building drawers for the 200

[mark71]

tore everything out of the back this weekend and started building my own drawer system (AO very nice, but expensive and i don't like the idea of sending that money to another country right now...except for an excellent SUV). i am building the first one from wood and field testing it on an upcoming trip through Montana/Idaho/Washington. from what i learn building and using the first one, i plan to build a second one from higher quality wood, sliders, etc. in the next year or two, when i can afford the right tools, i will consider building from steel.

i am taking pics as i go, and if i hear that other people are interested, i will figure out how to post them.

dtt255, building half a drawer system would not be that much harder than a full one. from my work so far, just one additional mounting point on the floor would be sufficient to prevent torque on the drawer. i am utilizing the factory seatbelt mounting points for the base, but right now only need 8 of the 12 (there are actually 16, but four of them are at odd angles and places.)

 

[dtt255]

tore everything out of the back this weekend and started building my own drawer system (AO very nice, but expensive and i don't like the idea of sending that money to another country right now...except for an excellent SUV). i am building the first one from wood and field testing it on an upcoming trip through Montana/Idaho/Washington. from what i learn building and using the first one, i plan to build a second one from higher quality wood, sliders, etc. in the next year or two, when i can afford the right tools, i will consider building from steel.

i am taking pics as i go, and if i hear that other people are interested, i will figure out how to post them.

dtt255, building half a drawer system would not be that much harder than a full one. from my work so far, just one additional mounting point on the floor would be sufficient to prevent torque on the drawer. i am utilizing the factory seatbelt mounting points for the base, but right now only need 8 of the 12 (there are actually 16, but four of them are at odd angles and places.)

Mark,

I would LOVE to see pics!! I am still trying to figure out the best way to mount to the floor.

Here is the key, I want to be able remove the drawer so I an use the backseat also. That is what is hard for me to figure out.

Some kind of system where I can remove the box pretty easily.

 

[JBHorne]

Here is the key, I want to be able remove the drawer so I an use the backseat also. That is what is hard for me to figure out.

Some kind of system where I can remove the box pretty easily.

You mean similar to this???

 

[mark71]

what lies under the carpet

after you pull the carpet, this is what you'll find. the black plastic is the ventilation distributor for the 3rd row. as you can see, i experimented with removing a non-essential part of it to gain better access to the factory bolts (would have remained functional, but didn't give me the access i needed, so i removed it.) the red squares of tape are to help you see where the bolts are. the white plastic with the wire going to it is some sort of sensor...decided to leave it alone.

 

[mark71]

the rubber mounts

i made these out of 3/4 inch rubber. bolting them to the floor gives you a very strong yet flexible mount so that when the body flexes, the box doesn't squeak or break (at least that is the idea..won't know until i field test it.)

 

[dtt255]

Nice idea and work. I am excited to see how it turns out!

I would like to know more about the exact bolts you used to make your adapters.

 

[mark71]

building the box

the floor is 3/4 inch plywood. the second photo shows the front of the box. here you can see that i've cut an angle in it so that the 2nd row can still recline. the 3rd pic shows the drawer dividers. i only built 24 inch deep drawers on this version for two reasons. one, the hardware store only had 24 inch sliders (will order longer ones for version 2), and two, i want an access area just behind the second row for items that you don't necessarily want to open the back of the truck up for but still want secure.

 

[mark71]

this is where i quit today...

i still have to make the other drawer and then make faces for them both (the pull on the current drawer is just for handling it, it's not done.) i am then going to make hinged flaps for the side storage areas, and a hinged door for the front access area. then i am going to make split, hinged flaps that swing over the folded down second row seats to make a sleeping area. finally i got some rubber-backed, charcoal gray carpet today that will go on everything eventually, as well as some aluminum angle metal for finishing the edges. at some point, i will also install the locks front and rear.

 

[chimyz]

nice work!

 

[dtt255]

Very nice !

 

[mark71]

Nice idea and work. I am excited to see how it turns out!

