First Gen 4runner interior storage

4cruzer

Adventurer
Made these awhile back, before I made the console. Been meaning to pull them out and paint on some bed-liner type material but have some other things to do before I get to that point. Anyway, they hold a ton of gear that would otherwise be flapping around in my comfy bed. Right now there is a massive stash of bungies and a bunch of rope, a big tarp, a solar shower, six quarts of oil, some brake fluid, some power steering fluid, a 30' recovery strap, a full bottle of coolant, 2 jackets, some misc. camping cookware, and the stock jack and tool kit. Room for much more. I basically took the originals out, clipped them together (there are 2 pieces for each side) and made a cardboard model. Then I cut holes where I thought they'd go best, test fitted, traced that onto some aluminum, did a lot of cutting and a lot of filing. Then I cushion taped all the contact points so I wouldn't get rattles, and drilled and riveted to the truck. Totally satisfied, except that I think they need a coating.
Took a little inspiration from Grim's truck here...
Sorry for the crappy pics...





cheers


g
 

corax

Explorer
sweet idea. what did you use in the holes to keep everything from rattling around?

one suggestion to dress up the edges of the holes you cut - use door edge guard from an auto parts store, it'll keep cuts or snags when pulling stuff in & out to a minimum
 

Arivalsend

Adventurer
nice

Hey great addition. I always love replacing the stock plastic interior with something of comparable weight and that serves a good purpose. Looks great some more pics would be nice. I am currently working on my 1st gen and would love a bit more info. Or better yet your blueprints:drool:
 

Blizz

Observer
Very nice! I've a pair of spare stock rear panels from another 2nd Gen to do the same but cutting the stock ones.

David
 

4cruzer

Adventurer
thanks

yeah, I might do some bungees?? Stuff seems to be holding in there pretty well so far. Good packing job, I guess. Corax, I have door trim on one of the holes, but it doesn't conform to the corners well and makes the whole deal look a little more dodgy than it already is. Instead, I did a lot of filing and sanding and the edges are now pretty smooth. I think once I coat them with something thick I'll leave it alone...
Arivalsend, no blueprints here... this was done outside in a dirt driveway with some pretty rudimentary tools and techniques... lots of cardboard.
I just found a bunch of coleman propane cans and a small stove, a thermarest and a tent down there in addition to all the stuff I already listed. There is SO much wasted space behind the plastic in these old runners...
thanks again,
GB
 

nat88toy

New member
sweet man! i have been toying with that idea in my head for quite some time now seeing yours gives me some insperation:)

I would like to do that to get rid of the rattles the crapy stock plastic makes
 

adrenaline503

Explorer
You can also use plastic boat hatches in place of the holes. They come in a variety of sizes and can be picked up cheaply at boat salvage yards. Some even have locks, that might be nice if you take to top off.
 

Grim Reaper

Expedition Leader
Its amazing how much space in is the fenders.

Some pictures of how I did mine in the build thread in my sig.

My rear seat panels were in good shape and the pockets pull right out so I kept them. Toss my spare belts and radiator hoses in there but not much else. In the back I used some plate aluminum off some scraped cabinets to make side panels and doors.

People flip when I pull the hatch and pull a gallon of antifreeze out of the fender and 2-3 quarts of oil and a tree saver and strap out. LOL.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,535
Messages
2,875,631
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top