Sometimes you just want stuff to be easy, such as opening your tonneau cover. If you've ever had to drop the stuff you were carrying to open the tonneau, you know what a pain in the rear it can be.
Well, Pace Edwards has built a cover that opens with a touch of a button in less than 30 seconds and can be stopped at any point to make our lazy butts happy. The BedLocker is an electric-retractable tonneau cover that works like the roll-up garage door found in your house.
The cover is made up of thin slats of aluminum and a patented, silicone-rubber hinge seal that retracts into a box at the front of the bed. An alarm-style key fob, which can also be wired up to lock your power door locks, engages the dual motors. The BedLocker is a true bolt-in, flush-mounted cover; the sidetrack system is held on with special clamps, so it doesn't require drilling.
We took our truck and parts over to Shaughn Reid and his talented staff at StreetshocK in Redondo Beach, California, to have it installed. Even with us slowing them down by shooting photos, they had this sucker on and working in about an hour.
The first part of the install...
The first part of the install was to run the supplied wiring harness; Shaughn ran it into the stake pocket hole, down the frame, and up the firewall to the electrical center under the hood.
The end in the bed has a preinstalled...
The end in the bed has a preinstalled plug on it, so pull all the excess into the engine compartment.
The tonneau unit is set into...
The tonneau unit is set into the bed and supported with a little step stool. The electronics and the tonneau slats (like a roll-up garage door) are ready to go.
Next, the side rails are installed;...
Next, the side rails are installed; these are the tracks that the tonneau itself runs in.
This is where friends come...
This is where friends come in handy because as they are slid forward, the tonneau has to be fed into the rails
Here are the clamps that Pace...
Here are the clamps that Pace Edwards designed. They feature a pivot point to provide a firm hold on the rails without the need to drill holes.
The clamps index into a channel...
The clamps index into a channel that runs the length of the side rails.
Since most truck beds are...
Since most truck beds are tapered and the tonneau is straight, Pace Edwards sends one set of adjustable-clamp-style shims and some flat stock so you can square up the bed.
Now the clamps are snugged...
Now the clamps are snugged up.
The rails are lined up with...
The rails are lined up with the tailgate.
Next, the brain is mounted...
Next, the brain is mounted to the side of the main box with two-sided tape. This piece of equipment controls the tonneau's opening and closing; it features a safety overload switch inside that will stop the motor if something interferes with the operation or when the cover contacts the tailgate.
With that, it's time to hook...
With that, it's time to hook up the power.
Shaughn cuts the excess off...
Shaughn cuts the excess off the harness and hooks up the power and the ground per the instructions.
The last step is to install...
The last step is to install the lid that covers the mechanism and make sure all the clamps are tight.
With just a push of the alarm-style...
With just a push of the alarm-style key fob, the tonneau slides open. The cover can be stopped at any position, and thanks to the powdercoat finish, it will stand up to Mother Nature.