This is the most practical and useful mod I have done, and it's cheap. All you really need is the right tools (Skil/table saw, jig/hand saw, drill and drill bits, staple gun, and a sheetrock knife or scissors), the right materials (1 sheet 1/2" plywood, proper length/size mounting hardware, upholstry of your choice), some imagination and some patience. I believe that this is a unique mod, I certainly haven't seen anything like it yet. I call it the tool-deck.
The access cab is really the best of both worlds, to me. You get full access to the rear area of the cab, but without the (IMHO) fugly set of full size rear doors that many other (ooops, now Toyota too) full size trucks have. The only drawback is that useless rear seat. Come on, now, no one actually uses it to carry passengers, do they? If you answered yes, I sure am glad I never have to catch a ride with you.
Really, what most of us use the rear cab area for is to carry our junk around, right? Tools, groceries, road-kill etc. That's what I use it for anyhow. And I got tired of junk falling off my rear seat when I hit the brakes, of not being able to quite fit my tool-box either on the seat or on the floor, basically I got tired of that nice, big area in the back of my truck being sooooo useless. So I fixed it. Here's what I did:
I removed the rear seat alltogether (very easy, took about 10 minutes). Next, the lap-belt receivers came out, one bolt each. Then I measured the flat area where the "sitting" part of the seat used to be, right up to the back of my front seats when they are fully slid back. I also measured the area where the seat-back used to be. Then, using my trusty skil-saw, jig saw and cordless drill, I made a nice deck and deck-back to replace the seat and seat-back.
The deck and deck-back are made of 1/2" plywood, the cheapest available because it only needs to be strong and stiff, not pretty (upholstry, donchaknow). I drilled the deck-back so that it could utilise the factory mounting points for the original seat-back, and bought matching bolts of the correct length for installation. The deck itself is hinged on the deck-back so that I can lift it up to access the under-deck(seat) comparments with my spare tire kit etc. The deck is held to the floor by a series of bolts too complicated to explain, but I have since figured out a better way that I will install soon. I upholstered them both with remnants of the gray carpet we had installed in our house last year, it was nearly a perfect color match. I used only a staple-gun, sheetrock knife and patience to do the upholstry.
Once it was all nice looking and I knew it fit, I....uhhh... put it in? Yup, thats right!
Along the way, I installed two big eye-bolts with mongo washers and modded some tie-downs so that I could strap my tool box in. Why? Last time I was at "Serious Traffic Offender School (STOP)" <No b.s., they actually call it that in California>, they talked about what would happen to you if you got in a rollover at 60mph with a loose tool-box in your cab. You can imagine the rest.
Since install I have added a couple of hooks with a bungee-cord between them to hang my gloves and stuff on, and a basket above the tool-box to hold my frequently used tools. Because the core of this set-up is cheap-o plywood, the possibilities are virtually endless..... fold down deck-back to creat an extra shelf, clips screwed to the deck-back to organize tools, bungee anchor points to hold groceries etc. The possibilities are really only limited by the available hardware and your imagination! And, if your deck or deck-back gets screwed up too bad, you already have the templates... just cut some new ones!
This mod is a one-day project if you are fairly handy and have the right tools. Hope this inspires you to toss your rear seat and do something great with the new space you have!
This mod is a one-day project if you are fairly handy and have the right tools. Hope this inspires you to toss your rear seat and do something great with the new space you have!
Outstanding mod! You've indeed inspired me to do something similar. But not until it warms up around here next spring . (my garage is way too full to have enough room to work on my truck )
molex---man --that looks great. The back seat can actually be of some use with your mod. My son has a Tacoma--thin backrest and the bottom seats fold up into the backrest, only takes up about 4 inches. His truck has more useable space than my Tundra. I think someone has been in my back seat twice in 3 years. ---Buzz.
molex---man --that looks great. The back seat can actually be of some use with your mod. My son has a Tacoma--thin backrest and the bottom seats fold up into the backrest, only takes up about 4 inches. His truck has more useable space than my Tundra. I think someone has been in my back seat twice in 3 years. ---Buzz.
I must admit, I am under-whelmed by the response to this mod I think it's just unbelievably useful, it turns the access cab Tundra from a "decent" work truck to a freakin' GREAT work truck! It's sooooo nice to be able to fit large stuff in the back area!
heh...if you want a lil feedback...the back seat's been out of my truck for weeks now, sitting in the living room with the seat cover half off because i'm thinking there's gotta be a good way to make it two small seats with a large space in the middle for a pair of batteries in a secure metal box covered in upholstery.
...but i don't have a welding torch or a tube bender .
... i'm thinking there's gotta be a good way to make it two small seats with a large space in the middle for a pair of batteries in a secure metal box covered in upholstery.
...but i don't have a welding torch or a tube bender .
Shouldn't need a welding torch or tube bender, I wouldn't think. I would be searching my local pick-n-pull salvage yards with dimensions firmly in mind, as far as the seats go. There's got to be something out there that will fit. And, the rear area of the Tundra is really versatile as far as mounting points go. As long as you're willing to do some drilling, that is.....
As for the battery box... maybe an army surplus store? The army has produced a mind-numbing array of metal boxes with locking lids, it shouldn't be too hard to find one and then apply whatever exterior upholstery you want.
