KISS Drawers (Keep It Simple Storage) For 100 Series

[JonD]

They're in! Very pleased with the final product and looking forward to camping season.

One thing I didn't anticipate was not being able to open the wings without first reclining the 2nd row seats, but not a huge deal- just an FYI.

Thanks again Dave!

 

[cruzerDave]

@JonD great install and great pics!

Good point on the wings as well, I don't think I've read that before but now that you point it out it seems obvious... After you use them drawers a few times you may find another tweak or modification to add (cupholders anyone?) and it should be easy to trim. I'll add to the FAQ on the website I'm putting together as well, thanks for sharing that point.

 

[DJCloz]

Drawers arrived about 1pm yesterday, black stain and clear coat today, hopefully built, carpet and installation by the end of day.

 

[mrbigboy]

Finally finished off the drawers with L track and an aluminum bar step on the front edge. Very happy with the results. I used tee nuts, so everything is super easy to remove and reinstall. Looking forward to loading up the rig for a trip to the desert this weekend.

 

[abuck99]

^ Nice finish work!


And for anyone considering drawer or deck options based on ease of removal or temporary use, I can remove this entire system in about 10 min. It's very easy to come apart and get together.

 

[JonD]

Finally finished off the drawers with L track and an aluminum bar step on the front edge. Very happy with the results. I used tee nuts, so everything is super easy to remove and reinstall. Looking forward to loading up the rig for a trip to the desert this weekend.

View attachment 1453423

Love the way that came out!

 

[custyota]

These are awesome and I definitely need to buy! I'm new to the Hundy world and I'm curious how to sleep in a hundy with the rear seats folded down. Is there an additional piece of wood/platform required? Can some post pictures? Thanks in advance.

 

[abuck99]

The deck height on these drawers aligns with the folded 2nd row seats, making sleeping in the truck easy. I put a 3" Thermarest on top and was super comfortable. If you sleep with your head towards the tailgate, I dont see any need for additional hinged decking to cover the seats. (I'm 6' 1" tall btw)

 

[cruzerDave]

Drawers arrived about 1pm yesterday, black stain and clear coat today, hopefully built, carpet and installation by the end of day.

@DJCloz any updates? loved your prep work pics and I've been waiting to see what you do next...

Finally finished off the drawers with L track and an aluminum bar step on the front edge. Very happy with the results. I used tee nuts, so everything is super easy to remove and reinstall. Looking forward to loading up the rig for a trip to the desert this weekend.
View attachment 1453423

Very nice clean install- where did you source black tracks, or did you paint them?
Also, can I put a copy of that photo on my new website? If so please email me a larger copy so I can crop/size to fit, thanks!

These are awesome and I definitely need to buy! I'm new to the Hundy world and I'm curious how to sleep in a hundy with the rear seats folded down. Is there an additional piece of wood/platform required? Can some post pictures? Thanks in advance.

@custyota I designed them *specifically* to work as a sleeping platform for 100 series, as that was what I wanted back when this whole thing was just me making myself a set of drawers You do need to span a small gap, but foam mattress, sleeping pad, or even wadded up clothes or towels do the trick. Look at post#3 in this thread for a pic with measurement.

 

[mrbigboy]

Thanks Dave!
You can definitely use the photo on your website, I'll email you a larger copy shortly.
I bought the L track from US Cargo Control. They come powder coated in a variety of colors. I bought the kit with 2 x 48" bars and 4 tie down rings. I cut 10" off each bar to fit to my liking.
L-Track Tie Down Rails

 

[DJCloz]

Sorry for the delay. I did finish them that weekend. Life just got super busy like it always seems to. Here are a couple pictures I did take. I still need to install my ARB fridge slide on top. I want to make it so it can be easily removable / installed. Can't decide if left or right side though....

 

[DJCloz]

A couple more pictires

 

[JonD]

Had planned on installing anchor points on top of the drawers and using an elastic cargo net to keep things from flying around on top but found these and so far so good: Stayhold Cargo & Trunk Organizer for Auto, SUV, Minivan & Boats, Classic (2 pack) Gray Amazon.com: Stayhold Cargo & Trunk Organizer for Auto, SUV, Minivan & Boats, Classic (2 pack) Gray: Automotive
They don't take up much room in the drawers and I like the idea of maintaining the clean look when not needed. My only concern at this point is they may stick too well to the carpet making them difficult to take off without pulling the carpet up with them- I will report back on this over time.

 

[SierraWheeler]

Here is a short summary of my journey! Followed @unfast and attached the wings with magnets. Used wood filler to even out the extra holes on top. Also added flush hatch pulls to the wings to help with removal. For the drawer pulls, I had purchased BOTH large basic handles and vector T handles. Painted everything with rustoleum flat black (temporary, for now). Covered the drawer bottoms with rubber tool box liner.

