Custom Bed Rack for my 2016 ACLB

I wasn’t happy with the price and usability of most aftermarket racks so I decided to design and build one myself.

I wanted something that met my specific needs and could be used as a platform to easily modify and add on in the future. I’m currently designing mounts for the sides so I can have Jerry cans, a farm jack, and recovery boards held on to the sides. I’ve also got various LEDs I’m going to put on it as work/ditch lights, but I haven’t had the time to weld the tabs for it yet. I am also thinking about using some boat-cover material to make a soft topper.

I started by 3D scanning my truck cab and modeling some general shapes around it to get the dimensions correct.

I then made a rough bed model since it was more geometric and built the rack around it.



I designed it so all the weight would rest on the top of the bed but it would be secured to the frame by bolts going into plates held in by the factory tie down rail.

All the steel cost right at $300. The paint cost $30. I used a chop saw and angle grinder for pretty much all fabrication. I chose Tig welding, so I could use the project to improve my skill doing more complex welds.

Some of the jigging I did for the hoops.





Test fitting before paint



I chose to paint it with Rustoleum Matte Black Hammer Metal Finish. Turns out, it has almost an identical color to the Tacoma’s dark gray. It hides overspray really well, and it’s cheap for easy modification.

Always wanted a CB radio, so I made a mount for the antenna.



I found a cheap basket on marketplace and made some mounts for it as well.



I’ve been really pleased with how well it’s held up over the past couple months. It’s stayed perfectly rigid and I overbuilt it in case I wanted to add a RTT or a spare tire carrier.

I’ll update this thread with any changes or modifications I make. I’m also happy to answer questions.

 

Well done!

 

@Kwikvette

You need to invite this over to your thread!^

 

@giddie

That looks really sharp.

We've got a thread for those of us that make things in our small shops that you might enjoy posting in for projects involving a little more than just welding - https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ium-scale-metal-work-cad-cam-included.843712/

Great execution!

 

Very nice

 

Nice work and it looks great.