Installing A Leer Tonneau Cover On A Dodge Ram - Slick Slab

1. All Leer tonneaus are constructed with a proprietary combination of chopped and mat fiberglass.

2. Once out of the mold, the surface is sanded, primed, and sprayed with DuPont two-stage paints. This ensures the color will be spot-on with your truck-well, when the paint was new, anyway. If your truck's paint is a little warn, you might have to detail it, so it will shine as good as the new tonneau.

3. After the lid is color-sanded and rubbed, it's flipped over and all the seals, hinge system, and such are installed.

4. The whole unit is wrapped up, stuffed into a box, and shipped right to your door or to an installation facility, but that is up to you.

5. Here is the tonneau after we took it out of the box. American Camper Shells installs a lot of these things, and the onsite fork lift really helps.

6. Before the tonneau can be put on the truck, the front weather strip is pushed on the leading edge. This is the only seal you will have to install yourself, since all of the rest is preinstalled and ready to go.

7. Here is a close-up shot to show just how smooth this thing really is, and since it is painted with DuPont products, it will match the factory paint perfectly.

8. The tonneau and all of the hinges are preinstalled, so all you have to do is line up the tonneau with the bed. We used a fork lift to do this, but all you will need is a few buddies. Oh yeah, and make sure the tailgate is open.

9. It should line up flush with the front edge and be parallel with the quarter panel down the side.

10. This is why you want the tailgate open because you have to crawl inside to attach the clamps that will hold the hinge system to the bed.

11. The clamps are pretty self-explanatory. Just slide them over the bed and tonneau rail and tighten the bolt. What's nice is you don't have to drill any holes, so there is no permanent damage done to the truck.

12. Once the clamps are tight, you have to cut the zip-ties that keep the latches from coming open during shipping and lift it up.

13. The gas prop rods are preinstalled and require no adjustment. Leer designed it this way to balance the effort to open and close the lid.

14. There are four bolts on the latch system to allow you to adjust it not only up and down but also in and out. Ours needed just a little adjustment to position the striker over the latch.

15b. The 800-series also features a keyless entry system that will unlock the tonneau just by hitting the key fob. If you lose battery power, don't fret. The key will still open it. The solenoid needs to be hooked up to a constant power source (battery) and ground (framerail). The wiring is preinstalled, so all you have to do is route it to the appropriate connections mentioned earlier.

16. To remove the tonneau, all you have to do is loosen these fasteners and push up.

17. The hinge setup will stay on the tonneau, so you don't have to worry about damaging it when hauling stuff in your truck.

18. There you go-the ins and outs of the 800-series tonneau from leer. Not only does it look nice and smooth but it will keep anything in the bed safe from the elements and from shady people.