LeverLift installation question

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Dale Carlson

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Got a LeverLift kit from ToddZ (Thanks, Todd!) on Swap and Sell, and installed it on my 2005 this weekend. Definitely a great product for those with the factory tonneau cover. I had the Advance cover on my 2001 and never felt the LeverLift kit was necessary because it's so much lighter than the factory cover. Good job, RichardL.



But I do have a question. What the hell do I need to drill holes in the stainless steel hinge plates (so I can install screws to keep the adjusting plates from slipping)? I tried 3 different drills and drill bits and barely made a mark. I'm figuring on a trip to the nearest box store for new bits, but do I need any special kind? Those plates are tough...
 
Just a stupid suggestion, is your drill in forward mode and not in reverse? I had the same thing happen one time when I was trying to drill through metal, tried three different bits and suddenly realized the drill was in reverse. Put it in forward and it took about 2 seconds to do the job.
 
Kefguy, may need a stainless drill bit, I know stainless is a pain to drill.....



Also you can drill stainless to fast, try a slower speed...



Your welcome for the kit, With me having the Cap now, I did not need it...



Todd Z
 
Not a stupid suggestion, believe me I checked every time. I'm thinking that I might have just had the bad luck to have three dull bits.



Anyway, this lets me follow Man Law #1 - New Projects require new tools. :p
 
Slower speed will cut through stainless.



The best bit to use is a cobalt bit. Titanium coated bits are nothing more that HSS bits coated in titanium. Cobalt bits are the best way to go. Use a little cutting oil to lubricate the bit. Do not get the bit hot.



I work with exotic metals like Monel, Inconel, and some exotic grades of Stainless Steel.





Tom
 
Thanks guys, I hadn't thought about going with a slower speed - seems kind of counter-intuitive to me. But I'll give it a try after I get my new bits.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Screw it, I have dynamite here, Lets just blow the whole dam thing up !!!!!!!!! :eek::eek:
 
Hey Kefguy. I work in the machine tool industry. And I think you are in need of a carbide bit to cut that stainless. But just my thoughts on the matter. Go carbide !!
 
kefguy,

The mounting plates are made of galvanized steel and powder-coated. I use a titanium coated drill, but that's only because I make so many and the titanium bits stay sharper longer. A regular bit should work fine.



The real concern I have is that you are installing an EZLift kit designed for use with the Ford hard tonneau cover, on an Advance cover. There are several differences that you should know about.



The gas springs are much stronger to lift the heavier Ford cover. Using those gas springs on the Advance cover may be excessive. It will make your cover harder to close and may bend or warp the cover or create excessive strain that may damage the cover.



Also, the mounting position of the plates and the upper mounts is different on the Advance cover. The side mounting plates should go behind the Advance center hinge mounting bar, and no drilling is required.



The upper mounts for the Ford cover use a side strap for additional support. That Advance cover uses a double "L" mount and uses 4 screws per mount. Also the screws for the Advance cover are shorter so you don't go all the way through your cover.



If you want, I will send you instructions for mounting the EZLift-AC (Advance cover), but there are a number of differences between the two kits.



...Rich



 
Sorry, Rich. You must have mis-read it, or I mis-led you. Or it's just that funky eye of yours. :wacko:



I just bought a 2005 with a factory cover. That's what I put the kit on. I pretty much tried to make sure of the application before I bought the kit from ToddZ. I had a 2001 with an Advance cover on it, and never tried to put a kit on it.



Just came back from the big blue box with new bits. Wahoo...
 
kefguy,

My error. I thought you moved the Advance cover from your 2001 to your 2005.



That still does not answer the question of why you need to drill holes in the mounting plates?? The kits are design to just bolt on and the only drilling is pilot holes for the upper mounts that go on the underside of the tonneau cover.



If you are trying to dril into the center hinge pin brackets that are attached to the cover to keep the bolts from slipping, yes that is very hard steel and I have even distroyed a titanium bit trying to drill through that. You will need a good sharp drill bit, preferably new and either titanium or cobalt. My drill bit was titanium, but it was old and had been used for over a year and had drilled and mounted about a dozen kits.



To drill the larger holes in the mounting plates, I use a titanium coated stepped-bit (UniBit) that cost about $40 a piece and I have probably used about 10 of them in the past 5 years. Surprisingly, I get better life drilling steel than aluminum. Aluminum gets to soft and fouls the bit with a coat of aluminum that is hard to get off.



...Rich
 
Rich, it's the center hinge. You dedicated a whole page of instructions to getting it aligned and keeping it aligned, so I figured it must be pretty important (especially since you said it was "critical" to do so on the main instruction page). So I'm going with that.



Got the cobalt bits and going to give it try this weekend.
 
kefguy,

Yes it is very important to pin the center hinge brackets so they don't slip and let the gas springs cause the cover to hump up at the center hinge. My guess is that better than 50% of the folks who install the LeverLift kits never do that. :wacko:



Glad to hear that at least one guy reads the instructions. :D



...Rich
 

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