I have a Chevrolet with an "oversized" tailgate protector on my track that protrudes off the back of the truck about 3 inches. Will your cover fit over this protector or does it have to be removed? Many of our Chevy and GMC truck owners have the larger tailgate protector (or "mini-spoiler") with a flat surface on the top of it that protrudes off the back of the tailgate a couple of inches (such as yours). You will need to remove this tailgate protector and install a standard tailgate protector for your cover to fit properly on your truck. Let me explain why.
During the design process, we actually created a cover to fit around this larger tailgate protector. The cover fit great operationally but looked AWFUL extending off the back of the truck. To be honest, it looked like the cover didn't fit properly and was too big for the truck. The reason this looked so badly is that the "mini spoiler" looked great by itself on the truck. But as our cover overlaps the side rails and the tailgate by about 1 inch, when the cover was closed, it almost completely covered up and hid this tailgate protector when the cover was closed. So when the cover was closed, you couldn't hardly see there was a tailgate protector at all under the cover. This made the situation worse as it simply looked like the cover was too big and hung off the back of the truck for no apparent reason as you couldn't see the protector. We made a decision on the spot to never sell a cover like this as anybody as they would not be happy with the way this cover looked. There are a few fiberglass covers that are designed to fit over this spoiler, and it looks like they like "a shoe too big" and as a result most of them are returned as soon as the cover is viewed by the owner as no one likes the way they look. We'd rather push you into this minor change to make sure you are happy with the look of the cover vs. selling you something that you wish was different after you installed it. One day, you'll see one of these covers driving around, and you'll be thankful you didn't go that route.
To give you a feel about how the cover that fit over this larger tailgate protector was not liked - to make sure we were doing the right thing, we actually showed the cover that was designed to go over that larger tailgate to 35 people that we did not know and had them compare this to a standard installation. Side by side, we showed the cover with the standard installation and one with the larger tailgate protector installation. ALL 35 voted unanimously in favor of the standard tailgate protector. What made this sampling so important wasn't the fact that they liked the standard installation better; it was how much more they liked it. They just didn't marginally like the standard tailgate protector fit better, over and over we heard words like "that is MUCH better" and second most popular phrase, "there is NO comparison!"
The good news is that standard tailgate protectors are a "snap" to install, most of them require no drilling, install with 3M type double stick tapes, and cost approx. $20.00. This requirement is not only for our cover, but rather for any cover that wraps over the tailgate to ensure that the tailgate remains closed normally requires this. Most of the Chevy Trucks have this tailgate protector option where you can have either the larger or the standard version. You can even get your standard bed protector directly from the dealer if you choose.
Because our tonneau cover locks the tailgate of the truck, the clearance is tighter on the tailgate so not to allow someone to "jerk" the tailgate open when the tonneau is locked. Therefore, we absolutely recommend installing a standard tailgate protector on the truck. Many truck owners install a sprayed-in bedliner that goes over the tailgate's top edge. Some people use an over-the-rail sprayed-in bedliner to spray over the top edge of the tail gate edge for the same effect. However, a simple plastic, rubber, or thin chrome tailgate protector is absolutely appropriate and will do the job!
We've noticed a few fiberglass covers on the market that were designed to accommodate the larger tailgate protector on the road. Now that you are aware of this, I can almost guarantee that one day you will see a cover out there that fits over one of these larger protectors. With great certainty I can predict that you will agree as to how badly this looks. Many customers have contacted us since we made them aware of this and are grateful that they didn't go with a cover that fit over this larger protector. No one out there has found a way to make a "wrap over" cover look good with that larger protector. Neither have we.
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I have a plastic bedliner that fits UNDER the side rails, but laps over the front rail. Is there anything extra I need to do to install your cover? If you have a plastic, one-piece bedliner, you may have to make some minor modifications to this bedliner to mount hardware on your side rails. It is impossible to know for sure if you will need to make any modifications to your truck bed liner until you actually try to place the brackets on the bed in their required locations. At that point, it will be obvious if you need to make any modifications to your bedliner or not.
