Your unique mod on the 1st Gens

Thats every guy's dream of a garage... Very nice!

 

That no rolling around on the floor mod looks super nice!
Sucks about the ball joint. At least it'll be easier to fix with the no rolling around the floor device.

 

In.

 

Not exactly a "mod" as I didn't really modify anything, but more of a built-in toolbox addition for my work truck. I built it for my 03 a few months ago, and have now swapped it over to my 97 and fits just the same.


I made the top half detachable, mainly so that you can squeeze it through the doors in two pieces to install it, but also if I need the back seat for someone, I can remove the top by quickly unscrewing 4 wing nuts, and put it in the bed, and fold the seat down over the bottom half. I made the cabinet just the right size so that the seat next to it can still fold down still.

No anchoring necessary, as the weight of all the tools holds it sturdy and in place. Bottom chest is built around the centre bump, and bevelled at the back to maximize storage. Bottom compartment on the upper section has some hooks to attach bungee cords, which stops my roofing nail guns from clanging around in the cabinet while I'm driving. It has a split door with a piano hinge on the inside, so it can be fully opened without hitting the seats (or the centre console in my 03). Top compartment has various shelves, mainly just purpose built to store specific tools. The doors of course swing down for easier access, using some flat mounting full overlay cabinet hinges.

Heavy duty hook on the left side for hanging an assortment of roofing harnesses, tool pouches, caulking guns, and other various things. The hook is easy removable to get it out of the way of jabbing someone in the face if someone needs to sit in the back seat.

At some point I'll likely add a 1/2 or 1 inch lip around the top of the cabinet to add usable storage space for putting invoices, receipts (in an attempt to unclutter my dash), and other small things like tape measures without them sliding off the top.

 

Oh my god this is the best mod I have ever seen

 

I've been thinking about setting up something in my center console, but this is much better. May have to steal the idea!

 

Added this top aluminum lip on my cabinet finally... Little extra usable space now.

 

LED under hood lighting. Just finished her up last night

 

Wouldn't mind seeing how you did this ^
I think it would be cool to have a switch (sensor or push button) that automatically switches on the lights when you open the hood and then shuts them off when it's closed

 

I'll go take some pictures of how I ran the wires and all that.
I had thought about doing something along those lines with the auto switching, but I dont need the light every time i'm under the hood so I went with a toggle switch. Easier and less of a headache.

Bought a two pack of led strips witch sticky backing on them from Napa. I think the lights were about $24. Then a 2 dollar toggle switch and some wire. Plenty of light as well.

 

Got them at Napa, I can't remember the brand name, but they came in a 2 pack for like $25 bucks, about 7 inches long and less than an inch wide.

Got the switch for like 3 bucks and had wires and weather proof connectors. They came with sticky 3m backing tape then I just decided where I wanted them and ran the wires.


Started by taking 2 lengths of wire, one yellow one black, about 10 feet long and taping them together. Yellow for hot, black for ground.


Cleaned up the underside of the hood and stuck the lights where I wanted them.


Then I took a temporary wire and got it through this channel here on the side of the engine compartment where my I wanted my final wires to go. For pulling through black and yellow.


You can see in this picture, my finger in the bottom right corner where it came through near the battery


Connected my pre-wrapped wires to the temporary wire. Strip, bend, twist and taped the ends together.


Pulled through easily, here you can see the yellow and black wires coming through.


I put these little grommets in all of the holes that i ran wires through, for protection.


Then I just fed the yellow and black wire up through the hoods frame to where I put the lights wires through. The pre-wrapped wires make it look nice and clean where the wires span from the hood compartment to the hood.


I put the lights wires in through this hole


Taped up the wires so they stay put. Connected lights to yellow and black wires, from earlier.


Close up of connection from the two lights wires, to the yellow and black wires.


Wiring at the switch


Pretty straight forward. Used weatherproof heat shrink connectors or heat shrink tubing over connectors that weren't weather proof.

Drilled a hole for the switch. Its like daylight under the hood at night now.

 

Do tell about the lights on the mirror, where did you get them?

 

https://global.rakuten.com/en/store/revier/item/lm-k009f-sp-sp/

 

Well damn that's pretty sweet

 

Super awesome, I'll be using your tutorial at some point to do mine! Don't worry though, yours will stay unique as I plan on having a switch activated from opening and closing the hood

 

copy it up, no worries.

Edit: redline tuning has auto-lift hood springs, that would be a neat addition to your auto-light switch from opening the hood. im gonna be getting them soon, its rid of the stupid support bar.

 

I love the LED lights under the hood!!!

 

The redlines I have and they are awesome

 

awww jealous

 

I think I paid around 100.00 or so,

It’s an inexpensive and nice add on