Tailgate storage panel by Back Bay Customs - Install & Review

[jcardona1]

Tailgate storage panels have been a popular mod lately. Lots of different options from the WG lid, DIY boat hatches and several aluminum panels. The 80 series is perfect for this mod with the tailgate/hatch combo. Adam at Back Bay Customs (@Notch) was kind enough to allow me to be a beta tester of his new tailgate panel. While they may be new in the FJ80 world they are no stranger to custom car builds: Photo Gallery | Back Bay Customs Let's hope they continue to make products for the 80 market.

Okay on to the pics! After removing the carpet panel and the 3 access covers, temporarily attach the frame with as many bolts as you can. The frame is keyed to all the original plastic clips which makes alignment a breeze.

Place masking tape along the inside edge of the frame. This will be how you create the template for the cuts.

For the sides and rear part of the frame, place a mark 3/16" from the outside edge of the tape, where the inside edge of the frame was. For the part at the bottom of the tailgate facing the cab, you go 1/16" from the outside edge.

Mark your lines all the way around with a straight edge.

And cut! There will be 4 braces to cut through.

Here you can see the braces you will be cutting. 2 on top, 2 on bottom.

Brace.

Empty cavity.

The braces need to be trimmed back a bit for the aluminum frame that gets installed. This can be a bit tricky due to the tight space. I used a small cut off wheel and finished it off with a flap wheel on my angle grinder.

Inner aluminum frame installed after cutting away the brace.

Inner frames with rubber tape installed.

After that you're ready to attach the outer frame. The inner frames serve as a stop for the lid.

Bracket for the lift strut. Very nice.

continued...

 

[jcardona1]

And installed! I've seen a few tailgate storage panels in person and while I haven't seen them all, I can already tell this is one of the nicest options out there. Everything is extremely well machined and fits together beautifully. Adam thought of everything and I'm really not sure what could make this any better. Recessed latches would be cool but not sure how much more expensive that would be. Anyway, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

And there's just something about tailgate storage panels with a rifle sitting on it that looks so cool

 

[80ways]

Very cool. Thanks for the detailed write ups and pics. Can't wait until Mrs. Claus puts mine under the tree (oops, I'm not supposed to know about that...).
Oh, and I agree, the AR completes the picture nicely.

 

[97 greenmonster]

Would you say the new hatch metal is stronger then the original tall gate metal. I've dented my tall get stepping up onto it. I guess at 6'5" 280 I'm bigger then what Toyota planed on.

 

[MEATWAD]

That's awesome!

 

[LS1FJ40]

Would you say the new hatch metal is stronger then the original tall gate metal. I've dented my tall get stepping up onto it. I guess at 6'5" 280 I'm bigger then what Toyota planed on.

I have the same question.

 

[jcardona1]

Would you say the new hatch metal is stronger then the original tall gate metal. I've dented my tall get stepping up onto it. I guess at 6'5" 280 I'm bigger then what Toyota planed on.

I have the same question.

I found mine was dented too when I removed the carpet. I think this is much stronger.

 

[Blade 80LC]

Very nice looking hatch, and a great write up. Is the plan to make this a stock item, or was it a one-off custom item. Any idea of the expected price, if it wasn't pure custom?

 

[jcardona1]

Very nice looking hatch, and a great write up. Is the plan to make this a stock item, or was it a one-off custom item. Any idea of the expected price, if it wasn't pure custom?

Thanks! It will be a stock item. Check out his thread here: New 80 Series Tailgate Storage option from Notch @ Back Bay Customs

 

[ozwallaby]

Seems to be a very complete writeup, but with the first few pics marking on the tape you say mark the cut line 1/16 and 3/16 from the INSIDE edge of the tape...... maybe this should read from the OUTSIDE edge of the tape.....

 

[jcardona1]

Seems to be a very complete writeup, but with the first few pics marking on the tape you say mark the cut line 1/16 and 3/16 from the INSIDE edge of the tape...... maybe this should read from the OUTSIDE edge of the tape.....

Good catch! Went back and edited it.

 

[Notch]

Great write up, Jose! Your pictures with short descriptions are 10x better than my written directions. I hope it serves you well.

If anyone has questions, please don't hesitate to message me or give me a call at the shop 7am -3:30pm EST (207) 878-8542.

 

[TheBelgian]

Looking damn good!!!

 

[TheBelgian]

How about we run a Group Buy on here?

 

[SteelHunterFJ80]

You know what I think might be a killer option.....it would be to design it so the box allows the stock carpet piece to go over the box. That way its now a hidden security box. I often travel with some expensive fly fishing gear and when I park along the road on a trip or hike in, its nice to have a place to hide gear out of sight. Hunters could use this to hide longer guns too.

 

[Notch]

You know what I think might be a killer option.....it would be to design it so the box allows the stock carpet piece to go over the box. That way its now a hidden security box. I often travel with some expensive fly fishing gear and when I park along the road on a trip or hike in, its nice to have a place to hide gear out of sight. Hunters could use this to hide longer guns too.

That's a good idea. It's very close to the carpet shape. You could remove the plastic clips from the stock board and use strips of velcro to hold the carpet in place.

Another mounting alternative could be to use mild steel hardware in place of the stainless steel. Then glue neodymium magnets in each mounting clip spot on the carpet panel. It would just clip in place that way. My carpet is trashed, but I would do this for someone that wanted a custom option and sent their carpet in to me.

 

[mingles]

I am not so concerned about having a hidden compartment but I use my tailgate as a seat regularly when camping. Metal tailgates are COLD to sit on and dogs paws tend to slip and scratch on metal.

My thought would be to attach carpet directly to the lid (glue, velcro, magnets are a good idea) with cutouts for the latches and cut along the three sides that open. As long as it was a carpet that didn't fray along the cuts, the seams would be nearly invisible when the hatch is closed.

 

[SteelHunterFJ80]

I like your idea @Notch about the magnets......to go one step further, would it be possible to use the old mounting spots for the door panel clips accessible by having holes to lay it over the top. From the photo it looks like the four corners and a few on the outer edge of the cork are almost accessible. You could make a stencil of one that works and crank out the rest.

 

[Shoredreamer]

I took my carpet off the tailgate today to check everything out, is this still doable if the middle part of the tail gate is sunk down a bit from sitting and standing over time? I would think you could put some washers between the lid and the tailgate where it is sunk down?? Or when you torque down the bolts when installing, would the tailgate lid pull the sank in part up? Other than that everything else seems pretty straight forward from the looks of it with cutting and installing...

 

[desmocruiser]

I installed my recently ordered tailgate storage panel from Back Bay Customs a couple of weeks ago, great well built product and one of my favorite mods!

A few slight improvements/variances to the original one posted, but very straight forward instructions and reasonably easy install!

I considered a few different materials to line the inside and chose to go with Noico sound deadener.