My take on a 4runner trunk

[scratchhax]

As a lot of you have discovered, if you remove the carpet in the cargo area and get rid of that foam underneath, there is almost 4 inches of storage space sitting unused between the folded down height of the backseat and the floorboard. I saw someone else on here turn that space into a trunk and I thought it was a great idea, so I gave it my own spin over the weekend.



I am clearly not a cabinet maker, but I have a build log up here if you're interested Storage platform for a 5th gen 4runner – cyborgworkshop.org

 

[BWFBezerk]

That's awesome.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[JsinLegacy]

Is there an increase in cabin noise?

 

[scratchhax]

Is there an increase in cabin noise?

not at all. I HATE cabin noise so between all of the sound deadening material and the rubber mat, it's quiet as stock.

 

[RichinRidgewood]

Pro-job. Could probably market something like that.

 

[delloro]

As a lot of you have discovered, if you remove the carpet in the cargo area and get rid of that foam underneath, there is almost 4 inches of storage space sitting unused between the folded down height of the backseat and the floorboard. I saw someone else on here turn that space into a trunk and I thought it was a great idea, so I gave it my own spin over the weekend.



I am clearly not a cabinet maker, but I have a build log up here if you're interested Storage platform for a 5th gen 4runner – cyborgworkshop.org

Very nice.

 

[jp.vegas]

That's innovative for sure. Only issue I see is that on longer trips you're going to need to empty the back of the truck to get at anything in there. Great idea though!

 

[Dropzone]

not bad, i like it better than molle panels

 

[scratchhax]

That's innovative for sure. Only issue I see is that on longer trips you're going to need to empty the back of the truck to get at anything in there. Great idea though!

I cut the doors asymmetric so I can fit the difficult to move stuff on one side and still have fairly easy access to the other. Then I just loaded it up with least used and most used on those sides. It's nowhere near as convenient as drawers though, you're totally right.

 

[JsinLegacy]

not at all. I HATE cabin noise so between all of the sound deadening material and the rubber mat, it's quiet as stock.

That's awesome. Glad to hear, might have to look into it.

I wonder if you could find a thinner type material that fairly strong but less than thick then the wood. Maybe maximizing space a little more.

 

[jp.vegas]

I cut the doors asymmetric so I can fit the difficult to move stuff on one side and still have fairly easy access to the other. Then I just loaded it up with least used and most used on those sides. It's nowhere near as convenient as drawers though, you're totally right.

Makes sense. Don’t get me wrong, still a phenomenal use of otherwise wasted space, just needs some planning as you seem to have done.

 

[nglayton]

How do you get the stuff out of the trunk when the back is loaded up with gear?

 

[scratchhax]

How do you get the stuff out of the trunk when the back is loaded up with gear?

I cut the doors asymmetric so I have one "heavy load" side that has stuff in it that I don't use hardly ever (jumper cables, etc) and the other side is smaller but has more common stuff like hand tools, gloves, etc. I just make sure the more frequent side has light stuff that's easy to move out of the way. But yeah if I go ham and decide to pack for several weeks of no civilization, it could get annoying if I need to get to my hammer.

 

[scratchhax]

That's awesome. Glad to hear, might have to look into it.

I wonder if you could find a thinner type material that fairly strong but less than thick then the wood. Maybe maximizing space a little more.

I originally built this out of 1/2 ply and that was plenty strong but I had a hard time when it came to getting fasteners to stay. I looked into 2020 extrusion because I happen to have a crap ton of it, and while that made the enclosure really strong, it didn't save any space. I was thinking about diamond plate for the lid but ended up liking the carpeted look better.

 

[rhearne27]

I will definitely have to try this out. I think the stock amount of storage space is perfect for me because I can fit all 3 of my toolboxes in back there but that’s as much as I can put. Anything else and it has to go in my back seat. I know it’s not a lot of extra room but hey, the more the merrier! I’ll have to see how it goes!