Pickup truck cargo box cover assembly

In combination with a pickup truck having an open cargo box formed of an upstanding front wall, upstanding sidewalls, a floor and a pivotally mounted rear tailgate defining a cargo area with a rearward access opening, said sidewalls including an opposed pair of wheel housings projecting upwardly from the floor and projecting inwardly into the cargo area, said tailgate hinged for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis between a substantially upright locked position closing at least a portion of the access opening and a lowered position;

• the improvement comprising:
• first horizontally disposed channel means on said front wall extending a predetermined distance thereacross;
• second horizontally disposed channel means on said tailgate in opposed relation with said first channel means whereby said channels define a horizontally extending plane spaced a predetermined distance above said cargo area floor;
• each said wheel housing having an upper substantially planar surface located substantially in said horizontally extending plane;
• rectangular panel means dimensioned such that its one forward marginal transverse edge is adapted to be snugly received in said first channel means, and
• said panel means having a predetermined longitudinal dimension such that with said forward edge snugly received in said front wall channel means its other rearward transverse edge is adapted to be snugly received in said tailgate channel means with said tailgate in its upright closed position whereby said panel means is retained by said tailgate channel means providing a covered load space on the cargo area floor subjacent an upper level cargo area on said panel means.