I had the same arrangement (base welded by the same guy and I made the top as well) in the back of my old truck..... .....for 12yrs. It just creates much more usable space !! New owner of my truck (a mate) loves it as well !! It has done around 200,000km without an issue (the deck, the truck has many more KM than that).
I still miss that one !!!! It was a year last month I got the new one and 17 June last that the old one drove down the road here for the last time ...
So after yesterdays f'ing around I had a smoother run today....and pretty happy with the outcome...!!! Reduced the big sheet of ply into the square shape (it's nice they made it mostly square !!) of the cargo bay... Mapped out every inlet cut I needed to make (and made most of them as a test on a piece of scrap and once I had them how i wanted pencilled them onto the main deck piece).. Seven separate inlets done.... ....and then for a test fit....I did have visions of me launching this across the street if I had screwed it up too badly. My main hope was that it would fit in the back as a single piece but alas as was the case with the last truck it was just too long to get in.....soooooo..... And then....as much to my shock and that of the gathered crowd (guy across the street drank several beers on his steps watching the spectacle unfold)....it was as close to a perfect fit as I could have asked for.... Originally I had made all the profiles of the edges here but thought that may be a bit of a bitch for the upholsterer to do so I broke out the French Curve and did it this way.... And it has a taper at the back...
Thanks both. If the upholsterer does his thing quick enough it should be in and done in a couple of weeks.
I really like those setups @TerryD and @Andy the Aussie. I'm envious because I've not been happy with any of my attempts at organization in previous vehicles, save maybe one of my XJs many years ago when my needs were much simpler. It has been a definite factor in my current search for a truck. I want things in a certain place, but also need space to sleep inside without having to move gear outside, room for my mountain bike, etc. It helps that our kid is grown and so I really only need to accommodate my wife and I with rare exceptions. I'm really heavy into research on JDM 4WD vans because of the space they offer and the way that they are laid out. Those, late '90s to 2010ish LCs/Lexus Prados and 1st Gen Tundras are currently what I'm focused on. The Land Cruisers and JDM vans will be simple to mod to meet my requirements and a Tundra will be a bigger compromise, but has it's own strengths.
Chevy Suburban with all but the front bucket seats removed is cavernous too especiallyif you add a roof basket or box... cheap and infinite parts availability as well, I have been keeping my eye out for a 90s or early 2000s in good shape as a second beater vehicle.
.....alas you don't get the LC 78 Series Troop Carrier in the US. It is the loooong wheelbase version of mine (well mine is actually the SWB version of it) and that type of fit-out is VERY common. One of my good mate's had one and had 1/2 the back as a raised deck/bed and the rest as compartmentalised storage.
Suburbans are great until you get on the tight trails we have here in the Southeast. That can be mitigated by purchasing one and using the extra money not spent paying the "Toyota tax" to buy a small dual sport to hang off the back and use to explore the trails. Not that I've considered that. Much. I actually not long ago just missed out on a '99 3/4 ton 4WD in good shape for $5K. A friend snagged it before I could. He's got seven kids so he probably needs it more than I do, anyway. I'm shooting for the smallest footprint that will seve all my needs, but if I luck up on a good deal who knows what I'll end up with. A friend of mine lives out of a first gen Sequoia about half the year and is very fond of it. So that's another option.
Yeah I get the tight trails thing, my first vehicle was '85 3/4 ton burb with the 350 and 4.10s I was lucky to get 7mpg in that boat, fun truck but definitely a monster.
@Andy the Aussie Definitely looks like the nissan driver has better skills, and I'm not sure what the four runner weighs but the Nissan is definitely a heavy rig! Still made me smile though!
Got my drawers pretty much done. There's some more trim out work to do but I'm happy with them. I want to mount my air compressor behind the back seat on the vertical board. Possibly an inverter too.
Excellent well thought out work mate !!! I just got finished with the vinyl flooring in the back of my truck. The wheel arches in fact. It's on but not the prettiest job in the world. Part of me wants to start again but the practical side reminds me the imperfections are hidden under the deck out of sight anyway. Upholsterer called after 10 days of having the top of my deck to cover and asked am I supplying the carpet or is he..... I KNEW when I dropped it off and he was not there that the message delivered via his wife along with photographs, notes and scribbles on the deck (like "cover here" and "DON'T cover here" ) would not be enough. Once he has the carpet in (this week I hope) I will go up (he is two minutes away) and talk him through it.
Thanks guys! I'm pretty happy with them. I've got to spend more time organizing them today and look into tie down solutions for things on top of them like a dry goods box and cooler.
