Will a truck cover keep it dry?

[cfurtick]

Hi guys,

I have an 89 K5 Jimmy and keep the hard top off year round. I typically keep the truck parked under the carport and rarely drive the truck from October to March. I would like to move the truck out from the carport so my wife can park there this winter.

My question is will a standard short bed truck cover keep the bed and rear seats dry over the winter?

I would love to buy a softtopper for it but being a student, $750 is not an option. Any other suggestions as to how I can cover the rear of the truck for the winter?

Thanks
Chris

 

[runamok151]

i'd look for a used soft top. i found one last year in very good condition for $250. any tarp will let water/ leaves in. a form fitted cover should do better but is $$$.

 

[Stomis]

A typical car cover is not water proof. They are designed to keep dirt, leaves, grime, pollen, etc off cars but will not shed water.

The cheap way to go would be to tarp off the back with a regular blue tarp. Get it on nice and tight from the windshield to the back bumper and bungee it on real good. Then get a regular truck cover and cover the entire truck. That'll stop the tarp from lifting or getting torn off.

 

[zombiyjay76]

If you do use a tarp and bungee cords, put the cords way down on the body. I had to cover mine and the bungee cords would beat against the paint and took the paint off.

 

[BlazerFarm]

I can cover the rear of the truck for the winter?

Yep, like the others said, a tarp and bungee cords are your best, cheapest bet. I use that setup for the summer. I have the top off from May to October and here in Portland it does still rain some in the summer. So I worked up this setup using a "jug" of bungee cords of different lengths that I got at Home Depot and a tarp (I think 6' x 8') that I got at Harbor Freight.

Note: The tarp must be camo in order to maximize property value losses for your neighbors. Plus I hate blue tarps.

Just make sure everything is tight and you should be good to go. Also the paint loss on my side isn't from any bungees, they are fairly tight and don't move. It's the crappy '90s GM paint that caused that flaking.

 

[Jessie James]

I bought a cheap car cover from eBay ($30) and ...

1. Water comes through it if you allow it to dip down over the bed. You can prop it up with something and it's fine during rain.

2. After being outside for about 6 months, it's starting to fall apart - it's turning to dust which is weird.

3. It leaves that dust on the paint.

4. It's easy to put on and take off, and has the elastic around the bottom which helps hold it on. It has not blown off even in strong winds.

If I were to do it again, I'd buy a better quality cover again.

 

[4xcrazy]

those cheap blue tarps are not water tight, i had one covering an engine block that the intake was removed from. When a friend came over to pick it up, we lifted it up on the engine lift, drained the oil and a ton of water came out with the oil.

I went to a local hardware store when we moved from Arizona to here, bought a heavy duty tarp to cover the trailer i was pulling, it was silver on one side, brown on the other. I kept this tarp on top of the trailer when we got here to use the trailer as a storage while we were at our temporary housing with a relative. It rained ALOT the first few months we were here, and the only leaks from this tarp was where something had rubbed a small hole in it, other than that, it was totally dry.

hardware store, heavy duty tarp, keeps the moisture out, and is pretty rugged too.