Access Cab Dog Platform UDPATE (pics)

Oh, I didn't think about needing to move the front seats forward to open the side hatches.
Will I need a 4x8 sheet of plywood? It kind of looks that way because it's going to be wider than 4ft. How much of the sheet get used?
I'm planning on putting some 6x9 speaker boxes in the front corners of the platform to fire upward.

 

Yea, I think you need a full sheet of plywood. Better to have more.

 

Bought the plywood tonight and had Home Depot cut it down to size. I found a 5/8" 4x8 sheet with a really bad edge on one side but it was flat and not warped. The lumber man wrote it up as a blem and marked it down 20%, so it only ended up costing me about $24. I used the good end so it all worked out fine. Tomorrow I'll try using a jig saw and cutting the notches into the top for the back corners, and around the rear seat belts (which I'm going to keep because they are good to attach the dog's harnesses to). Such a bummer to have to buy a whole sheet, but the location is wider than 48" so I guess it can't be helped.

I will try and incorporate two MTX 6x9 speakers in sealed MDF boxes in the front corners of the platform, and cut the plywood top around the grills, while mounting the grills to the actual boxes. Hopefully that will sound good and keep vibration through the plywood to a minimum. I will bolt the two boxes to the front and side panels with carriage bolts and also use a good amount of glue.

(First I thought I'd mount the speakers to the top of the plywood with the boxes underneath but I don't think it would sound as good that way.) I will be running the 6x9s off the back channels of my JL Audio 75x4 amp.

Thanks to everyone's help on this project. I found two bolts that were 3/4-of-an inch longer than stock to mount the top to the factory jump seat mount locations.

How should I cut in the access hatch for the jack? With the jig saw or by doing drop-in cuts with the skill saw?

I'll post some pics of construction as well as the finished project.

The doxies should like having more room when it's all done.

 

Well, I worked on it all day yesterday, July 4th, in my grandfather's old cabinet shop and I think it looks pretty nice. I drilled out a finger hole on the access panel for the jack this evening and also positioned my subwoofer (not included in these pics.) I need to finish it by covering it in carpet and installing the speakers and hooking up the wires. I used two sets of corner brackets, one set at the bottom of the front wall where it meets the side walls, and the other set to hold down the top at the back of the side walls. (That set helped a lot in positioning the top when it came time to glue it down.


Here are some pics:

 

Dude that looks awesome!

 

Thanks. I enjoy working with wood. I guess it's in my blood. My grandfather was a custom cabinet maker.

I now have to learn about how to make the corner cuts for the carpeting.

 

Look up YouTube for help with that, It’s about the angle you trim he carpet and then glue it down. Before you know it you’ll be a champ.

I want just a flat base back there, then might Line-X it. Problem is at times I like the lower portion of the rear center area but loading boxes and groceries you want a full flat base but kind of a divider in the middle to keep stuff from moving so much!

To the drawing board I go!

 

Build an access hatch over whatever space you want to reach. You could build a large lift-out panel that would give you a flat top but could be removable to access the lower level.

 

I might experiment with that actually, I’m just now driving home from going to Lowe’s I hope I didn’t make a mistake because I bought 1/2”. I didn’t see the need to go 3/4.

I’m 6’4” so my seat is almost all the way back, I took some measurements from the inside of the back of the truck with both the access cab doors closed and came up with a 52 x 22” rectangle, they didn’t charge me to cut that section out and this is what it looks like just laying in the back of the truck there, I think I’m gonna run to Home Depot and get the carpet which I hadn’t planned on doing today but I might just start with the basic platform back there and bolted down and see what I can come up with.

 

I made a cardboard template for mine and it measured 52" x 19.5".
I used 5/8ths plywood but 1/2" would work too. (Actually, your pics look more like 5/8ths than 1/2".)

I just bought my carpet from Home Depot yesterday. I got a 3ft x 6ft section of grey indoor outdoor carpet (no backing) that cost me $7.45! I also got a can of 3M Super 90 spray adhesive.

I'm going to tackle the carpet later this evening when it cools down.

Your pics look different than mine. I had to notch the side of the top because the door cubbies came in too far when the doors are closed. It looks like you have the delete rear seats / belts option.

 

Yes sir you are correct, when I ordered my truck I knew from the website the 2015 was the first year of the utility package because it was a $1440 credit on MSRP which I think was Toyota’s kind way of apologizing for not making the regular cabs in 2015 either,

I have no backseats no seatbelts no airbags or nothing.

 

I bought mine used, because I didn't like the 2016 body style. I used the factory mounting locations for the jump seats to bolt down the top in the rear corners. Do you have the threaded bolt holes even though your truck didn't come with rear seats or is it totally different? I can't remember what the utility package looked like back there.

Your plywood looks nice. Nice straight cuts. It definitely doesn't look like 1/2". More like 3/4"! Of course they measure lumber differently these days. So confusing! Give me the old days.
Are you not going to build a base first before you cover in carpet?

 

Yes sir,

let me dig through some old photos when I first got the truck because I peeed back the carpet back there and I have all the threaded holes that everybody else does but I have some kind of an adapter plate in the corners to lift it up so that it’s flat in the corner.

I’m going to go ahead and cover the top because I have some old delrin dowels I want to make my feet out of, but I want the length right so that it sits level.

You’ll notice in the pictures of my cubby hole covers that they differ in that they are longer to meet in the middle, the holes are the same underneath, same jack storage and stuff. I have more carpet everywhere and a little bit bigger doors.

I’m at Home Depot now and am glad you posted the 3M glue. I would have forgotten it.

 

This work?

 

Well the only stuff they had so I picked up what they made me buy, 4 feet wide by 12 feet long, LOL they wouldn’t cut it any shorter so no sweat!

Got one can of 3M 90. it’s raining really bad here so probably won’t try to put the carpet on the board until tomorrow.

 

I think I found a new project....

 

Tell your wife I’m sorry! It was my fault. I take all the blame!!

LOL!!!!!

 

Ha!! That’s the EXACT same carpet that I got! (But mine was in six-foot rolls.) what color is your truck? Mine is Magnetic Grey so it should look really nice. Going to try carpeting the platform in a little while. Right now I’m working on building a little shelf out of left over material to go over my subwoofer box. (No space should be left unused.)

 

You could still utilize those same bolt holes. The bolts you need are M8-1.25 I believe. (If you look back through this thread someone else posted the size and thread type.) You need longer ones to account for the thickness of the plywood. If you bolt it down to those bolt holes (Where the jump seats would have been, not the seatbelt threaded holes which are larger), it will make the platform really solid and not move around. I've been through one car accident, when a stupid lady on her phone rear ended me at a stop light in town on my 50th birthday in 2015, so I think of things that could bounce around in the case of an accident. That accident totaled my '02 Tacoma.

I just glued down the top with the carpeting and it's currently drying.

 

Cool beans on getting your carpet done,

My truck is silver.

Going to look into which bolt holes I am going to use. The Utility Package adds these odd corner pieces so that the corners have some rigidity so I’ll find something as far out and back as I can.