Soon to Come: Making Your Own Cargo Cover (Full DIY coming Soon)

[Whelan]

After reading a few posts on here regarding the tools, time, materials, etc. I am going to venture this winter since I cannot wash the car at this time, and make a hard cargo cover for my car. My GF's Jeep Liberty has a nice one that pulls and pops into place, but having a hard one would be nice after seeing how somewhat cheap the Matrix/Vibe one is.So I will take measurements, material specifics, tools used, step by step DIY with pictures for you all to look at so there can be a solid write up. It may not be 100% like the one on Ebay or using the Handy Board, but it will be close, just as secure and sound, and possibly more cost effective. I'm big into DIY stuff so this should be a good project to take on. I may get my Dad to pitch in on this for fun. So stay tuned!

[Whelan]

To Update:I stopped at Home Depot today and got some pricing.I am going to get a piece of board, $7 cheap stuff and make a template out of posterboard material first. Cut the thicker board and see where I am at. Then I can add and adjust using posterboard. Cut another piece using the new dimensions and again if necessary. The big board at Home Depot for $7 will easily allow 3 cuts.The carpeting is SKU # 423-659 Dayside/Grey and is $4.23 per 1x6' piece. I am going with the grey because this material and carpeting best match the carpeting found in the Matrix interior. I am still debating if I am going to try to cover the whole piece in carpeting or paint the underside to match.Next comes the bungee connection. Well I figured and easy switch since I do not have a pop rivet thing is to drill small pilot holes and get some metal self tap screws. Ones long enough to hold and just barely touch the other side. Then connect the bungee's.So, so far I have the wood figured out, the carpeting, the bungee. Now the piping. That's simple. Some metal Electrical Conduit, one piece for about $3.50 at Home Depot and some rubber end protectors, no biggie.The clips are going to be a bit tougher to find as I did not see them in HD. Guess I will have to search a bit more or think of another way. I may just get some U straps and screw them into the wood with a double-sided foam insert to separate it from the metal and make it noiseproof. More to come soon, payday is next week so I can go buy the supplies.

[Whelan]

Update: So I spent a few at Home Depot and Staples and got what I needed to get started.Home Depot:1 Mini Bungee Pack (8x10" cords) $2.29 4 U-Bolts for 1/2" Pipe (instead of plastic U-clips) $0.72x4 = 2.881 Pack of 30 #8 Washers $0.982 Packs of #8x3/4" Aluminum Self Tap Scres $0.38x2 = 0.761 Pack of 4 7/8" Round Tips (for end caps) $1.891 Piece of 3/4" Electrical Conduit $3.97Total With Tax $13.54 (CT State Tax of 6%)Staples2 Pieces of 36x48" Cardboard $7.50x2 = $15.00So far altogether I have spent roughly $28 on supplies. The only things left to get are the wood, which I may have some spare plywood handy if I go that route. The carpeting which is not expensive at all and the spray glue. I am looking at around $40-$45 done!So here is my plan, slightly different than Ebay. Instead of the white clips he uses to hold the board to the pipe. I will be utilizing U-Bolts and beveling the hole drilled on top so it lies flush. I am going to cover the pipe with felt to keep it soft so no noise will be made. Plus the connection will be tighter overall. Secondly, instead of using pop rivets I am going to drill a small hole approximately 10" back from the pipe end and then a phillips head metal screw with a washer to secure the bungee. The 7/8" end caps may need to be trimmed a bit but I still have to see. I have my measurements all set for cutting which I will do tomorrow. And the hardest part is going to be the board itself. I have the cardboard to use so that when the piping is up and secure where it should be. I will lay the cardboard over it, lie underneath and trace out the shape, trim it out and transfer it to the wood. Can't wait, I will update again with pics as I go along!

[kevera]

Are you going to make box to hold your Atari game console with 10" black and white TV.Now that would be cool.

[Whelan]

LOL, yup, the original 2600 so I can get the wood trim to match in my car, lol.Actually here are a few pics of what I have so far. I laid a lot of weight on it, 50-60ish lbs. and it didnt budge. So I know my design is sturdy. I used 3/4" Electrical Conduit, the whole piece is 10' long and fit in the Trix perfectly, you should have seen the people at HD watchin me. One guy with his van was laughing and then he saw it go in, and in, and in. Then me closing the hatch w/o issue, his jaw dropped.Anyways, here are a few pics of what I have so far, very very close to Ebay design. Camera Phone.The front bar in placeCloseup of the bungee connection. A self tap #8 aluminum screw, small pilot hole drilled, and #8 washer with the bungee crimpedSo far I used the 7/8 end caps that are thick rubber. They do not fit perfectly in the openings around the rings, but when the bungees are on, it makes for a great setup!

[Whelan]

Update again,After a few days of pondering about how to get the cover to mount to the poles, the U-bolts will not work because you have to take the poles out separately to make it all work. So I went to West Marine and found a nice Stancion (stan-shun) clamp, perfect when mounted. Sturdy too. The difference between my design and the one on Ebay, you could probably put double the weight on mine.

[02csnow]

hey, just wondering if u used EMT IMC or RIGID?

[Whelan]

EMT, IMC or RIGID? You mean tools, sorry I'm sure I know what your talking about, just not the abbreviations.

[02csnow]

You said u used electrical conduit. Is it emt, imc, or rigid.

[cruzin]

it looks like emt in the picture. this is a great idea. i have a homemade cover but it droops big time, this is the fix i was looking for.