Assuming you must make some minor modifications, you will know as soon as you put the brackets in place. To make modifications, you simply place the brackets on top of the plastic bedliner in the position prescribed in the directions. Once properly located, with a marker or grease pencil you simply mark the area of the bedliner where the bracket needs to be installed, and the liner is in the way of that installation. We recommend that you pull up bedliner a little, stick something behind it so not to scratch the paint behind it, and use use a ¼? Dremel type tool to make a vertical slot for to 1 ½ inch long in the front to make sure the bracket slides all the way to the front as prescribed in the directions. If the bedliner encroaches to areas underneath the side rail in the area where you are required to install a "C" clamp, you may have to do some minor trimming to allow the "C" clamps to be mounted to our bracket through the prescribed holes. You may have to do the same modification process to your truck where the rear brackets install. Just simply place the bracket as prescribed on the truck, and mark the bedliner where the bedliner impedes the prescribed bracket installation, and follow the steps above.
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I have a plastic bedliner that is installed OVER the side rails. What extra steps do I need to take to install the cover? You will need to make some minor modifications to your bedliner to install the cover as these bedliners cover up the lip of the inside edge of the side rails making it impossible to clamp something to.
To modify your bedliner to be able to install the cover is a fairly easy process. While the bedliner is still in the truck, locate where the brackets need to go as required in the instructions and mark their location with a pencil. Once your locations are marked, simply slip the entire bedliner out of the truck and using a carpet knife (some people use a jigsaw or "roto tool"), notch the locations where the brackets must go. Then simply slide the bedliner back into the truck and install the cover as usual.
SPECIAL NOTE TO THOSE CUSTOMER WITH PLASTIC BEDLINERS THAT GO OVER THE SIDE RAIL: Many of our customers prefer to take the opportunity at this time to convert their existing plastic over-the-rail bedliner into an under-the-rail bedliner (goes under the side rails only). This appears to be the more popular method of choice vs. carving holes around the hardware to be able to install the cover. Customers seem to agree that this approach actually looks much more like a factory installation. They basically follow the steps above...but instead of notching out (carving out) space for the brackets, they trim the entire plastic rails that go over the side rails so that it is now an "under the rail" bedliner. NOTE: you should leave the part that goes over the front rail to secure the cover to the bed.
With your cover on, will I have access to my stake holes? You will need to remove the cover to have access to your stake holes (stake hole pockets). Once you remove the cover, you will have access to the rear corner stake hole pockets with the installed cover hardware left behind on the truck (these are the 2 stake hole pockets near the tailgate). However, the front corner brackets cover up all or part of the stake hole pockets on the front corners of the truck bed. This means you will need to completely remove the installed hardware at these front corners of the bed to have access to the stake holes right behind the cab of our truck. Removing and replacing the front corner hardware is really easy and "goof proof" as it requires only a 1/2" socket wrench and a only a few minutes of time. Back to Top
When I completely remove the cover, will I have access to my stake holes? Can I install my ladder rack/headache rack? First, you will need to remove the cover to have access to your side rails and stake holes. When you remove the cover, you will have access to the rear corner stake hole pockets with the installed cover hardware left behind on the truck (these are the 2 stake hole pockets near the tailgate). However, the front corner brackets cover up all or part of the stakehole pockets on the front corners of the truck bed. This means you will need to completely remove the installed hardware at these front corners of the bed to have access to the stake holes right behind the cab of our truck. Removing and replacing the front corner hardware is really easy and "goof proof" as it requires only a 1/2" socket wrench and a only a few minutes of time. Back to Top
What are the instructions for installing the Wall Mount Storage Hardware so I can hang my cover out of the way in my garage? 1) Locate a stud on the wall where you are going to store your cover.
2) Measure up the wall a sufficient amount to allow your cover to hang without touching the floor. This height will vary depending upon truck bed size.
3) Place a mark on the stud at the height determined in step 2.
4) Drill a 5/32" pilot hole about 1 ½" deep at mark.
5) Using a 7/16" socket and ratchet, screw in and tighten supplied 1/4" lag bolt through top hole in one of the supplied bracket hooks.
6) Make sure hanging hook is straight and drill another 5/32" pilot hole in remaining hole in bracket hook.
7) Repeat step 5 for the second lag bolt for the hook.
8) Measure over 32" from center of bracket hook to determine placement of second hook. 32" will line up with another stud in most garages and also is the distance between centers of the bracket hook receiving holes in your UNDERCOVER. Use a level to help make sure your brackets are of equal height from the floor. Make a mark at this point for placement of second hanging hook.
9) Repeat steps 4-7 for second hanging hook.
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