scuba

Yeah I figured mono, But I thought it would add to the "custom bed storage" for anyone in the future. Good luck with whatever you build and make sure to have lots of pics

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

just an FYI, scoob, everyone around here that has a set up like that in their bed is a vetrinarian... usually a large animal VET who has to take all their gear out to ranches...

backwoods

I was looking for a tool box for my truck and found this. If all you are wanting is more bed for your bike this might work.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...036&lpage=none

Squiddy

Mono-
Thanks!
It would be easy, in fact easier, to make a weatherproof one. You could get the heavy duty recycled plastic stuff at HomeDepot or similar, seal with some simple gaskets. Post pics when it be done!
D

scuba

Am I being stalked ?

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

??? how?

Junkers88

What?

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

i don't think you'll find a manufactured box that will give you more room in the bed. It would be nice to find someone who makes a flush in-bed box that goes all the way across, but if you want it to clear the wheelwells then the box is gonna be TOO shallow IMO - but if you need it, you need it.

if you have time to DIY, just fab one up out of plywood and seal with something like a marine varnish or some water sealant. hardest part would be to make the lid waterproof, but i'm sure if you make a lip all the way around it that overhangs the box, you should be good. weatherstripping is also your friend in this situation. a wooden box might not be bulletproof, but it should be just as strong as some of the cheap truck boxes i've seen. if someone's determined to get in, they're gonna get in regardless of what it's made of.

on a side note, i've got a standard rail-top box on my truck and was always needing it to come on and off which was a major pain in the ass. took me a few beers to find a way to make things easier. originally i thought i'd do the top-down method and thread a hole in the top of the bedrail to bolt it down, but there is hardly any metal there. then i started thinking about bottom-up method and ran into problems with the damn bolts falling down behind the bedliner. my solution: fixed mounting bolts. used a 1"x2" piece of redwood spacer between the box and the top of the bedrail - i put some recessed holes in the wood for the nuts so the box sits flush. the box mounts with wingnuts on the inside for quick and easy removal. only downside is the box sits 3/4" higher and i have 4 bolts sticking up when i take it off - big whoop.

grant526

I know this isn't what you are looking for and doesn't seem to fit within your criteria, but this is what I found and use.


(With my buddies 35x14.50 Pitbull Rockers bolted on for S**ts and Grins)






A few months after I bought my truck, I found a deal on a Roll Bar (Thanks SpaceJunk). But when I installed it, the box that I had made, didn't fit anymore. It was just wide enough that I had to slide it out from between the bars to be able to open it more than 2 inches. So I started looking around. The original box was just a temp anyway. It didn't seal nor lock. But I needed something to put my stuff in while carrying friends to High School. lol

Anyway, I started looking around and knew I had seen a box with angled sides at some point, but couldn't find one to save my life. Until I went to the local trailer sales place. I ended up with this box, that is just the right height (it just barely passes the bottom of the rear window) and was the right dimensions that it would open between the tubes of the roll bar without issue! They did have a shorter version that would not have stuck above the bed rails, but I wanted more space and like the look of the box sticking up the way it does.

Good Luck with your Build!! Keep Us posted with your progress! We're all looking forward to what you come up with.

BTW I have carried my bike nosed up to the box with the back wheel setting on top of the tailgate. It actually allowed for quite a bit more storage space under and around the bike, without effecting my mileage. Just the overall height of the rig a little.

Shawn6string

Why not the big rubbermaid toll box and bolt it to the floor

Monochrome

That's not a bad solution. I've been trying to think of ways to do this as well, especially if I need to put something in my bed that requires the extra foot and a half or so that I'm going to be eliminating from the length. We'll see what I can come up with, but I'm thinking something like this may be in the works.

Heavy duty plastic huh? That might be a much better idea than what I had in mind, in terms of weatherproofness... I'll go to Home Depot today and see what I can find. I'm debating between a non-absorbent MDF and some normal thick plyboard at this point, but if they have plastic stuff that would be good too.

That's a good solution considering you have the rollbars. I haven't seen a toolbox that shape before, so good job considering your situation was a bit more complicated than mine. We'll see what I come up with.