My first attempt I guess I was being a little lazy and went with large handles mounted on the bottom inline with the slides and was going to skip the vector handles altogether. I guess I figured this would give a more solid place to pull in case the drawers were sticky (for the record, they weren't sticky).

I was celebrating success, then went to close the gate and... D'oh!!

So it was back to the drawing board. It turns out that the clearance right there is very tight, especially at the bottom with the gate closed. At this point, feeling stupid, I figured I would just go ahead and install the vector T handles I already had laying around.

Mucho better!! In hindsight, I am so very glad that I went the extra mile to install the vector T handles. The action is smooth, the pull feel is great, and now I can lock my drawers! At some point I will change out all of the exposed hardware for security bolts so I can use it as semi-secure storage. I will also need to find a better way to secure the magnetic wings... while I like being able to quickly remove them I notice they can flip over if my dogs step too close to the edge. Problem solved for now by stuffing crap underneath and pushing the dog beds to the corners. I was also planning to cut off the sides of the drawer face and bolt them to the frame, but I've decided to leave them as is. For my intended function (dog platform) I decided it is useful to be able to access to the side compartments from the front. I haven't installed the bottom trim thingy yet but I will eventually when I'm done fiddling around with it.

Also, to those who are interested, I discovered it is possible to drop the gate, close the upper hatch, and the drawers will still function 100%. Works great for keeping the dogs in the back while still being able to use the tailgate and have full access to the drawers.

I want to give a big thank you to Dave. The directions that are included are some of the best I have ever seen for any product (bar none). I can tell that the system has been engineered to very precise tolerances, but it was a breeze to assemble and functions exactly as I imagined. This kit is awesome and is a perfect starting point for any custom drawer system!!

 

[Higgin]

Here is a short summary of my journey! Followed @unfast and attached the wings with magnets. Used wood filler to even out the extra holes on top. Also added flush hatch pulls to the wings to help with removal. For the drawer pulls, I had purchased BOTH large basic handles and vector T handles. Painted everything with rustoleum flat black (temporary, for now). Covered the drawer bottoms with rubber tool box liner.

My first attempt I guess I was being a little lazy and went with large handles mounted on the bottom inline with the slides and was going to skip the vector handles altogether. I guess I figured this would give a more solid place to pull in case the drawers were sticky (for the record, they weren't sticky).



So it was back to the drawing board. It turns out that the clearance right there is very tight, especially at the bottom with the gate closed. At this point, feeling stupid, I figured I would just go ahead and install the vector T handles I already had laying around.

Mucho better!! In hindsight, I am so very glad that I went the extra mile to install the vector T handles. The action is smooth, the pull feel is great, and now I can lock my drawers! At some point I will change out all of the exposed hardware for security bolts so I can use it as semi-secure storage. I will also need to find a better way to secure the magnetic wings... while I like being able to quickly remove them I notice they can flip over if my dogs step too close to the edge. Problem solved for now by stuffing crap underneath and pushing the dog beds to the corners. I was also planning to cut off the sides of the drawer face and bolt them to the frame, but I've decided to leave them as is. For my intended function (dog platform) I decided it is useful to be able to access to the side compartments from the front. I haven't installed the bottom trim thingy yet but I will eventually when I'm done fiddling around with it.

Also, to those who are interested, I discovered it is possible to drop the gate, close the upper hatch, and the drawers will still function 100%. Works great for keeping the dogs in the back while still being able to use the tailgate and have full access to the drawers.

I want to give a big thank you to Dave. The directions that are included are some of the best I have ever seen for any product (bar none). I can tell that the system has been engineered to very precise tolerances, but it was a breeze to assemble and functions exactly as I imagined. This kit is awesome and is a perfect starting point for any custom drawer system!!

Looks awesome SierraWheeler! I was curious how your Vector T-Handle latches mount? Could you post a couple pics showing them from the inside please? I also bought Vector Latches from allegis a couple months ago and I'm about ready to install them, but it looks like the cutout I'm going to have to make for them is going to be a PITA. I didn't get the same Vector Handles though, I wanted to be a little different, so I got the Vector 2 handles with the large chromed pull. See here.... Allegis Corporation

Also, with yours oriented the way they are, what do they compress on when closed? Did you have to cut a hole in the bottom of the drawers? I've seen them mounted the way you did before and always wondered about that. I was planning on mounting mine with the large part up and make a tab on the bottom side of the top of the drawers for it to latch/compress on. Just curious before I go cutting mine all up....again pics would probably be worth a thousand words Thanks!

 

[SierraWheeler]

Thanks! Yeah I too was also a little gun shy to do all of the cutouts... which is why I went with the basic grab handles first.

