Derek's 4runner Drawer build

derekdevasia

derekdevasia

New member
Wanted to share with you all the storage drawer I had been working on for the past few weeks. It's built using 1/4 inch birch wood, carpeted with subwoofer carpet from Crutchfield, and on 26 inch drawer slides. Built it all by hand with the help of my father.

I wish I had pictures as I was building but I don't, There's basically a 2x4 on the bottom that holds the frame together. I didn't want to use an entire piece for weight savings. I'd say the entire thing with just wood weights about 75-100 pounds as a close guess. I used 3m adhesive spray to attach the carpet and a staple gun. It's tied down on all four corners, added a cargo tie down point in the back too using exsisting bolt holes. There's a tiny gap in the back, but I kept it that way for storage of things I might need if my car's battery dies. I've had it so dead that the liftgate won't open, so I keep my jump pack back there along with flashlights gloves and other misc things that I can access by just dropping the seat back. I tried to keep it as low profile as possible so my golden retriever could still sit back there.

I got the drawer latches off Amazon, as well as the drawer slides. The slides are rated to 100 pounds each. They were about 26 bucks a pair. They've held up just fine.

Changes I would make for next time: A rubber material to go on top instead of carpet, so that spills would be easier to clean. I would use 1/2 inch plywood instead of 1/4 for the frame of the drawer boxes and especially the top. I would also build the bottom of the drawers with 1/4. I never really took into account the amount of weight i'd put in the drawers, and they did sag a little. I was luckily able to move them up a bit.

Let me know if you have any questions!

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Nice work! I have something similar, but only one one side. It's a lot of work getting it all to fit snugly and keep the contours. Looks great!
 
I have similar setup. The only thing I wish was different is that I could access the drawer with the back door shut. I keep my recovery gear / tools in there and if battery every dies or I get backed into something I'm going to have a hard time getting things out.
 
Thanks for the compliments, yes it was a process and I kept adding this as we went along. I love having the tools neatly organized so I'm able to work on my car pretty much anywhere I go. I'll be putting in a ARB 63qt fridge soon which will take up some space, and I'll also be building a sleeping platform on top with a piano hinge so that I can easily sleep 1 person
 
Wow, that is awesome. I usually dont like the drawer systems, but yours looks good. It almost looks like it could have been from the factory.
 
Well Done!!! Wish I had the time, tools, and know-how to delve into that sort of project.

+1 for the bottle opener!!
 
Looks great. Well organized. I like it. I made something similar, mine is a little taller to allow for camp propane tanks to stand in the drawer.
 
Cargo Netting

Wow, it looks great and thanks for input on what you would do differently. Where did you get the cargo netting on the ceiling?
 
Nice clean build. I've been on the fence with doing my own. I certainly need to come up with something better than the action packer box I have right now... that slides around on me. My deal is I think I'll go back to putting my MTB inside with a seat folded down. It's usually just me when I ride. I have a yakima mount for the roof rack, but having the bike up there makes me a little nervous. I'm always watching the mirrors, praying I don't see the bike flipping down the highway. If I find a deal on a hitch carrier, I'll probably build my full cargo box like yours. Again, nice build.... On second thought, maybe I'll do a half-width box with an integrated fork mount on a flat piece on the other side... hmmmm
 
derekdevasia said:
There's a tiny gap in the back, but I kept it that way for storage of things I might need if my car's battery dies. I've had it so dead that the liftgate won't open, so I keep my jump pack back there along with flashlights gloves and other misc things that I can access by just dropping the seat back..
Click to expand...

That's a great idea... I had an instance where I lost momentum and slid down an icy slope backwards into a tree. The swingout on my rear bumper protected the hatch, but there was no way I could have opened it without moving the vehicle forward. I was by myself, and if my recovery gear had been in a box like that with no top/front access I would never have been able to winch it forward and off the tree.

Have you had this thing on a dirt road yet? I always wonder when I see these kinds of drawers if the tools, etc rattle like a box of rocks on washboard roads. I would think the drawers would have to be lined to keep the noise down.

Otherwise, that thing looks fantastic... like it could have been an accessory offered by Toyota.
 
BigFishAllDay said:
That's a great idea... I had an instance where I lost momentum and slid down an icy slope backwards into a tree. The swingout on my rear bumper protected the hatch, but there was no way I could have opened it without moving the vehicle forward. I was by myself, and if my recovery gear had been in a box like that with no top/front access I would never have been able to winch it forward and off the tree.

Have you had this thing on a dirt road yet? I always wonder when I see these kinds of drawers if the tools, etc rattle like a box of rocks on washboard roads. I would think the drawers would have to be lined to keep the noise down.

Otherwise, that thing looks fantastic... like it could have been an accessory offered by Toyota.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the compliments. I have had it on a multiple dirt roads since then, mostly in the George Washington National Forest, and you are correct in that it does rattle a little bit. However, I find the only thing that does rattle are the ratchets that I have all together, the sockets since they're mounted in a tray don't rattle at all, I might pad the drawers at a latter time, but for me, I can live with a little noise. It is coated with bed liner from Rustoleum so it does help just a slight bit.
 
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