Official South Region DECKED Storage System Product Review For 2nd & 3rd Gen Tacomas

This thread will be conducted with the purpose of providing information on the DECKED system specific to the 2nd & 3rd Gen Tacomas. In full disclosure this product was supplied to myself and two other TW members ( @Sandytaco14 & @MTNHABITOVERLAND (click names for links to their threads)) with the intent to install, test and maintain in our Taco's for a minimum of 6 months. Within these 6 months and more, I will post pictures and full descriptions of my install, experiences (good or bad), a conclusion of said product and the value I believe that it holds. I will also be answering any questions that our TW community has and entertain any suggestions provided.







This DECKED system is currently available for the Tacoma to purchase as of 10/3/17 if you would like to order now!

 

I received my accessories yesterday and some of the additional parts that I ordered. Below you will see the assembly of the DBOX and a few tips for installing.

• The first step is to slide the two metal hinge pins in. The instructions suggest using a hammer to tap them in but I was able to push them in with my hands. I did notice that you will want to shift the bottom (black part) down just a little after sliding into the first part of the lid hinge (blue part) to allow the pin holes to line up. I believe that if I had used a hammer at this point I would have damaged the hinge as I would not have noticed the difference in the alignment in the hinge. I pushed the pins in flush to the hinge on the lid and it left just a little gap between the two in the middle which I feel is more than enough to function properly.
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The next step involves installing the rubber gasket cord into the channel in the lid. I did this a couple of different ways and realized that the best way is to start by pushing in the end at the middle leaving a gap for sucktion (as recommended by the instructions) and then placing my thumb about 3in forward and pulling it back towards the start. This allows you to seat the seal correctly and does not require any cutting of excess material.

• The first time I installed the gasket I ran my thumb the opposite way just pushing it in as I went. I ended up with about 9in of excesses. It also didn't fill in the corners of the lid as well as I liked.
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• The seond time I just pushed it in with my thumb straight down. It fit much better but I still ened up having to cut 2in off.
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• The third time I did it as I suggested above by running my thumb towards the start of the gasket 3in at a time and it worked perfectly leaving the 1in gap for air to escape like suggested in the instructions.
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• As you can see below the lid will sit a little high do to the gasket.
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Next comes the install of the handles. There are two of them, one with a metal insert and the other without. The metal one is used for the top and only has the logo on one side. If you are OCD like me, make sure that you have the DECKED logo facing upwards. They install very easy by slipping one end in at an angle then applying pressure to push the other side into the snap in holder. One nice feature I noticed is that the handle has a little tab on the insertion piece that when pushed down for storage catches a groove built into the box and holds it there. Small but significant details to the product that makes this system unique.

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• I am curious if the amount of material that is inserted into the the handle support will be enough to prevent it from slipping out under a heavy load (see pic below).
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Next is attaching the latches. It follows the same installation process as the handles as you insert one side at an angle then push the other side in.

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• Again curious about the amount of material holding the latch in place.
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Last step is to insert your dividers if you choose to use them. They are asymmetrical so you will need to make sure to put the side with the larger cutout towards the handle.

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That's it, you're done! Now go and load them boxes up with whatever your heart desires

• Side note, I did notice that the lid is extremely hard to latch down and I expect it to become easier as the rubber gasket forms more to the lid.

• It has been brought to my attention that if you place your finger under the lip of the latch pulling out while pressing in on the middle, the latch closes much easier.

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After receiving my DECKED system, I received an email from the company stating that I may be missing some bolts and may have a missed drilled torsion brace. As it so happens I was a recipient of this issue. I contacted Margo in their customer service department and she was able to provide me with tracking information on the replacement parts right away.

Due to the parts being missing/incorrect I wanted to wait until I had all the components available before starting the install to better give a comprehensive review of this product.

Below I will walk you through each step that I took and comments and/or suggestions to make your install go smooth.

• As with any project/build, I always lay everything out to make sure I have everything I need and easy access to the parts/tools required.

• Tools you will need:
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Brake cleaner (suggested for an oil bed)
  • A marker, chalk or some kind of marking device (I used scotch tape)
  • Paper towels or a rag
  • Tape measure
  • Drill
  • Drill stop (I did not use one but did use tape on the bit as a guide)
  • An adjustable wrench
  • Phillips screwdriver
  • 1/4" & 9/64" drill bit (I also used a 1/16" bit)
  • T30 Torx bit
  • 3/8" socket & wrench
  • 7/16 socket & wrench (Deep socket or a passthrough set will be your friend)
  • An extra set of hands for a couple of steps (Duct tape if you by youself)
  • Small pick or awl
  • 7/32" hex wrench
  • Snips of heavy duty wire cutters (for weather stripping)
    • A 1/2" open end wrench is suggested in the installation instructions along with a 5/16" bit, neither of which I used.

The package arrives in quite large box on a pallet. It is not terribly heavy (238 pounds per the tech specs on the DECKED website) but if you do not have a friend or are at a location with a forklift to unload the truck, they may not deliver to your address. This was also delivered on an 18 wheeler so keep this in mind if your location does not have access to such a large truck.




Here is the parts laid out for inspection.





Due to the type of material used in this product, it is HIGHLY suggested that you DO NOT use power tools to assemble this product. Most everything is tightened snuggly as over tightening can be done by hand easily. Take you time and you'll be fine.

• If for some reason you do find yourself with a overtightened/stripped out insert, DECKED has provided 2 extra inserts.

I did notice that the majority of the fasteners are attached together with pre installed nut inserts. I took the time to clean all of them out as the plastic shreds are still in the inserts upon receiving the product. This is not a bad thing and is typical of this type of inserts in plastic, but more of a precaution to prevent a headache further down the line in the assembly process.

• The pictures below show the plastic pieces still inside the inserts and what they looked like after I cleaned them out with my pick/awl.

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Prior to constructing the system you will need to prep you bed. I first pressure washed the bed then went back with some brake cleaner as I had several areas that had grease residue where the next step is involved. After the brake clean I used the alcohol as directed in the instructions to lay down the bed shims.

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While all that dries I marked the center of the bed at the cab with tape (instructions suggested a marking pen or a wax pencil) at least 14" up from the bottom of the bed so to be able to see the mark once the system is in place in the bed.

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Now you will want to grab your bed shims. You place the one small one in the channel just to the left (drivers side) of your center mark 3" from the cab. The second small shim will be applied 6 1/2" from the end of the bed in the same channel as the one at the cab.

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The two larger shims sit over the top of the factory bed bolt at the cab of the truck on both the driver and passenger side.

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From here you will want to remove your cubby doors as you will no longer be able to open them. (Don't worry, you'll get that space back in the ammo cans)

Next you will be attaching the drivers side tailgate bracket. You will need to remove the top rear factory bolt from the cubbie with the T30 Torx bit and drill a hole for the second 1" bolt. The instructions state to use a 5/16" drill bit but the holes in the brackets I received were too small so I used the 1/4" bit.

• In this step you will benefit with a second set of hands as you will need to hold the nut from the underside of the truck while tightening the bolt from the bed. I did not have access to someone to help so I used duct tape to hold the wrench on the bolt and tightened the nut from the bottom side. I highly do not recommend this. It took WAY too long to do it this way. Just save yourself the trouble and grab a friend.

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If you don't tell anyone that you used Ford parts on your truck, I won't either

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• You will repeat this process for the passenger side but with an addition of a washer.

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I did come a across an issue when drilling the hole for the passenger side bracket. The cubby has a tab insert that is in direct relation to the location where the hole needs to be. In the pictures below you can see where the tab is and all that is needed is to remove the cubby, trim the tab off and reinstall the cubby then bolt the tailgate bracket on.

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During this step in the instructions it is recommended that you insert a flat head extension cord into your bed outlet as you will not be able to access it once the DECKED system is in place.

• I found this one on Amazon for under $10 with a swiveling head which I believe will be more beneficial do to the low positioning of the plug.
  • $11 Stellar Labs CECOMINOD004573 28-11104 Rotating Plug, Basic Pack
    https://www.amazon.com/Stellar-Labs...ywords=extension+cord+with+rotating+flat+head

From here we move on to assembling the center support pieces. I found it easier to assemble the pieces once I hooked the center vert on the cabside vert to stand it up on end and tighten the 4 bolts in this position.

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After you have the center brace assembled go get the driver & passenger side studs (also called the Yups). You will loosely attach these to the cabside vert to allow you to line everything up in the next step.

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Next you will need to get the ammo boxes and place them in their approximate location on the ground. Now go back and get the passenger side top deck panel and set it on top of the assembled center vert/stud and the ammo can. Move the ammo can around until it seats into the grooves on the underside of the deck panel.

You will now need to loosely install 4 bolts (bag S1) into the holes that attach the deck panel to the stud. Once these are in everything will be lined up and you can tighten the 3 bolts on the cabside vert attaching to the stud.

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  • repeat process for passenger side.

With everything aligned and tightened, remove the bolts in the deck panels (save for later) and set aside the top deck panels.

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• Continued in post #4

 

Go find the stud and cabside brackets along with the required hardware.

• You will want to tighten the stud bracket but keep the cabside one loose as you will need to be able to adjust it once it is in the bed.

• As you can see the 3 long bolts are used for the stud bracket. Don't worry about the bottom one not having as many threads showing as that is how it is suppose to be.
• Also make sure you have the tab facing inwards towards the center brace.

Now attach the cabside bracket to the stud bracket you just installed.

• Remember to not completely tighten this bolt up as you will need to be able to adjust it soon.

From here, you will want to take the assembly you have and place it in the bed of your truck.

• Align the center mark on the assembly to the mark you made on the center of the bed. You can also use the center drain hole in the bed bottom to insure you are directly in the middle.

Once you have the assembly where you want it, you will need to adjust the cabside brackets flush against the inner fender in the bed. After you have it where you want it tighten up the bolts.

• Using a 1/4" drill bit you will need to drill three holes in aligned with the top and bottom inner holes and the middle outer (towards the tailgate) most hole.
  • I found it easier to move the bracket back out of the way once I had marked the holes with the the drill bit. This allowed me to drill a straighter hole along with not scuffing up the powder coat on the bracket.
    • It is recommended that you use a drill stop for this step but I found it unnecessary as you can see from the pictures below, there is nothing to hit on the other side.

• After drilling the holes insert the bolts through to the other side and slide the backing plate over the bolts from the outside of the wheel well.
• It will benefit you to have another set of hands to put the nuts on while you tighten these into place.
  
  • Repeat for other side.

Locate the two ammo cans and place them in the corners behind the wheel well, towards the tailgate. Make sure to pay attention to which one goes on the drivers/passengers side.

• You will grab the C-channel pieces and place them on the ledge/lip of the ammo can and stud at the front.
• Using the hardware, tighten the two bolts in the C-channel to the stud.
• Do the same with the ammo can but do not tighten. You will need to adjust the it in the next step.
  • You may notice that both of the channels are drilled/cut the same. This is okay as the ammo cans are drilled accordingly.

• If you follow the directions and loosely attach the ammo cans first, you may find it hard to get the holes to line up on the C-channel and the stud. I was able to correct this by raising the ammo can side slightly to realign the holes. If you do the stud first you will not have this problem.

You are now able to get the deck panels and put them in place. The narrow one will go on the driver's side. You'll want your big bag of bolts (bag S1) and the bag of O-Rings.

• Once you have the front of the panel set in place you will need to shift the ammo can around to allow it to seat properly into the bottom of the panel.
• You will only place the O-Rings on the bolts that will attach to the bolts that will attach to the stud and ammo can (12 total).
  • The 5 that attach to the center rib will not need the O-Rings.
• I suggest using a ratchet and socket at this time as these bolts are recessed into the panel especially for the ammo can.
• Tighten all these bolts.
  • While installing the bolts for the ammo can, I found the two most inward holes didn't line up by themselves. I suggest that you install the remainder and push the inward wall with your hand to allow the holes to line up and hand start the bolts. Once they are in you can finish it off with the ratchet and socket.

Remember the bolts you left loose in the ammo can/C-channel? Now it's time to tighten those up.

• This can be done by yourself. I set my closed end wrench in the C-Channel and used my ratchet and socket to tighten the nut/bolt from the inside of the ammo can. It might be easier if someone was to hold the wrench but it didn't bother me (only slipped off once).
  • I used Duct tape to hold the wrench on after it slipped off.
• Repeat for the other side.

Your DECKED system should now look like this below.



You will now need Bag J4. This includes the J-Hooks that will secure the rear end of the system down through the ammo cans.



There is only one way to get these hooks in properly so take my advice and insert them at an angle up through the installed tailgate bracket and up into the ammo can.

• Place the plastic dome on first followed by the washer then the nut. DO NOT tighten these up yet. Leave them loose as you will need to still adjust the bottom of the ammo cans in later steps.
  • Make sure that the open part of the hook is towards the tailgate.

Now you can turn your focus onto the drawers.

• You will need the two bags marked Drawer 1 & 2 along with the thin round rods.
  • If you purchased the drain plugs I suggest installing them now before you assemble the drawer. Click HERE for the write up in my accessories section.

• First install the corner brackets making sure to pay attention to the left and right sides as these will only go in one way correctly.

• The longer 2in bolts are used on the front of the drawer. I wanted to mention this as I found the picture in the instructions a little deceiving.

Once you have these brackets all tightened up, install the tube brace with the 3/4" bolts.

• The braces have a flat area on the ends to allow you to use a adjustable wrench but I found a firm grip was enough to allow me to tighten the hardware.

Once you have the brace tightened up to your liking, grab a set of wheels and the button head allen bolts in the wheel bag and install accordingly.