I don't have many pictures of the process, but I can show you the final product. Let me start out and state that I am an amateur wood worker (at best) as you'll clearly see from my pictures. I honestly did not spend much time planning the install for these latches. I wanted the outside to look good but I wasn't shooting for perfection on the inside of the drawer. I understand there are probably better ways to do it, but this worked for me and how much effort I wanted to put into the process. My drawers arrived on a Monday and I wanted them ready for a camping trip on that immediate Saturday so I didn't overthink it, figuring that any bad mistakes could be fixed with wood filler and covered up with paint. Hopefully this instills confidence... if I could do it, anyone can.

Caveat - I did have to invest in a few new harbor freight tools (portable jig saw & router) and learn how to use them on youtube. I also borrowed a few tricks from other members on this forum like @ntsaint from his drawer build.

I too originally wanted to install them bolt up mainly because I was worried that it would be awkward to close the compression latch by pushing up and not down, but it turns out it still feels natural to me and after using it this weekend I am glad I went the way I did. I installed my latches bolt-down for a few reasons... 1. there is more room underneath the drawer for a bolt stop, and having the bolt stop underneath the drawer won't interfere with opening and closing the drawer. I didn't want to take away any overhead clearance for items in my drawer by installing a hanging bolt stop and I didn't want to cut holes in the top of my platform for the bolt. 2. I am using bins and cubbies for all my gear.. so cutting a hole in the bottom doesn't matter to me since I won't have loose items rolling around that could fall through the hole. 3. I am using bins and cubbies for all my gear.. and usually the bins have this sort of shape -> \_/ which means there is more clearance for the bolt towards the bottom than up top.

The latches didn't come with a cut out template (of course), so I made my own and started out by tracing the shape on cardboard box the drawers came in. I eye-balled the edges where I would need clearance and translated it as best as I could to my template. I then grabbed the hole saws I already had in my collection and found a few that seemed to fit the curves of the inside of the latch. The square outline on the template is an area on the face of the drawer that has to be countersunk by ~1/8" with the router (at least for my application). Once the holes are cut, connect them with the jig saw and check fitment. Use the router if additional inside clearance is needed.

I cut the bottom of the drawer with hole saws and connected them with a jig saw. Again, smooth the edges with a router.

For the bolt stop, I used 0.5" thick x 1.5" wide hardwood on top of the forward wooden frame member. The bolt (for my adjustment anyways) lines up with the leading edge of the frame. I used aluminum angle and super glued it to the bolt stop for a more durable connection. I'm going to probably go back and re-do this part later because 1. I clearly cracked my hardwood even though I tried to pre-drill the holes and 2. I want the bolt stop to be even stronger and more secure. 1/2" hardwood is important here because any thicker and the rear drawer face won't have enough clearance when you try to re-install the drawer.

Hope this helps!

 

[nnnnnate]

Had planned on installing anchor points on top of the drawers and using an elastic cargo net to keep things from flying around on top but found these and so far so good: Stayhold Cargo & Trunk Organizer for Auto, SUV, Minivan & Boats, Classic (2 pack) Gray Amazon.com: Stayhold Cargo & Trunk Organizer for Auto, SUV, Minivan & Boats, Classic (2 pack) Gray: Automotive
View attachment 1459762

I'm super happy with my drawers but having things slide around on top is annoying. I've got the L-track on mine and had been trying to figure out how to get dividers or something made up as a solution but what you've found seems easy and very slick. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[cruzerDave]

Had planned on installing anchor points on top of the drawers and using an elastic cargo net to keep things from flying around on top but found these and so far so good: Stayhold Cargo & Trunk Organizer for Auto, SUV, Minivan & Boats, Classic (2 pack) Gray Amazon.com: Stayhold Cargo & Trunk Organizer for Auto, SUV, Minivan & Boats, Classic (2 pack) Gray: Automotive
They don't take up much room in the drawers and I like the idea of maintaining the clean look when not needed. My only concern at this point is they may stick too well to the carpet making them difficult to take off without pulling the carpet up with them- I will report back on this over time.

View attachment 1459762

now THAT is a cool idea! agree as to the potential damage to the carpet, look fwd to your long-term report.

I want to give a big thank you to Dave. The directions that are included are some of the best I have ever seen for any product (bar none). I can tell that the system has been engineered to very precise tolerances, but it was a breeze to assemble and functions exactly as I imagined. This kit is awesome and is a perfect starting point for any custom drawer system!!

Wow, real sharp install, and really love the handle install! Thanks for following that up with some instructions, very helpful. I might've missed it, but which model/mfg t-handles are these?

And thank you for the kind words, I try hard and it's nice to know it's worth the effort

 

[cruzerDave]

Just a quick headsup that I *finally* have a website up, which includes lots of info, a gallery of your awesome installations, and a new ordering method that includes a countdown until the run closes. If you are looking to get in on the next run here you go:

Land Shark Outfitters

Any and all comments and feedback are welcome, please PM them or use the 'contact' form on the website - thx!

 

[abuck99]

Nice job- website is nice!