Virtual Hinge Design

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/315744623850646856/

Thanks, SE, but the lid and actuator are already in place and the hinging mechanism must match.

not to scale...

rev#3 incl 15° angle lift tonneau ex....

Yes, I think something like that is used for big airplane flaps. You can see it when they are extended.

Very interesting, SE. So L1 causes the rear lip to clear the bed, then the lid rises to full extension something like this:

And it would be stable as the links are fully extended and in tension by the actuator. This is important as the lid gets buffeted by wind. Would need some way to ensure the linkages fold the correct way when closing...maybe springs or elastic bands, wouldn't take much force.

After that exchange with SE, I'm not sure I should comment! I'm not too familiar with this new-fangled stuff! Would an old-fashioned strap hinge work? Paint it any matching or contrasting color you want. Maybe a piano hinge, but I'm not sure how to mount it.

You can never have too many possibilities... when you said strap hinge I thought of a strip of material, specifically Braeön, that might be used in some way...

Ooops now called Forj...

Yes I just bought some....$20 for 20'...

That sounds as though someone has just formed polymorph plastic around some strong ribbon.

Polymorph plastic is another essential for every tool shed.

Here's what we have:

There are 2 actuators. The lid is 20" x 44", aluminum, weights maybe 10#. The actuators are overkill (each can lift over 100#) but I did it to keep the lid from flapping in the wind. In this pic the lid is hinged at the rear, but that has been difficult to maintain; not much structure to work with. And I'm always looking for new ideas to have folks scratching their heads.

OK ....well that is a horse of a different color....I would use the hinges at the back, only make them slide off hinges...or lift off hinges...

...I would lose the actuators all together, and secure the hood with inset latches, or some type of hood pins...

Do you drive around with this open?

I vaguely remember you had a hot rod that had this rear mounted radiator, if I am remembering correctly, is this it? If so, do you have a website that I can study the design a little closer? If this requires a pop up scoop to help cool the engine, then a lot more thought needs to go into the design...

Maybe I'm thinking of a Kindig-it design where they had a trunk mounted radiator design....

Good memory! Here's some pics: https://goo.gl/photos/eb3z5gHPFqEL2d3E7

...and here's a thread where I keep track of work: http://www.tbucketeer.com/threads/big-redo-of-the-old-bucket.13677/

There we go....sweet ride

Space is clearly at a premium here...

I'm thinking you get a lot of vibration in a violent sort of way....is the back steel or fiberglass? Is there a rubber gasket involved in any way with the trunk cover?

I think I would go with a thick gasket, like on a door, and 4 hood pins, and just make it a removable panel...

I guess you could cut the deck and have it hinged and just lift the back half or three quarters, from the back and have some proper hinges to support the lid...

"I'm thinking you get a lot of vibration in a violent sort of way....is the back steel or fiberglass? Is there a rubber gasket involved in any way with the trunk cover?"

The body is fiberglass, but we integrated a 1/2" square steel tube around the upper edge of the bed. There is a rubber gasket just as you described glued to the lid. Not much vibration unless I'm on a rough road. With the lid down and the actuators holding it tight, things are pretty secure.

Oh, no, at least not on purpose!

That is a difficult one we run into quite a bit, because to make it work, one needs to do a number of iterations with a motion curve to make it work. What is the cover made of, where you can make that bend at a shallower angle.

I think SE had probably the best solution.

How about using steel cables instead of linkages?

The short rear cable brings up the lid to clear the lip, then the long front cable sets the degree of opening. Would need to carefully adjust actuator to fully stretch cables without breaking anything, and maybe incorporate springs somewhere to optimize tensions.

Would a waterproof canvass with an elasticated seam around the edge be infra dig?

You wanna' put a shower cap on a road crushing street rod?

I don't know about that....