Did a little more work on the fiberglass and foam flat cover.
I cut the front flush with the front of the bed, and then sanded it. I also sanded the back flat and then put a little curve to it.
At this point, I'm really trying to figure out the best/simplest way to attach the cover.
After some out-of-the-box thinking, I've come up with this:
MAGNETS!
Now before you start thinking I'm crazy... Wait, you already know I'm crazy.. Let's get past that.
A magnet will simply stick to the truck bed. I don't need to make any permanent holes. The magnet can also act as both a latch AND a hinge. By putting a pair of magnets on each of the four sides, I'll be able to simply hold the cover down with no other attachments, but I'll also be able to OPEN the cover from any side!
The two magnets on the opposite side will act as a hinge.
The magnets I plan to use are recycled components from computer hard-drives they are
"OW! OW! Why-did-I-put-My-hand-there!?!!?"-powerful, and should probably come with some sort of warning label.
Here's a couple of photos showing the different ways the flat cover will be able to open.
When I had the cover flipped up so that it was hinged at the rear and up near the cab, it's a similar shape to what the long-term aero-cap will be shaped like. I also hopped in the cab and took a photo pointing backwards because I wanted to check the blind-spot.
A flat cover gives excellent sight-lines, whereas a solid cap is going to make it hard to check the blind spots. I figure that when I do the aero-cap, I want to put triangular windows in the sides so that I can still check the blind-spot.
Not quite sure how I'll hold the cover up. I think a simple prop stick, similar to how a hood is held up would work well.