DIY Rear Panel with MOLLE Webbing

So, I store a decent amount of junk behind the bench seat in my cab (basic toolbox, first aid kit, the OEM jack, etc.), and occasionally things shift into a spot while I’m driving and rattle against the metal. Drives me nuts.

I had a good amount of leftover Siless sound dampener from when I did the camper shell. It’s cheap stuff but it’s held up for two years now in the shell, and I figure it’s better than nothing, so I went ahead and added some to the back.

It makes a noticeable difference in cabin noise while driving, so I’m not upset I did it. But it’s an eyesore! And we can do better.

I found a thread discussing the back panel trim for these models, and realized it would be a royal pain to find one that fit. If I could, it would either be the wrong color, require modding, or cost an arm and a leg.

But this man can sew. And I happen to have a bunch of charcoal cordura lying around. So I hopped in and took some measurements!

If you’re interested in doing one yourself, here are the notes I took.

These measurements are for the 2004 regular cab Taco

• 53 inches wide (gives room to tuck under the trim)
• 9” tall (top portion from bottom of where it hooks into the wall down to the 90 degree bend in the wall, there is 7 inches of open space after you put the trim on, so 3 rows of webbing and 4 rows of negative space unless you want to add rows right up against each other for more MOLLE)
• 4.25” wrap down around the bar that divides the top and bottom in the body (sorry I don’t know what this part is called)
• 11 5/8” down bottom portion (center)
• 16.75” down bottom portion (sides)

TOTAL MAX SIZE BEFORE TRIMMING: 53” x 41 5/8”

First Hurdle:
The panel is meant to be held in place by a few plastic clips that slot into place. These clips don’t seem to be something you can buy. ToyotaPartsDeal accidentally directed me to the metal clips used for the trim piece along the top.

I can’t see a way to make these work from scratch, although they appear they’d fit the body holes just fine, in any case they are not the same as the ones on the stock part.

The Plan~

1. Find replacement hooks. These should fit the slots (minimal dremel work required on the sides of the hook, if not), and should be strong enough and low profile enough. I only need 3, guess I’ll have spares!
2. Cut one large piece of fabric to the above “Max” dimensions, place it up with the hooks (stitched on with 1” webbing), tuck it where appropriate and trim to fit around all the weird spots in the sides and bottom, around the tool mounts, D-rings, etc. Mark where the push-pin holes will be (this seems to vary slightly from model to model, so make sure to check yours!)
   
3. This was the push-pin hole placement on mine, from left to right:
   - 9” (this one also sits a bit low)
   - 17 5/8”
   - 25 5/8”
   - 29 3/8”
   - 44”
4. Remove the fabric and use it as a template to make a 2nd layer (optional but should be a lot more durable)
5. Stitch on MOLLE webbing
6. Use spray adhesive to back it with headliner foam for a little extra sound deadening and to cushion it against the wall (heavy tools and pouches may rattle otherwise). I may find in the late stage of the build that this is totally unnecessary, we will see.

(don’t mind the dirt, I know I need to vacuum)

Stay tuned for progress!

 

Spent a couple hours yesterday mocking up the template. I cut it to the “max” size measurements (more than enough length, due to the curve at the sides, I wound up trimming off plenty). The width could have benefited from being one inch wider just to make it easier to get full coverage even if it wasn’t totally centered, but I should still be good to go.

I taped it to the top with duct tape and put the top trim back on to hold it in place, anf cut slits for the D rings first, using clamps to get it nice and tight over the horizontal bar.



This gives a good impression of the potential here, and I really want to pull this off because I think it will look great in addition to providing utility.

From there I had to pull it a bit taut starting in bottom of the left to figure out where to cut a hold for the bottle jack stand. I did it this way because the stand is the largest obstacle you have to trim around, though if I didn’t again I would probably start in the center with the handle holder instead. Either way should work, but it’s probably easier to maintain symmetry if you start in the center, which didn’t occur to me in the moment.



Bit by bit I adjusted clamps (more than two would be nice) and pulled the fabric into place, trimming holes, testing the fit, and trimming excess material.

It’s getting close to looking good! I’m still brainstorming how to keep it flush around that cross beam without gluing it down. I’m thinking either magnets or a thermoplastic or MDF structure attached to the panel will do. Leaning towards magnets, though.

I wound up taking it off as I lost daylight and brought it back indoors to more cleanly trim the holes. The cordura is teflon coated and thankfully doesn’t unravel easily, but once I’m totally satisfied with the placement of the holes they will still be bound and stitched, same as the outer edges.

Total time so far about 2 hours.

 

Good luck! I've thought about doing this as I too toss junk behind the seats, which tend to poke out in the seat creases. Make sure your latches continue to grab the seats when they are up.

 

I fully support this endeavor.

Honestly there needs to be a common, irrefutable mod for the extended cab that is easy to replicate because the seats are useless and storage is needed