Another drawer build thread.... (1 Viewer)

[Bloomer]

From my research, it seems my options for running constant power to the cargo area are:

Running underneath and up through the plastic cover underneath the rear tail light.

Coming through the firewall on the DS or PS through an existing pass through or drilling a new one.

I'm thinking of running underneath on DS with a 2 or 4 ga wire wrapped in flex loom and secured high on the frame rail to protect from damage. Looking for any compelling reasons not to go this route. It seems least invasive (not tapping into and compromising integrity of an existing firewall boot and not drilling a new hole in the firewall) and just can't think of a situation where I would damage the wire as long as its high on the frame rail. I've also alrwady used the plastic cover beneath the tail light to route my back up camera wiring to the camera on the bumper. So, it's already been drilled out and silicon seems to seal water out of that area fine.

Any thoughts or real life experiences with benefits or negatives for going this route?

Thanks!

 

[Bloomer]

Which bedliner did you end up going with?

It's a local recipe mixed up by a buddy's shop. They were a vendor for Linex when bed coating first started getting popular and paid a license fee for years. As more and more products became available, they decided to jump on the band wagon and made their own recipe to save on licensing fees. They've had this recipe for a couple years with no issues.

 

[fireball]

I ran my 4# wire from the 2nd battery location, under the truck, and came back in the 2nd row seating floor area up through one of the rubber grommets you mentioned. I had the entire interior out of the truck when I did all my wiring, but so far after 3 years have had no issues.

My only advice would be to tuck it up high and tight out of harms way. Could be pretty easy for it to get snagged going over a branch or limb if it isn't up high.

Quick cabinetmakers trick if you are still having trouble aligning your drawer fronts. Unscrew them and shim them into place using wood shims. Then you can usually sneak a small pin nail into an area that'll be hidden by the hardware, then remove the shims, open the drawer and screw through the back to secure them in place.

 

[Bloomer]

It's been awhile since I've updated this thread. Ended up running 6 gauge wire through boot in firewall on driver side, then in door channels to cargo area. Placed 100 amp circuit breaker near battery. Wired up a Blue Sea fuse block in the cargo area and secured it to the side of the drawer system beneath the driver side wing.

Drawers are reassembled after coating and installed. Used 4 - 6 inch L tracks from US Cargo for fridge tie down with ARB handle and straps.

 

[jcruiser83]

I am curious what your cost is all in on this build. I love the idea of doing something similar for the satisfaction of DIY, but fear my all in cost will far exceed just starting with a solid base system like KISS. Was it worth doing the build? Would you do it again? Would you care to share your plans, additional pictures or build suggestions for others who might want to take on a similar project?

 

[Bloomer]

@jcruiser83 I heavily considered purchasing a Trekboxx system for some time before taking on the build. As noted earlier, my reason for building vs. purchasing was the DIY factor (mainly just wanted to see if I could do it). Definitely was a fun project.

Would I do it again...Probably would do it again.

Cost....Ended up costing more than I planned. The drawer system turned out really nice, but required some redo along the way to sort through some things others who build these professionally likely already had figured out. I could probably redo the system much cheaper now and in half the time. Didn't do a good job tracking costs, but probably in it for ~$1750 with the redo required. Slides were a huge cost. Without the redo, would likely be in the $1200 - $1500 range.

Don't have any documented plans in a form I can easily share. I may need to remove the drawer system temporarily and can take some measurements to send. However, they are a little longer and taller than I originally planned.

Happy to offer any input if you decide to build.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Bloomer, that's really cool. Thanks for sharing the journey. That bed liner really tops it off. The plain wood looks very DIY, but once it's coated it looks very professional.

Nice job!

 

[oakback]

Are there any free CNC plans floating around? I've seen where lots of folks talk about cutting their pieces with a CNC, but haven't seen where anybody shared plans. I have access to a CNC I can rent time on. I'm not trying to make multiple and sell, it would just be nice to skip a lot of the fitment steps in making my own.

I was afraid to start a thread on this because there are vendors selling these, I didn't want to step on anybody's toes.

 

[Bloomer]

Bloomer, that's really cool. Thanks for sharing the journey. That bed liner really tops it off. The plain wood looks very DIY, but once it's coated it looks very professional.

Nice job!

Thank you!!!