Of course, that all sounds much easier than it probably is....
it's more i need a way to keep the batteries secured in case i flop or something...theres plenty of ways to attach things to that metal shelf under the carpet, but i'm after a box to which i can mount a selector like the ones at slee offroad. wiring would be out the right hand side, away from the fuel lines, but then the next problem is how to get that heavy guage cable routed safely to the fuse box...probably up the frame to the firewall, and up along the firewall around the side to the fusebox.
for the box, i think it'd be fairly easy to trim a square in the upholstery and bolt an internally braced (so you could put an elbow/feet/etc on it) sheetmetal box over a pair of batteries, with the batteries tied down in a tray so they aren't even associated with the box. they'd be optimas (got one already), so i wouldn't be worried about leaks, just securement. the selector would be at the front of the box. i already measured the height and width of the batteries, added a little space for wires and safety clearance, and compared to the back seat, it would only pop up an inch or two above the seat bottom. the wires would lead to the stock battery location, with mounting points there for the stock cables, that would allow the system to jump or be jumped, from/to either battery using the selector switch, which would be easily reached by hand.
the right hand seat cushion and frame looks trimmable, but would need a new hinge bracket for the new (trimmed) right hand seat bottom to allow both sides to flip up/down like stock. sewing the seat cover to match is the easy part.
an air compressor could live in the space vacated by the battery under the hood.
...i'd stick the second battery under the hood, but i haven't room with the abs in there, and i'm not taking that out .
now if only i had the time, and the knowledge of whether or not this will actually work.
That's a great idea! I've been thinking of doing something like that for a while (See, I TOLD you it was a great idea! ). I could really use the extra space for storage when I take my street bike and pop-up camper on long trips.
How hard would it be to switch back and forth between the mod and the rear seat? I must be one of the few people that actually uses the rear seat for passengers on a regular basis. The storage solution would be nice a few times a year for a week at a time.
How hard would it be to switch back and forth between the mod and the rear seat?
My deck is designed to be basically permanent, but even at that I bet I could switch back to my rear seat in about 1/2 an hour. It would be fairly easy to make it a very quick swap-job if you put some thought into the attachment points for the deck (wing nuts spring to mind) and left the lap-belt anchors in (I took mine out).
The actual rear seat of the Tundra goes in and out in a matter of minutes. If you designed the tool deck to be easy to remove (easily removed mounting hardware and make it a tad smaller so it's easy to handle), you could probably switch everything out in 10 minutes or so.
Just a thought---if you were to cut some holes the base in the proper place, add a couple of sets of hindges, you could still access the original built in storage areas. --Buzz
Just a thought---if you were to cut some holes the base in the proper place, add a couple of sets of hindges, you could still access the original built in storage areas. --Buzz
Good lord, why didn't I think of that? I hinged the entire lid so that I could lift it up to access the storage areas, what a hassle! Good thinking, Buzzard.
That looks like a decent mod...if you never use the back for passangers. I think you'll find that many bought the access cab because they actually do carry passangers from time to time. We have 2 kids 10 and 12 and for short trips around town the backseat is perfect.
So for me adding a canopy was the perfect option...I can haul around a whole lot of tools, or whatever, keep dry, lock, and never get in the way...once you own a canopy, you'll never go back, you actually USE the bed of the truck most of the time instead of very little.
That looks like a decent mod...if you never use the back for passangers.
Definitely true, if you use the back seat for passengers even occaisionally, this mod is no good for you. However, I 100% never carry more than one passenger, so it works fine for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Verndog
So for me adding a canopy was the perfect option...I can haul around a whole lot of tools, or whatever, keep dry, lock, and never get in the way...once you own a canopy, you'll never go back, you actually USE the bed of the truck most of the time instead of very little.
I often wonder why people buy trucks and then put canopies on them. Why not buy an SUV instead? The reason I need a truck is so that I can haul things (stoves, refrigerators, garbage, water heaters, floor tiles... I'm a landlord, can you tell?). With a canopy on, I can't haul anything but essentially the same stuff I can in my wife's explorer with the rear seat folded down. Also, the canopy seems to me like it would make it bloody hard to get things out of the bed once you hit the brakes and they slide to the front. I know lots of people use canopies, more power to you. For me, this seat mod gives the convenience/security/dryness of an enclosed storage area while retaining the hauling ability of an open bed.
I often wonder why people buy trucks and then put canopies on them. Why not buy an SUV instead? The reason I need a truck is so that I can haul things (stoves, refrigerators, garbage, water heaters, floor tiles... I'm a landlord, can you tell?). With a canopy on, I can't haul anything but essentially the same stuff I can in my wife's explorer with the rear seat folded down. Also, the canopy seems to me like it would make it bloody hard to get things out of the bed once you hit the brakes and they slide to the front. I know lots of people use canopies, more power to you. For me, this seat mod gives the convenience/security/dryness of an enclosed storage area while retaining the hauling ability of an open bed.
You'd be surprised how much you can haul. I could carry everything you mentioned except the fridge. And in 10 minutes can remove if I have to....4 clamps , 1 plug, and 2 people can lift it off. I don't think you want to haul dirt, cord wood, billet aluminum, beauty bark, plywood, lumber...and so on in the Explorer...plus the truck will haul a whole lot more. The line-x keeps things from sliding around, and when you live in harsh , cold or wet winter areas as I, you find hauling things, being able to lock and keep dry is a huge convenience. Plus for camping / and boating I throw everything in back with room to spare AND 4 passangers and hit the road. Try that with an Explorer....loaded up for a 4 day weekend. We also have an 4runner...and couldn't come close to getting the weekends gear into it.
Last 3 trucks I've put one on...and will never go back.
Look what you can do with your back seat!
. (my garage is way too full to have enough room to work on my truck 
)
I think it's just unbelievably useful, it turns the access cab Tundra from a "decent" work truck to a freakin' GREAT work truck! It's sooooo nice to be able to fit large stuff in the back area!
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). I could really use the extra space for storage when I take my street bike and pop-up camper on long trips.
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