I know this has been done (probably many times) before, but I thought I’d share my DIY tonneau cover as a bit of a ‘how to’ just in case anyone else fancies trying it. I guess there are a few ways you can tackle this, but this is how I did mine.
First you need a template of the OEM tonneau. Either trace round a mates or get a friendly forum member to trace theirs and stick it in the post (cheers Dave P).
You’ll need two of the dividers, as you’re gonna stick them together later. I used 6mm MDF.
Once you’ve cut out your two MDF dividers (and test fitted them in your car), you may have a piece of MDF spare. I used this to make the ‘Z’ logo.
I found an image of the ‘Z’ and just enlarged it then printed it out and used it as a template. Then measure the centre of one of the dividers and mark where you’d like the ‘Z’ to go. Spray some spray adhesive onto your logo and mount it to one of the dividers.
Originally I was going to fit a ‘Z’ to both sides of the divider, but it can’t really be seen that well from the boot side, so I just opted for the one.
Now you’re going to cover one side of each of the two dividers you’ve cut out of MDF with acoustic carpet (I got mine from eBay). Spray plenty of spray adhesive and leave it for a minute – it gets tackier as the solvents dissolve.
With the divider that has the ‘Z’ mounted, sprays LOTS of adhesive on and around the edges of the ‘Z’ (you want to make sure it sticks). Then mount the acoustic carpet to the ‘Z’ first, using your finger tip to push it into all the edges of the logo. Then continue to mount the acoustic carpet as normal (it’s quite elastic, so you should still easily get a flat finish around the ‘Z’.
OK, so now you’ve cut out your dividers, cut a ‘Z’ logo, mounted the logo and covered both pieces with acoustic carpet? Now you just need to glue both sides together and fit it in your Zed.
When gluing both sides together, spray BOTH inside sides and remember to let the adhesive settle for a minute of two. It really is strong stuff – especially when applied to both surfaces.
Fitting is simply a case of ‘wedging’ your new divider into position. If you’ve cut the MDF to the right size/shape, the acoustic carpet will help hold it in position. Don't panic if when you first fit it, it just falls through under the strut brace, the opening varies in width so just try moving the divider's position.
When you’re done, hopefully your vertical tonneau will look like this: