Switch's center console storage: The Swiss Army Knife of center consoles

I've turned my attention that the collection of stuff accumulating in my center console storage bin.

On my 2nd Gen I used

$4 Plano 23500-00 Size Stowaway with Adjustable Dividers

Plano 23500-00 Size Stowaway with Adjustable Dividers to keep everything organized. I had containers for breakfast, lunch, toiletries, & misc. items.



I've been searching and not finding a similar solution that fits the 3rd Gen Taco. None of Plano's products fit. I'm aware of the inserts & don't like that option. Has anyone found a storage box that fits in this location?

Also for the lid I used to use a Grid-IT, but

$18 SDPVorn Console Box for Toyota Tacoma Accessories 2016-2020 2021 2022 2023 Tacoma Center Console Organizer Secret Compartment Arm Rest Storage Lid for Driver's License Cards Money Tickets

I found this on Amazon:


I like the idea of an actual concealed storage space. Maybe more covert than the product shown above.

Has anybody found something that works like this:




Except not made out of cardboard?

 

stuff does accumulate but i fixed something else i did not like.

 

Something like this:

https://yotatv.megastores.online/pr...dden-storage-box-for-toyota-tacoma-2016-2023/

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...6994709&spm=a2g0o.ppclist.product.mainProduct

 

I have a military bud that has a third gen that uses some containers like that. Let me reach out to him when he gets back in Friday and see what they are.

 

Did you wind up removing the stock hinge to get it to open that far? Cutting the over-travel tabs wasn’t sufficient?
I’d like it to open farther but also like the spring assist

 

removed the stock hinge and McGyvered it with a couple of regular hinges. hated the straight up stop position and having to navigate my elbow up and over the lid every time i needed to access the box. was used to my 2nd gen that opened towards the passenger side.

 

For sure! I saw this pic last night and was intrigued. I also hate that the lid stops at 90 degrees. I didn’t notice it as much on my first gen but for whatever reason it’s always in the way on my 3rd gen.
Dug through your post history and found a thread you commented on about disassembly and the picture you took of the hinge.
Just finished sawing off the tab stops and filing down the second set that are on the body of the hinge itself, if that makes sense? headed out for reassembly now
Wish me luck!

edit: Went pretty well. Had to trim the lid as you noted in the thread I mentioned above. I think it looks pretty good and I gained a couple degrees. I’m no protractor, but it opens maybe 5-10 degrees farther

 

For the center console lid storage, I haven't found anything I like, so I started designing my own part. The part is too big to print on my 3D printer in one piece so I'm going to have my local TAP Plastics shop make a 3/32" sheet of ABS plastic like this:



Then I can 3D print the sides in 4 separate parts that lock together"


I've ordered

$5 Cabinet Magnetic Catch Jiayi 4 Pack Ultra Thin Cabinet Door Magnetic Catch for Drawer Magnets Adhesive Cabinet Latch Magnetic Closures for Kitchen Closet Door Closing Magnetic Door Catch Closer

magnetic latches



And these

$15 EPHECH 6" Black Continuous & Piano Hinge, 6PCS Heavy Duty Stainless Steel 304 Continuous Hinges Piano Boat Hinges, 0.04" Thickness Folding Cabinet Door Butt Hinge

piano hinges


Lots of details to work out: glue? fasteners? but I'm excited that I've got a solution that looks like it will work.

 

Found this and forgot to share it after modifying the hinge.
There’s nothing more satisfying than making something that is exactly what you want from scratch though. Be sure and post updates of your progress!

 

Here's my progress on a hidden console lid compartment:

I removed the center console cover insert so I could mock up a tray that fit.





Then I used cardboard to get a rough idea of how it would work. Where the latch and hinge would be located and how it would fit.


With the dimensions of the cover, I had TAP Plastics make one out of ABS plastic. I mistakenly requested 3/16" instead of 3/32" so it is much thicker than I want. But good enough to get started.



My first draft with 4mm sides proved flimsy:


So I switched to 6mm thickness and started working fine tuning the parts. Basically this means printing a part, testing fitment, changing the design, and repeating until it works.

First draft of the front part with the latch (latch hole wrong position) and does not fit console.


Second draft of the front part with the latch (latch hole wrong size) and does not fit console.


My third attempt on the part with the magnetic latch is close but still needs some minor touches. Like the fact that the screws almost protrude out the other side of the wall.


Here you can see the tongue and grove technique I'm using to fit the side parts together.


Here I found I needed to do some trimming to get the sides to fit.


But with that the hinge placement looks good.


So the (hopefully) final draft looks like this. Four 3D printed side parts with a hinge and magnetic latch:





With an ABS plate from TAP Plastics:






That pen holder is an annoyance that I will probably delete. I can make a blank to fill that hole.


The 3/16" ABS is too thick. On Monday I will get some parts ordered in 3/32.




Also today I went to the hardware store & got a selection of M3 and M4 machine screws.

I picked up a couple of these hoping they would fit in the center console:



But, alas, they are about 8mm to large...

 

Nice work.

 

The iterative process of design, print, test fit, wash, and rinse; repeat:

Note: the above photo is of parts that didn't work. Hours spent spend in the design process...


Combined with a jig which is printed to drill holes in the 3/32" ABS plastic sheet:


Ultimately, this process reaches an asymptote:

Which we call version 1.0


A hinge and steel plate for the magnet need to be installed on the console lid part:


Tray attached to hinge:





Test fit in truck:

Flash photography makes the ABS plate sparkle but it is in fact quite dark.



So that's version 1.0.

I oscillated between button head and flathead screws for the ABS plate. The advantage of button head screws means only one screw type is needed for the hinges and attachment of the ABS plate AND no need to countersink flathead screws.

Another design challenge is the placement of the hinge screw holes and steel plate for the magnetic latch. The magnetic latch only works if the magnet in the tray contacts the steel plate directly. So a reliable way to align the hinge holes and steel plate needs to be developed to simplify the installation.

I also think the holes for the machine screws can be optimized both in position and number of attachment points. Ultimately (with a reliable adhesive) the number of machine screws could be reduced to 4 (for alignment) or zero with the appropriate jig.

 

Of all the things I don't really need, I want this the most.

 

Watching for if you decide to start selling them!

 

out of curiousity, why would the flathead need more screws? Also, would this still fit with the middle console tray?

 

These Husky bins from Home Depot fit nicely



Can get 3 in vertically

 

Oh, I just meant fewer types of screws. The hinges would still need button head screws. I haven't settled on a console tray yet. Looks like Kel Varnsen just found the boxes I've been looking for. So if there's still room for a tray with those boxes, I'll find out.

 

Here's version 1.1.

I removed the notch at the top and moved the holes for the machine screws so the are evenly spaced.

 

Just listed on TW and Etsy:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fs-custom-hidden-storage-tray-for-center-console-bin-79.794597/

 

I just got one the JKCOVER middle console tray and it fits fine.

$15 JKCOVER Center Console Accessory Organizer Compatible with Toyota Tacoma 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023, ABS Material Box Insert Tray (Black trim)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TYMN6PX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1