QuestionWould rivnuts in this 1" ARE DCU aluminum tubing hold an overhead plywood cabinet?

Building out this ARE DCU in my 3rd gen tacoma.

The topper is framed with 1" aluminum square tubing all around. I've taped over most of it with foil tape as I just finished the foam insulation install.

Planning ahead before I install carpet overhead, would rivnuts hold a plywood overhead cabinet well in this setup? Am I risking any structural degradation with the DCU framing at all if I try it? I would likely use rivnuts and tooth washers to help with the maximum torque before spin out. Not sure if that's really needed.

My rough idea is to install rivnuts where the red circles are, and use that to bolt on a cabinet that is made of .5" plywood. Since the rivnuts have threads on the inside, it should be easy to do and take out again later on. What do you all think?

I'm really just trying to avoid rivnuts that spin out, and any structural damage to the frame (bending, cave in, etc). Would not be holding a ton of weight (no water, etc) on this, just for odds and end storage (clothing, phones, etc).

 

I'm not a structural engineer, but I would guess you'd be OK. How deep is the cabinet going to be? My thinking is if you could tie it into the side walls, say that first tube back, above the window, it would spread the weight around even more.

 

Honestly haven't thought about the dimensions yet, but that horizontal stud right above the window is likely too low for my initial plans. I was probably going to stick with what I had planned in the picture. Keeping it up high would help clear some sitting / moving around room. But I can definitely take a second look and see if it makes sense! I need to draw some designs for the cabinets up.

 

That tubing is really thin walled, it was on the ARE I had anyway.
I’m thinking it wouldn’t hold up very well especially off road.
I would attach a piece of plywood with screws to the bars you have circled then attach your cabinet to the plywood to distribute the weight

 

They use rivets and screws to hold the side door cabinets in, so yes, with weight limits

 

You mean the cabinets that cost extra to get installed by ARE?

 

The majority of the weight from those factory installed storage bins is on the bed rails of the truck

 

And they still end up pulling loose and rattling like crazy. Every rescue/supervisor's truck we had with them ended up having to have extra brackets bolted in (brackets that wrapped around the tubing and were bolted in place seemed to hold up better). Every serious contractor's truck I've seen with them has had the same issues. These weren't off-road vehicle's just service trucks that saw actual use.

Rivnuts are a better idea than rivets or screws but you're still going to have to make sure that it's mounted securely (as noted, the tubing is thin walled to start with) and engineered for the motion of a vehicle, i.e. rigid so it's not allowed to move say, forwards and backwards with each stop and start. You'll need to watch the amount of weight too. Inspect all of the welds too, all of the manufacturers seem to have really spotty QC and shallow welds or burn throughs are common with cracking showing up over time, sometimes within months of being put into service. If you get a good one they seem to hold up pretty well but keep a close eye on the welds and rivets throughout and make sure that you address any issues early or they start wearing quickly.

 

Im not sure I agree with that, the part that goes on the rails is just flat sheet metal, and it bends easy, can’t be supporting much

 

the main issue with a solid-mounted cabinet is going to be dynamic loading while driving down the road.

while the riv nuts are a better idea, i would really suggest rivnuts with eyelet screws, and then using mesh bags/containers that are only installed to hold gear when you're parked. that would remove the dynamic loading issue, which is what the aluminum will fatigue and loosen up on.

 

The mesh bag idea is honestly really good, I've been thinking about it for a bit. I might opt to spend a bit more on some nice "vanlife" (puke) mesh / cloth cabinets with this in mind. Knowing the quality (low) of the ARE DCU line of toppers, it would likely alleviate my anxiety around fucking the topper up. I'm mainly going to use it for hanging backpacks and holding phones, so no major amount of gear. Anything heavy is going in the back cab seats.

 

I might ship you beer if you help me look over my truck a year from now

 

I had a ARE DCU, I liked the fact that it was lightweight and easy to insulate but the thing started breaking apart at the welds after about 10 or so trips on rough dirt roads, nothing crazy. These are pretty much designed just to keep your stuff secure and dry

 

Dude, I'd drive you nuts. I'm not OCD but according to a friend who's a board certified head shrinker/internal med/gerontologist I have some tendencies. I tend to notice things that aren't in place if that makes sense- drives my friends and family bonkers and I have to really watch what I say around some of them. I blame it on working EMS and safety (HSE) offshore where you're always looking for problems but I'm probably just crazy.

 

You and I likely share the same flavor of autism