One of the best and easiest ways to make the most of your truck's bed is the addition of a tonneau cover. Our project Lightning received a Perma-Tech urethane bedliner to protect the bed from the elements and abuse, but the parts and items we carried in it were not protected. Thus, the decision to install a tonneau cover was quite obvious. Because the Lightning is a muscle truck that has a following and may increase in value (we hope), we did not want to install a tonneau that required any drilling into the bed. For this reason, we opted to use the X-2000 tonneau system, which is available from Gaylord's in Long Beach, California.
The X-2000 is a patented hinge system that clamps to the underside of the bedrail and can be easily detached without any clips or pins. Opening much like a scissor, the hinge allows the tonneau to be opened freely and smoothly. Installation involves placing a reinforcement plate under the bedrail covers, an item only required on Ford trucks with a standard cab, stepside bed. Once the reinforcement is in place, the X-2000 hinge is positioned under the bedrails. A few bolts clamp it in place under the rails, eliminating any need to drill holes into the bed.
Position the tonneau over the bed. Underneath, one of Gaylord's technicians adjusted the hinge to the correct position. Again, the tonneau was checked to make sure it sat properly on the bed before any of the bolts were tightened up. Two technicians removed the tonneau so that the shocks could be added. Once everything was bolted up, the lid was reinserted into the X-2000 hinge and secured with a single retaining bolt. Also included are locks and two keys to secure the tonneau to the bed. Our Lightning now has a finished look, and Gaylord's matched the white paint perfectly.
Source
Gaylord's
Dept. TR
6801 Paramount Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90805
(562) 529-7543 x221
 Gaylord's X-2000 tonneau puts...  Gaylord's X-2000 tonneau puts the finishing touch on our project Ford Lightning pickup truck's bed. |
 1. The X-2000 hinge is a patented...  1. The X-2000 hinge is a patented design that does not require any drilling into the bed. It also allows for easy removal and replacement of the tonneau with mini- mum effort. |
 2. One of the first steps...  2. One of the first steps in using the Gaylord's X-2000 tonneau on our Lightning was to install this reinforcement plate under the plastic bedrails. This is the only application where the plate is required. |
 3. The plate reinforces the...  3. The plate reinforces the area of the bedrail where it is the thinnest and a small gap leaves some open space. |
 4. There is a specific right...  4. There is a specific right and left side to the hinge, and final positioning must be done with the lid on the truck. Then the hinge was positioned and clamped on loosely. |
 5. The fiberglass Gaylord's...  5. The fiberglass Gaylord's tonneau was painted white to match the Lightning's paint. All of the Gaylord's lids are finished off with a beautiful clearcoat that looks like a factory paintjob. |
 6. Two brackets bolt on to...  6. Two brackets bolt on to the tonneau's underside. These brackets also hold the high- pressure shocks so that the tonneau, the hinge, and the shocks were removed in one piece. |
 7. Two people can position...  7. Two people can position the tonneau over the clamps. The hinge slipped into a guide rail on the clamp and was secured with a single bolt. |
 8. One of the Gaylord's technicians...  8. One of the Gaylord's technicians laid in the bed and made the final adjustments to the clamps and the hinge. Here you can see how the hinge fits into the bedrail clamp. |
 9. Once the positioning was...  9. Once the positioning was checked, all the bolts were tightened up. The X-2000 lid opens easily and doesn't slam shut either. High- strength locks are also included to help keep items in the bed secure. |