I would like to know more about the exact bolts you used to make your adapters.

thanx. i'm having a great time with the project.

the bolts are M10 1.25 70mm. i'm not very hardware savy, but i think the 'M10' refers to the diameter of the bolt, and the '1.25' refers to the threads. the '70mm' definately refers to the length, and honestly i don't remember exactly what i ended up using. the front mounts actually required an extra 1/4 inch of rubber to be square and true with the back mounts, so those bolts were longer.

i've also been giving some thought to your requirements. you want to keep your seats but occasionally be able to mount secure storage, right? what about using U bolts through the factory mounts that are exposed when the seats are retracted. you could then drill holes in the bottom of any prefabbed truck box you like and guide the bolt up into the box. once you tighten the nuts on the bolt inside of the box, it would be secure because closing the door would then deny access to the nuts. and there a gazillions of boxes available (though i didn't see any drawers other than the Adventure Trailer ones that would work.

 

[JBHorne]

thanx. i'm having a great time with the project.

the bolts are M10 1.25 70mm. i'm not very hardware savy, but i think the 'M10' refers to the diameter of the bolt, and the '1.25' refers to the threads. the '70mm' definately refers to the length, and honestly i don't remember exactly what i ended up using. the front mounts actually required an extra 1/4 inch of rubber to be square and true with the back mounts, so those bolts were longer.

i've also been giving some thought to your requirements. you want to keep your seats but occasionally be able to mount secure storage, right? what about using U bolts through the factory mounts that are exposed when the seats are retracted. you could then drill holes in the bottom of any prefabbed truck box you like and guide the bolt up into the box. once you tighten the nuts on the bolt inside of the box, it would be secure because closing the door would then deny access to the nuts. and there a gazillions of boxes available (though i didn't see any drawers other than the Adventure Trailer ones that would work.

The LC uses a lot of M10 x 1.25 bolts. The 1.25 is a coarser pitch thread than the standard 1.50. It can be a bit tricky to find, but larger stores with vast bolt/nut selections should have them.

Good luck ever trying to find an M10x1.25 flange nut though! (This is from experience....lol)

 

[donjuanmiguel]

Wow, that looks nice. Now you don't have to worry about covering the rear seat holes. Seems like a lot of work just to cover them up though...great job, can't wait to see finished product.

 

[mark71]

ready for a field test

there are still a few trim pieces that i need to put on, as well as the tie down points (tomorrow morning), but you get the idea. fully carpeted inside and out, it is very quiet while driving, even with tools flopping around inside.

the fold down front sleeper area worked out nicely, but for now i'm using a simple brace for the front of both halves that goes down to the passenger floor area (not pictured). once the permanent swing down supports are installed, i will include pictures of those as well.

the side storage areas don't have locks (or even handles yet...i'm still looking for flush mounts that i like), but the drawers are very secure. i forgot to take pics before putting on the carpet, but the mounting for the clasps is thoroughly steel reinforced. and as you can see, you aren't going to cut those locks off with bolt cutters. the system isn't a complete vault, but you would need power tools and/or a lot of time to defeat it.

 

[mark71]

but wait, there's more...

since my drawers are only 24" long, i have that front space as a hidden storage area. i can get into either side as long as that side's seat is tilted forward. and as you might see, this is the area that still needs some trim pieces. again, i reinforced the clasps and used the heavy locks, so i feel pretty safe putting valuable in there. and just in case anyone asks, no, you can't just unscrew the hinges. i used stainless steel bolts and epoxied the nuts on. god help me if i ever need to take this thing apart!

 

[JBHorne]

since my drawers are only 24" long, i have that front space as a hidden storage area. i can get into either side as long as that side's seat is tilted forward. and as you might see, this is the area that still needs some trim pieces. again, i reinforced the clasps and used the heavy locks, so i feel pretty safe putting valuable in there. and just in case anyone asks, no, you can't just unscrew the hinges. i used stainless steel bolts and epoxied the nuts on. god help me if i ever need to take this thing apart!

Wow, you do some amazing custom work! I can bolt just about anything on that has directions, but making drawers fit --- well that's awesome!

 

[mark71]

thanx, JB. to be honest, there were many points that i had to take two steps back because i didn't anticipate something. if i were to calculate my normal hourly rate at work and translate that to this project, this thing would have cost thousands of dollars! not to mention the ten or more trips to the hardware store. oh well, i learned a lot that i will apply when i make the final version.

but for now, it is time to go play with my rig. i just put some 285/65-18 toyo open country ATs on it and can't wait to see how far off the beaten track i can get now. will post pics when i return.

 

[donjuanmiguel]

Great job! You used your space wisely.

 

[mark71]

anyone interested in version one?

i'm removing it tomorrow to start work on version two.

 

[spressomon]

No but inquiring minds want to know!