 

[jcruiser83]

@Bloomer Thanks for the reply. Your build is one of the best I have seen and I agree that the bed liner coating takes it over top. Thanks for sharing your journey! I will let you know how my plans progress. I just bought my first Land Cruiser on Sunday. She is all stock, so I think before I take on a drawer project I should probably get her some new shoes and springs.

 

[Bloomer]

Thanks @jcruiser83. Credit goes to all the other forum members here that posted drawer build threads. Inspiration and design ideas came from them. Also reached out to several forum members with questions and advice. You are definitely in the right place for learning about your new land cruiser. There are really knowledgeable and helpful folks here.

Congratulations on your new land cruiser and welcome!

 

[bamabrock]

It's been awhile since I've updated this thread. Ended up running 6 gauge wire through boot in firewall on driver side, then in door channels to cargo area. Placed 100 amp circuit breaker near battery. Wired up a Blue Sea fuse block in the cargo area and secured it to the side of the drawer system beneath the driver side wing.

Drawers are reassembled after coating and installed. Used 4 - 6 inch L tracks from US Cargo for fridge tie down with ARB handle and straps.

View attachment 1421784

Bloomer, where did you ground the fuse block in the rear?

 

[cruzerDave]

@Bloomer let me add my compliments to your already long list, really nice set you built yourself there!

Are there any free CNC plans floating around? I've seen where lots of folks talk about cutting their pieces with a CNC, but haven't seen where anybody shared plans. I have access to a CNC I can rent time on. I'm not trying to make multiple and sell, it would just be nice to skip a lot of the fitment steps in making my own. I was afraid to start a thread on this because there are vendors selling these, I didn't want to step on anybody's toes.

Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about stepping on toes, I think most of us on MUD are either thick skinned or pretty chill

I think the reason you don't see plans floating around (IMHO) is that those only get you so far, and the numbers in a 3D model don't translate to a CNC program, and even those (as I understand it) don't transfer equally across all the various software programs that run the routers. In addition, my CNC'er and I have learned a lot about baltic birch along the way, such as it eats up bits - thank the exterior-grade adhesive for that. The head speed and linear speed have also been tweaked for different parts to keep them from moving during cutting (small ones) or to avoid splintering, and different at different areas of the boards, and a bunch of other items I don't even know about. I do know we tossed a lot of pieces along the way, because I paid for some of them to be re-done Again, maybe you are experienced and this is all 'of course, duh' but for me it has been a real education, and I wouldn't wish that upon others thinking 'I'll just get some cut locally'.

tl;dr - Getting the measurements and profiles was probably 10% of that effort for me, and I would encourage you to just climb in the back of your truck and use good'ol CAD (cardboard assisted design)

 

[BillZ260]

@Bloomer let me add my compliments to your already long list, really nice set you built yourself there!



Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about stepping on toes, I think most of us on MUD are either thick skinned or pretty chill

I think the reason you don't see plans floating around (IMHO) is that those only get you so far, and the numbers in a 3D model don't translate to a CNC program, and even those (as I understand it) don't transfer equally across all the various software programs that run the routers. In addition, my CNC'er and I have learned a lot about baltic birch along the way, such as it eats up bits - thank the exterior-grade adhesive for that. The head speed and linear speed have also been tweaked for different parts to keep them from moving during cutting (small ones) or to avoid splintering, and different at different areas of the boards, and a bunch of other items I don't even know about. I do know we tossed a lot of pieces along the way, because I paid for some of them to be re-done Again, maybe you are experienced and this is all 'of course, duh' but for me it has been a real education, and I wouldn't wish that upon others thinking 'I'll just get some cut locally'.

tl;dr - Getting the measurements and profiles was probably 10% of that effort for me, and I would encourage you to just climb in the back of your truck and use good'ol CAD (cardboard assisted design)

First of all, love your attitude towards this question! On other boards this might get barked at or ignored! Cool!

Second of all, that's another great reason to start with a kit first. I'm OK with wood working but no expert. I'm a machinist by trade, and you're point on speeds and feeds are not lost on me. Would suck to muck up a couple hundred bucks worth of plywood only to have to fill and sand it out. Leaning closer and closer to pulling the trigger

 

[OverlandTrax]

Love the build! Thank you for sharing!