cargo cover for my 71 k5?

[ORNG71K5]

i just bought the orange blazer below a few weeks ago and it will be my daily driver the day i turn 16 in a few months. with that i have been very concerned with being able to keep things in it with out being stolen so i came up the with the idea to make some type of cargo cover for behind the back seat.

the picture of the k5 was taken by the owner before i bought it. currently the interior is stripped and the grey bedliner is out and about ready for a line-x spray. after that i plan on building side panels for the back probably made out of fiberglass. unlike the cargo cover picture below, it would be made out of metal or wood coated with fiberglass and would probably be wrapped in vinyl so it would look somewhat decent. how it would work. there would be some type of track that would be on both panels that was just a few inches down from the top of the panel that ran horizontally from the tailgate all the way to the back seat. so the cover would slide on the tacks all the way till it reached the back seat and still nearly touching the tailgate when closed. that way if the top were off and i was able to lock the tailgate there would be no way to steal anything under that cargo cover or even see what was under it because it would it would cover the entire area from the back seat to the tailgate. then i came up with the idea to have the cover in 2 pieces and attached with hinges so if you were to slide the cover out about half way you could fold that piece up then lay it on top of the other piece and then slide that back all the way to the seat. that way you could keep the cargo cover in the back while being able to access the back area at the same time.

i hope its not too confusing, but tell me what you think, any opinion or suggestion would be helpful. my dad disapproves because he things i should weld a metal lock box to put in the back if i needed to insure anything from being stolen, but if i were to perfect the cargo cover idea it would be more convenient and less space consuming instead of having a big bulky metal box sitting in the back.

[ETsC10]

Great idea! Sounds like a hard tonneau for a Blazer!
If you begin to develop your idea, make sure to take plenty of pics.

Subscribed.



And WELCOME to the Board!!!!!

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[Erik V]

I like the idea-but I have an issue with the plan. Maybe I'm just not seeing it in my head properly, but how will you weatherproof this track'ed idea? I used to daily a 72 2wd pickup, I had a 3 piece tonneau made from fiberglass, had seals and everything, but the bed would still condensate something fierce and anything locked under the cover would either stay wet, or rust if bare metal (tools, etc). I ended up getting a plastic/fiberglass in bed toolbox, lockable, and using rubberized washers I bolted that to the floor of the bed. No more rust issues, it wasnt very heavy at all, and theives would have had to break through the tonneau's lock, then the toolbox's lock in order to get into my junk.

I'm actually thinking of liberating that old toolbox from my sister's 83 Diesel Blazer thats rotting away out at my Dad's house. And putting that box in the back of my Jimmy for the same reason you're wanting security.

I'm more concerned for the rare stock parts my truck has-tach cluster, soft top, and "extreme" front tow hooks. Other than those 3 items, these trucks wouldnt be hard to steal, so I'm glad it sleeps in my garage at night, but it saddens me to know I wont be able to drive it to the movies and trust that it'll still be there in its entirety after the flick gets out.

*subscibed*, I like the idea-I'm just concerned about moisture/water issues.

Erik

(cool 71, my 71 GMC was my first car when I was 16. But you need to yank that Gator sticker, Atlanta is not central FL)

[tubbedII]

I think it's a great idea, but I think your dad is right about just putting a locking box back there. You can make a cool fiberglass cover for the lid of the box that fits the shape/contour of the rear area so it still looks very nice, not just like some big ugly box.

I do like your idea in theory better, but it sounds a little complicated to fabricate. (subscribed as well!)

[thor]

I agree with others. Go the simple route (pre-fabbed lock box). You'll be glad you did. And metal would be more difficult to break in to.

If cost is a factor and you can get all your other materials for free to build from wood/fiberglass, then go for it. I know when you are young you have more time than money.

[OldCreek]

I bought a bed box that locks and fits between the wheel wells and behind the rear seat. It sits an inch below the bed sides and is not really visible as it is black and the K5 is lifted 4". I bolted it down using the original mounts for the inside spare wheel carrier. It's pretty clean and is easily removable when I want to carry something in the bed. I got the aluminum version and it is light and easy to move about.

[truckster]

I plan on putting a locking box in mine when the top comes off this spring. I'm going to put a pair of brackets bolted into the bed and some J-hooks that will come up through the bottom of the box. That way I can take the box out pretty easily if I need the space.