VR Tarp / Tonneou - How to mount without factory "loops"

[Rusty]

Hi Guys,

I am looking for suggestions on how to mount a standard tarp / tonneou cover to a VR Ute. The standard hook thing on the rails of the ute have been cut off with an angle grinder. The tarp is the usual tarp with the clips at the front and the elastic on the sides.

I was thinking of putting some bolts or something through the rail for something that the elastic can clip on to but I am not convinced on that idea. Another idea is to use the circular clips that the AU Falcon Ute and alike use but I think that will look like ass!

Any suggestions appreciated. I would use the push on clips around the rails but I have a tub liner and don't want to hack it up. The ute also has front and rear sports bars / ladder racks.

Cheers guys

[Rusty]

Suggestions guys?

[SP00KSTER]

hey mate ive also got a ute, VS though, and i cut the hooks off thinking that it looks cool, and it still does, the only anoying thing is that i cant put a cover on it and i cant tie ropes down, I was thinking of cutting the original hooks that i kept in half and facing them into the body and then weld them in place, It will keep the sex appeal of no hooks and then i can use the cover again, but im still thinking of other ways to do it.

[Rusty]

It certainly does suck about the lack of tie downs! I bolted some massive U- Bolts into the base of the tray but removed them when I installed the tubliner and sports bars.

I'm even considering drilling holes through the rail to feed the elastic through but that may look a little dodge. Another option is rigging up a bracket on the underside of the rail using the existing bolts that attach the rail to the tub. I would look at welding the old tabs back on but the previous owner turfed them out!

Annoying as hell issue! Mint tonneou and no way of mounting it

[SP00KSTER]

yea definatly wouldn't be drilling holes through the rails, that bracket idea sounds all right though

[Rusty]

Got bored and agitated so I managed to hook up the tonneou. It is painful but it is possible to clip the elastic under the rail onto the existing hook stubs (what is left after cutting them off). The tail gate is different as it has a strip that covers the underside of the rail. I just put four tek screws in it for the meantime. Will get the au Ford round things for the tail gate. Looks surprisingly good considering I haven't had the holes cut for the roll bars as well as having no bar across the tub to support the tarp.

The support bar's are pretty hard to find. Am considering bending up some 10mm reo in the meantime.

[Drawnnite]

what about the "push Studs" not like fords
these ones (press studs)



if not what about somehow making up some way of having a newer model softtop fit. whereby it "clips" in like how yellowtongue clips in.
that way you could have a cover, and no hooks.

[Trayner]

If your going to all that trouble may as well just get a hard top

[SP00KSTER]

hard tops arent cheap these days, unless you can find a second hand one but then there still got paint stipped off or broken mounting points.

[Rusty]

Would go for the hard top but they are painful with the front and rear sports bars. Plus expensive as

[Trayner]

hard tops arent cheap these days, unless you can find a second hand one but then there still got paint stipped off or broken mounting points.

Yeh true that , mine came with a hard top so I hadn't looked into the prices of them lol

Would go for the hard top but they are painful with the front and rear sports bars. Plus expensive as

yeh would be hard as to get one to go around the sports bars

[Drawnnite]

plus if you want to put a motorbike/something big in the back a hardtop has to be taken off/stored etc.
even putting a bike with wide handlebars in the back is a pain. or just have 1 corner of a tonneau open and the bar sticking out =P

have you thought about something like velcro. might look wierd but it could work.