Cheap shelves in bed mod

I spend a lot of time camping in the bed of my Tacoma and a wanted simple shelves back there to put stuff.

I took a 2'x4' piece of MDF project board, cut it with a jigsaw to fit next to the Leer cap clamps and end caps of the track, painted it and simply slipped it into the bed track. Total cost: approx. $14.

 

I like!

 

Hey that's pretty smart!

 

Nice! I need a topper!

 

Looks great!

 

Dam that's a great idea you had there. And it looks nicely flush. Nice work buddy

 

Nice!!

 

Thanks folks. It'll just be nice to get some things up off the floor while sleeping or while hanging out on a rainy evening. I've also got a trip permitted in early November for the White Rim in Canyonlands NP near Moab and I needed some place to put a small catalytic heater in case it gets particularly cold.

I'm also not much of a fabricator, so I was pretty damned pleased that it turned out just like I envisioned it.

 

I am not much of a fabricator if any at all and I applaude your work. Did you think about maybe putting a lip around the edge of it to keep things from sliding off? I know you won't be moving the truck when you use them but we all know how things tend to slide around.

 

Also, care to share your measurements for the rest of us to copy, lol????

 

The lip is a good idea, I hadn't thought of that. I suppose if I wanted to glue a furring strip for a lip edge I should have done that before painting. Small screws or finish nails could be an option now that they're already painted.

I wanted the shelves to occupy 20" of track on each side so they're 28.3" on the long side to preserve a right triangle. I therefore took the 24" by 48" MDF panel and cut it to 28.3" long. I thereafter split it right up the middle to create two pieces 12" x 28.3" each. I then measured 12" from each end to draw and then cut each 45 degree angle. I then put it in place to mark, measure and thereafter cut each cutout, first for the bolts and blocks that attach the shell to the truck, and then for the ends of the side tracks. Finally I used a palm sander to smooth the edges and make up for my lousy saw cuts before spray painting them with Rustoleum's combo primer/enamel, 3 coats.

It took about an hour total, not including paint dry time.

 

That's a great mod,

Good job man,