in. Besides, you can't reach all the way in and the panels and window are in the way which would make it very hard to actually getting anything big out. This system is really just to keep things out of site and from the quick grab-and-go thief. I might decide later to add the back panel which would make this much more secure.
Overall, I'm very pleased with how this turned out especially at a fraction of the cost of the retail versions. I can easily take this in and out in a few minutes and easily store in my garage. I could have done a better job painting but these paints are expensive which really added to the cost. I'm also concerned with how this will hold up in any rain as I run top down and safari mode 100% of the time in summer.
It's 1/2 inch plywood split into two sections, front and back. I took measurements and cut out the pieces which took some trial and error. Obviously these aren't cut perfectly but it's pretty good. Next I drilled holes to line up with the hard top screw holes and will use the machine screws to hold in place. I also purchased stainless steel washers to help distribute the force of the screws as they can dent the plywood.
The two pieces were sanded, primed, and painted with Mopar OEM paint to match the color of the Jeep. Finished it with a clear coat and installed. Total cost is about $109 as follows.
Plywood $50/2 = $25 (only used about half the sheet so I can use the other half for another project)
Primer paint x 2 cans $12
Mopar paint x 3 cans $36
Mopar clear coat x 2 cans $26
M8 stainless steel screws x 6 $8
Stainless steel washers x 6 $2
Sandpaper $0 as I already had this
The main security feature I haven't done yet is add a back that goes down behind the seats which will prevent someone from simply folding down the seats and reaching in. This isn't top priority for me since whenever I park I roll up all windows which makes it harder for a would-be thief to quickly fold down the seats and reach in. Besides, you can't reach all the way in and the panels and window are in the way which would make it very hard to actually getting anything big out. This system is really just to keep things out of site and from the quick grab-and-go thief. I might decide later to add the back panel which would make this much more secure.
Overall, I'm very pleased with how this turned out especially at a fraction of the cost of the retail versions. I can easily take this in and out in a few minutes and easily store in my garage. I could have done a better job painting but these paints are expensive which really added to the cost. I'm also concerned with how this will hold up in any rain as I run top down and safari mode 100% of the time in summer.
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