bed storage idea..... tips/suggestions?

i have been thinking about a good storage and mounting systems in my 2004 double cab for a while. the issues im trying to work around is that i have a shell right now but take it off in the summer so i can put the dirt bike in the back and i want something that will work with or without the shell. this is what i have come up with. (yes i know i can't draw if my life depended on it!)

two tubes that come up from the bed about even with the side of the bed and just inside the wheel well up front. two tool boxes that will sit on the top of the tubes (the center space is for the dirt bike wheel so it will still fit). the tool boxes will be held up by the tubing and connected to the support bar behind. with 2 gas mounts either in the front of the bed or near the tailgate. the tubing will be used to mount a shovel, hi lift, axe, and whatever else.

just looking for tips/suggestions on

the general idea?
mounting stability?
whether or not the tool box mount will hold up with weight in it?
modify used tool box or build my own?
or anything other advice you can give.....

thanks

 

I'm not sure I follow your idea exactly...no biggie.

You may be able to use two ammo cans (I think they are 20MM cans) as your tool boxes at the front of the bed behind the cab. They may be able to clear the front tire of your bike. I'm unsure how easy they would be to open with the bike there.

Check out this thread:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/171661-1st-gen-tacoma-bed-storage.html

This is also linked in that thread:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/155060-whats-your-bed.html

 

yeah. its a little difficult to explain. thought about ammo cans but i will be putting a come along, tow straps, a few tools, small air compressor, and a few other things in there and the ammo cans may or may not work for the size....maybe/maybe not. so i figured craigslist for a tool box and cut it to what i want.

sawthe other threads but had not been used in a while.....

 

why not a bed rack that mounts to the sides of the bed, but make it removable so you can take it off for your shell/dirtbike.

you'll have your bed space, as well as the rack for storage, instead of a rail mounted in your bed taking up space.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/garage-workshop/120034-tacomarottos-simple-bedrack-build.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/149626-expedition-bed-rack-build-56k-warning.html

 

if i didnt have a dirt bike thats exactly what i would do but im in the mountains with it enough in the summer that the rack wouldn't be on there more than a few days at a time. which is why im trying to figure out something more permanent

 

Cool idea, based on what I can see in your "schematics"

Are you running a bed liner? You'll have to punch holes in it. My other thought is that you might have to remove the bed entirely to bolt those tubes down. But on that same note, you could skip the tubes: 1) remove the bed 2) drill holes in the bottom of your toolbox(es) and thru the bottom of the bed 3) bolt the boxes on that way. Then you'll have the toolboxes year round, topper/no topper. I can't say whether you'd have space on the underside of the bed for that, or if it's safe, I'm sure someone's got some experience with it. But you'd want to put in some big rubber seals/o-rings on either side of the box, or your bed would start to ruse out.

I've been looking for a similar solution, as I run a topper almost all year except for hunting season, when I'm throwing bloody deer carcasses around and also processing a lot of firewood. Til now I've just stored the toolbox in the shed and swapped it for the topper for a few months. I still think for me the topper is the most versatile, though I always enjoy being able to beat the hell out of the bed liner.

 

i see your point about what is underneath. taking the entire bed off wouldnt be too difficult but it would make things much safer mostly because the gas tank im pretty sure is right underneath. i thought about bolting the tool boxes down to the bed but i was leaning away from that just in case of water that might end up sitting at the bottom of the boxes and possibly rusting.

and no bed liner at the moment.