• Make sure not to tighten these too much as it will prevent them from spinning freely and could compress the bearing in the wheels.
  • If you have found yourself in this position, loosen up the bolts and apply a good dry lube to the bearings. This will help them spin freely and prevent and dirt/debris from accumulating in them.
• Repeat for the other drawer.

With you braces & wheels all installed you can now slide the drawers into place in the DECKED system.

• It is suggested that you start with the narrow drawer first to allow better access for the next step.

You will now install the wheels on the tailgate side. There is not much room to get in there but if you use something to wedge up under the drawer it will make it much easier.

• You will need the 7/32 allen wrench and an adjustable wrench for this.
  • On the outer wheel you will hold the stud that you are attaching the wheel to.
  • For the inner wheel you will secure the backside of the stud with an adjustable wrench.

Repeat for the process for the wider drawer.

• Continued on post #5

 

With the drawer wheels all secure and functioning, grab you weather stripping and install it on the top lip of the drawer.

• This is pretty straight forward. No tools needed to install, just some pressure to make sure it seats down all the way.
  • DO make sure that you install the weather stripping with the wiper lip facing towards the the cab. Failure to do so could result in your drawer becoming a swimming pool for your stuff!
• There was a note in the instructions that mentioned trimming any that overhung. I did so on the first drawer and noticed on the second that it was not necessary.

Of course like always, repeat for the other side.







From here you will need to grab the torsion brace and front plate/bottle opener.

• Slide the brace up under the center brace and the two ammo cans, aligning the holes up.
• Loosely secure the ends first then place the bottle opener over the brace and secure them to the center brace using the bolts from the S1 bag. Use two 1/2" bolts for the top of the front plate and align correctly.
• Tighten up the bottle opener/front plate and then do so on the ammo cans.

Now you can go back and tighten up the J-hooks inside the ammo cans. Make sure to leave an even gap between the bed and each side of the DECKED system.



Find the ruler and line it up in the recessed area towards the tailgate.

• You will use the 1/2 screws in the Final Mid bag to secure the tailgate side. Be careful to not strip these as it is easy to do so. I drilled a pilot hole to make sure the screw went right where I wanted it to.
  • I found that when these are fully seated that the points came through the bottom and would catch the weather stripping. I used a small metal file and removed the points to prevent and damage to them.

As for the holes towards the cab, these are right above one of the metal crossbars. You will need a 9/16 drill bit and if you have the drill stop, this is the time to use it (set at 1/2"). Make sure you DO NOT drill through the bottom of the crossbar. If you do this will cause water to drain into the drawers and you will have end up with the previously mentioned "swimming pool".

• I did noticed that the center hole on mine did not line up with the metal brace or the dimple for the hole location. I carefully screwed the middle one down but due to the location there is no worry about water getting into the drawers.

You're almost done. Find the ammo can lids. These are side specific so make sure you put the right one on the right side. These just snap into place. Angle the tab towards the tailgate and push the lid down in place.

• These fit very snug so don't worry about having to hit them down into place.

You should have two plug holes left from your parts bags. These will go into the holes meant for the locks if ordered (click HERE for lock install).

• These just push into place. Not special instructions needed for this one.

At this point if you haven't done so far already, grab one of you favorite cold beverages and rejoice in your accomplishment because YOUR DONE!

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CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR PURCHASE AND COMPLETION OF THE ONE AND ONLY DECKED SYSTEM!

 

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okay, you reserved way too much spaces

 

LOL, I needed to make sure I could update them with different aspects of the progress. There will be LOTS of pics

 

I was ready to buy one of these last year but the product wasn't ready. Looking forward to following this one. Fellow Tacoma experiences will be a huge factor in my decision next year. Have fun!

 

Me too. I've been waiting quite some time for these to be available for the midsize trucks. Just keep following and you should have all the answers you need

 

Shipping has been confirmed with tracking numbers. The DECKED system and the additional accessories I order should be here Wednesday 10/9/17.

 

Updated the second post with assembly overview of the DBOX.

 

Nice report on the D-Box! Thanks a ton for the step by step and the insight (heh hemm, I think you might be like me and hate reading instructions first), the system itself will need a little reading!

On the latches to lock the lid closed: Actually if you press at the bend on the latch while pushing the lid down a little, they snap closed right away. We need to go back and put some ridges on that so people know to press there. Cool tip #13497

I can tell I am going to love this thread.

 

Now that you mention that, I do remember reading that in the full installation instructions online. I received these yesterday and only went off of the instructions provided in the DBOX. Maybe add a note to those instructions on the closing of the lid.

 

I was just giving you a hard time about the gasket. You got it right. We have never put that little tip for the latch in the instructions and we really need to. I'm headed over to put this on the list right now!

 

Where is the rest of the thread???