Monochrome

I considered that, but it wouldn't be easy to remove, it wouldn't be exactly shaped to fit, wouldn't look very good, and wouldn't be as durable as another solution. I even looked at the heavy duty rubbermaid boxes you can get but they weren't up to snuff. I'm kind of picky about stuff like this -- if it's not perfect, I'll always look at it and say "why didn't you do a better job?"

Monochrome

Finally took the box out and the ugly aluminum diamond plating bed rails. Also, since I bought the truck I have taken off the diamond plating on the side of the truck (the idiot had them riveted on, so there are about 30 holes in my panels that will have to be filled with bondo glass ), replaced the ricer tail lights with stockies, and I'm in the process of finding some stock 4x4 mudflaps. Basically I'm trying to return my truck to stock+. The + would be everything that I want that compliments the stock look... which is kind of subjective.
Edit: I've also replaced the door handles, removed the brittle window covers, fixed a few dents and rust spots... I think I should make a boring build thread for my own records.

Before:



After:



Before:



After:

firemaniac

I wanted the option of easy removal also, but I went a different route. I found some short "J" bolts specifically for over the rail tool boxes, while I have not put wing-nuts on them, all it takes is a couple of quick turns of a wrench to dismount the box. I can't remember where I found these for sure but I think it was at Lowe's, or Joe's Sports and Auto (A.K.A. G.I. Joe's)and didn't pay more than $15 for a 4 pack

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

i totally forgot they even made j-bolts! i should pick up some of those next time i'm at the hardware store. they would be awesome for getting the bolt really tight since you can't really get a wrench under there to hold regular ones still. For my situation, i'd still need the piece of wood in order to keep the bolts from falling down behind my bedliner. you could also just use a small piece of sheet metal or aluminum can with a hole in it to thread onto the bolt after sticking it up through the hole. kinda like those plastic tabs that keep the mounting screws from falling off electrical outlets.

monochrome - truck looks much better w/o all that diamondplate. sucks about all those holes. who the heck would put all that in with rivets? hopefully they aren't rusty yet. i guess it could be just as bad with gobs of adhesive underneath. i'd keep that sweet mat in the back of the truck if i had one...and the pabst. it didn't get a blue ribbon for nothing ya know
one of those black rubbermaid footlocker thingies should work, too. bolt it from underneath the bed or install 3-4 of those u-bolts onto it and chain it down to your anchor points. that's how i used to mount my dual 12" sub box in my old k5 with the top off.

firemaniac

I could be wrong, but with the "J" bolts I don't think the wood is required. The way mine are set up the nut and washer are in the box and the hook end is to the inside of the bed rail, with the J hooked to the edge of the rail where it folds over and drops down about an inch or so, I only have to loosen the nuts far enough to disengage the hooks and rotate them out of the way. Only time I can see loosing theme is using theme through the sheet metal of the bed as a blind anchor, than yeah you would need the wood block.

I will attempt to get a couple of pics later, I can explain some things better with a visual aid

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

no need for pics, i understand how yours mounts. if i didn't have the bedliner i would have mounted it like yourse. for mine, i drilled through the sheetmetal but had limited access to the underside of that lip with the bedliner covering encapsulating it. i was able to get the front holes in through the top hole where the corner mount is at, holding it with needlenose pliars. for the rear set of holes, i use a holesaw to make another hole and do the same.

firemaniac

OK the fog is lifting, I am guessing that the bed liner you have goes over the rail, the one I had was under the rail, in that case I agree bolts secured in a wood block are a good way. Or go the opposite way and put in nut-serts (installs like a pop-rivet) nothing to loose behind the liner and a nearly clean bed rail after removal of tool box

elkdog

stumbled onto this....there are some truck boxes made now that are approx 1/2 the width of normal truck boxes for todays 4-door trucks. this way they don't take up the entire bed. i think they are about 12" instead of 18"-24".

yoterr

ive seen a 4runner box, or maybe it was a truck with a topper on it, but i think its a stickey somewhere its a box underneath that slides out and has alllllll kinds of compartments in it but its a sleaper on top (all carpeted n such) kinda sweat deal for camping, wich is exactly what he uses it for, i think its about the same deal as what your after