Cwopinger's Trail Limo Build, Travels, and BS Thread

Nice work Sir. That will come in handy!
Zim

 

Nice write-up and nice mod!!
Keep ‘em coming!

 

More things soon

 

Hey Blevin, always nice to see a new build page.

Let me know when you are heading to DV. I know it well.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/death-valley-off-road-adventures.60777/page-219#post-24635721

 

Thanks. I’ll reach out when I’m starting to plan that trip. I’m following that thread, lots of good info there. That thread really turned me on to DV and put the bug in me. Following the 395 and Owens Valley thread too.

 

Whatever that is, it looks broken…

 

I’m hoping it works like I have planned. Lol

 

Well hell. This is not going to work out like I had planned. This was going to be my super lightweight bed frame for the back of my truck. Unfortunately, these do not fit into the expensive 1” aluminum tubing you can get at Lowe’s. These only fit in the REALLY expensive special 1” aluminum tubing you have to order from the company that makes the connector pieces. The special 1” tubing that is on back order with no ETA for back in stock… Luckily I can return the connectors.

 

Awww piss. I'm sure you have a plan "B".

 

Plan “B” is 1/2” hardwood plywood. If I can find it and can afford it. Lol.

 

Allrighty! Project sleeping platform Plan “B” is a go. I would like to give a shout out to the Home Depot here in town for having a plywood that will work, having it in stock, willing to cut it and not being an ASSHOLE like the other big box home improvement place was! Time to start projecting



Brown Santa was here too! Another couple of pieces to the puzzle.

 

Looks like you and I shop at the same brief case store.....lol.
Zim

 

Those old brief cases, “boarding bags” for me in the CG, are great for storage. This one has a drill, orbital sander, clamps and some other miscellaneous woodworking tools in it.

 

So it’s sleeping platform build time for the Tacoma.

After seeing another Dan Grec video where he uses 1” square aluminum tubing and plastic connector pieces to build a storage cabinet for the back seat of his Gladiator I thought this would be a great way to build a super lightweight sleeping platform. With the price of lumber It may be a little cheaper too. Dan was able to get the tubing and connectors at a big box home improvement store in Australia so off to Lowe’s I go. They have the tubing but no connectors, no luck at Home Depot either.

After some googling, MacMaster-Carr has the connectors in stock and reasonably priced. I place an order and 2 days later I have my connectors, let’s build a bed! Only problem is the connectors don’t fit into the 1” tubing from Lowe’s. They go in about a 1/2” the stop. Even with persuasion from a rubber mallet they just don’t fit. An email to M-C and I learn all connector pieces are made for special thin wall tubing that they carry, the stuff from hardware stores are too thick. They have the tubing on their website, it’s significantly more expensive than the Lowe’s tubing and of course out of stock, unknown when it will be available.

So, back to plywood it is! When I was at Lowes's and HD I had checked on plywood as I would need a piece for the bed deck anyway. Lowe’s only had 3/4” hardwood ply and they were proud of it! Home Depot had 1/2” hardwood ply in stock and reasonably priced. I’m not a big guy so the 1/2” should be strong enough and will help save weight too. The nice lumber guy even made multiple cuts for me on their rip table. That makes it so much easier, I have a table saw but trying to cut down full sheets of plywood is a pain!

For the build, I had a vision from countless hours of TW, ExPo, AA forums along with Pinterest THE SOURCE for project ideas of all kinds! Lol. With the long cuts made it was time to get this thing put together. This was also my first venture into pocket hole joints and the Kreg Jig. I got to say it takes some time getting your holes drilled but it goes together quick and seems to make a strong joint, only time will tell. I saved you all the staining pics and jumped right to the good stuff along with my mistakes.


This is my first mistake, I started building from the bottom up but I didn’t realize it yet.


The 2 sides ready to be joined to the end and center divider.


Looking pretty good except for the nice smooth side visible on the left. That was supposed to be my outside edge. After I got it connected the first time I realized I wouldn’t be able to fit my driver or a screwdriver inside the box to install the screws once I put the top on!


So how do we fix this? You say to hell with looks and flip the side over so the screws are exposed and screw it all back together. It is going in the back of my truck so if I can live with the looks it will work.


See what I mean about screwing to top piece on if the screws were on the inside? Oh well, I’ve learned for V2.0. Lol.


All together except for the front compartment lid.


Here it is in the bed of the truck. I can move it by myself, it’s awkward due to the size but I guess it weighs about 50 pounds. This is a 26” wide platform with a filler piece on the left side going over the wheel well to the bed side. This will add about 7 more inches to the width in case I want to get a 31” wide tri-fold mattress instead of using inflatable pads. It will be divided into 2 storage compartments. The tailgate end will be open from the end for items like chairs. The front compartment will be covered by a lid for less used items. The lid will be a simple affair that will just lift off. The filler piece will also be removable to allow storage into the areas in front and behind the wheel wells. I plan on covering the top with carpet to give the sleeping pad/mattress some more friction than just the bare wood. The entire platform was stained with Thompson's Water Seal since it will be exposed to humidity and inevitable rain. I have some Riv-nuts on the way that I will install into the bed, the platform will get bolted to that to secure it to the truck.

 

For anybody that is considering a similar project this is what I learned the hard way and the correct order of assembly:

1. For a platform, cut the top piece at your desired width.
   
   
2. The sides will be the height you want minus the thickness of the top.
   
   
3. The bottom will be the overall width minus the 2 sides thickness.
   
   
4. If you have a back wall or center divider, it will be reduced by the thickness of the 2 sides and the thickness of the bottom.

My perfect platform for a 3rd Gen Tacoma would be:

72x26 top
72x9.25 sides
72x25 bottom
25x8.75 back and center divider

Start your assembly with the top piece upside down (if you have a “pretty side” it will be the side that is down).

You will join your outside wall ( the one that will be visible) with the screw holes to the inside, connect the center divider with the screw holes toward the front compartment. Then join the front end wall with the screw holes toward the front of the cab.

Then connect your wheel well side wall with the screw holes to the wheel well side to the center and end. Once these are connected, square them on the top piece and screw the walls to the top piece.

This will give you a nice clean side that is visible in the center of the truck bed and will place all of your exposed screw holes where they can’t be seen.

After all your screws are set, place the bottom and install the screws. Now flip your platform over. You should have a nice clean cabinet looking platform.

Hopefully this will help some other people on the journey of pocket hole joinery.

 

Sub a dub dub!

 

Looking good Blevin

 

Thanks Shane

 

Good work! Looks labor intensive and well thought out!

 

Yeah this is looking good. Love the color in the last pic too. That Thompsons stain is nice.
Zim