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Old 02-02-2020, 07:58 PM #1
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Rainy day project with ABS and bits to make rear compartment covers

I have been wanting to do something with the open compartments in the rear cargo area of my runner since day one. After making center console divider and glove box organizer out of ABS plastic, and inspired by 83mule's aluminum solution, I decided to use it for some covers for the cargo holds. Fun project and makes a world of difference.
Ordered the ABS plastic sheet and the spring loaded push latches at Amazon. Some ABS glue and JB Weld Super Glue is all that was needed. With that size sheet of ABS you will have enough left over to make a glove box and center console organizers.

First step is to cut out some templates from cardboard. Do it carefully and accurately and it will make the ABS cut a lot easier. I just nibbled away at the cardboard with a good pair of scissors and it was pretty easy. Then cut the ABS using a jigsaw, cut a little oversized so you have material to work with to get the perfect fit.
Once the ABS is rough cut I used a belt sander clamped down to the work bench to put the final shape of the covers. It took quite a while only taking bits of material down slowly and checking the fit often, and then making adjustments. ABS works pretty well with the sander making for a great fit. After the fit was perfect, I heated up the ABS with a heat gun so I could form it to the curves on the compartment.
I then attached the push latches to the storage compartments by first shimming them up with a piece of ABS so they clear the edges of the compartment. Now the plastic in the 4runner doesn't adhere to ABS cement so I used the JBW SG to attach them.
I then made 3 of the the "hooks" for the bottom end of the covers out of ABS and glued them to the covers. I used the heat gun to bend them to the correct shape to "catch the inside edge of the compartment. For the little lower cover I made a slot in the compartment and made a catch to insert into it opposite the push latch.
Now everything is secure and doesn't fly out of the compartment. Just give the cover a "bump" with your hand and the covers pop right off. Love it!

What I want to cover:




Templates:




Cut ABS covers:






Bottom cover slot and push latch:






Upper push latch location:




Upper cover "hooks":



Finished product:






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Old 02-02-2020, 08:06 PM #2
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Old 02-02-2020, 08:56 PM #3
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Very cool. Nothing better than putting a little time and talent to good use.
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Old 02-02-2020, 09:27 PM #4
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Great job....would like to see the covers offered on the after-market!!!!
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Old 02-02-2020, 09:45 PM #5
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Great job....would like to see the covers offered on the after-market!!!!
You would think someone like Weathertech would do them.


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Old 02-02-2020, 09:46 PM #6
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Great job....would like to see the covers offered on the after-market!!!!
There are a lot of us who would be interested in a product like this... just not enough to be worth mass producing. Injection molding is great when you want to make millions of something, but the initial setup costs are too steep for something you can probably only hope to sell in the hundreds.
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Old 02-05-2020, 12:08 PM #7
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Awesome!
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Old 02-05-2020, 02:05 PM #8
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just not enough to be worth mass producing.
*china enters the thread*
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Old 02-05-2020, 02:43 PM #9
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*china enters the thread*
Maybe... if I was looking to mass produce this, here's what I'd do:

1. Find a 3rd party mold maker (possibly in China) to make molds for the two cover pieces. I'd have the catch tabs molded in place to keep production costs down. Though it makes the molds more expensive.
2. Find a plastics company here in the USA (who specialized in small batch runs) to produce the units.
3. Find a 3rd party supplier for the latch and possibly lock mechanisms, bundle them in a kit and then...
4. Approach the two independent Toyota distributors (Gulf States or Southeast) about buying them and selling them as a sweet dealer installed option...

That's if you want to make real money. These could be produced on a smaller hobbyist scale, but it'd be a labor of love.
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Old 02-05-2020, 02:54 PM #10
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This is a great idea. Just wondering about the long term durability though. ABS plastic has a reputation of deteriorating due to UV exposure. Maybe it won’t be a problem on the interior location. @Jetboy has plastics experience and knowledge. Maybe he’ll offer some advice.
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Old 02-05-2020, 03:05 PM #11
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This is a great idea. Just wondering about the long term durability though. ABS plastic has a reputation of deteriorating due to UV exposure. Maybe it won’t be a problem on the interior location. @Jetboy has plastics experience and knowledge. Maybe he’ll offer some advice.
ABS is not the best choice but...

Of the various textured plastic sheets that are readily available to the DIYer, the OP made a fair enough decision.

The OEM interior panels are made from a polypropylene blend (PP+E/P-TD20). But PP sheets are typically too floppy to use like this. They'd need internal ribs to stiffen the part. Like you see on the backside of the OEM parts.
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Old 02-05-2020, 03:14 PM #12
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That is awesome! Good job.

FJ Cruisers have a storage area in the same spot that has a cover that just snaps in. It's where I kept my tool kit and jumper cables and it was nice to have them out of sight and contained. It would be really nice to have something similar for the 4Runner.

FJ Cruiser storage cover
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Old 02-05-2020, 03:26 PM #13
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This is a great idea. Just wondering about the long term durability though. ABS plastic has a reputation of deteriorating due to UV exposure. Maybe it won’t be a problem on the interior location. @Jetboy has plastics experience and knowledge. Maybe he’ll offer some advice.
I have no idea for these parts. Most of my experience is with FRP composites (fiberglass, carbon, etc). Manufacturing those is a lot different and WAY too expensive for something like this. You could very easily get sheets cut to a drawing that match the cutout shapes in any material you want. Then you'd need to make them like this with some sort of catch mechanism on the back side.

Space King is right that injection molding on a small scale isn't economical that I'm aware of. It does get cheaper every day though. So maybe you could get a 3d printed mold that would work for cheap enough to make them? For me the cost are just a wild guess since I haven't looked at a mold in around a decade now. Maybe you can get them 3d printed for cheap now? It seems like the prices should have come down a lot, but I really have no idea. In today's world I imagine you'd probably 3d scan it, make a mold CAD file and send it to someone to print the mold and/or also make the parts.

If you send it to China - you can all but guarantee that the shop you send it to will be selling your design on ebay in a few weeks. Probably before then even send you your own parts.
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Old 02-05-2020, 04:43 PM #14
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This is a great idea. Just wondering about the long term durability though. ABS plastic has a reputation of deteriorating due to UV exposure. Maybe it won’t be a problem on the interior location. @Jetboy has plastics experience and knowledge. Maybe he’ll offer some advice.
Well it is behind tinted glass in an area that doesn't get much direct sunlight plus I treat my interior plastics with McGuire's. Don't think it will be an issue any time soon.


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Old 02-05-2020, 09:18 PM #15
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When I suggested the ABS I just thought it was easier to produce than my aluminum sheet version so more folks could try to make it. If you had a way to stamp the shape it could be made cheaply as well. I love the texture of the ABS as well......Great Job!
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