BOX ASSEMBLY AND TEST FITTING

My first full day off work had finally arrived, and I planned to make the most of it. The goal for the day was ambitious but straightforward: assemble the main box, install the drawer slides, and hopefully see everything sitting in the back of the 4Runner for the first time. If all went well, I'd end the day with a functioning drawer system instead of a garage full of plywood. Naturally, things didn't go exactly according to plan. The first hurdle was entirely self-inflicted. The plans called for attaching the top to the box by driving screws down through the top panel before covering everything with carpet. Unfortunately, I'd gotten a little ahead of myself and had already wrapped the top the previous day. There was no way I was about to drive screws through brand-new carpet. Luckily, I had a box of 1-inch pocket screws left over from another project. After cutting pocket holes along the inside of the box, I was able to secure the top from underneath. Honestly, I think I like this solution better than the original design. It leaves the top completely clean and, as an added bonus, makes it possible to remove the top later if I ever need to. Earlier in the build I had cut large openings into the base to save weight. At the time it seemed like a reasonable idea, but I hadn't really thought beyond that. As it turned out, those openings gave me just enough access to reach inside the completed box and install the drawer slides. Without them, I honestly don't know how I would have gotten a drill inside with the top already attached.

With the box assembled, squared up, and the slides installed, it was finally time for the moment I'd been looking forward to. The first test fit. Lifting the box into the cargo area, I honestly expected to find at least one measurement that I'd messed up. Instead it dropped right into place. The fit against the interior panels was almost exactly what I'd envisioned. For the first time, I could step back and actually see the project taking shape inside the truck instead of scattered across my garage floor. Naturally, I couldn't stop there.

I grabbed the drawers to see what they'd look like installed. The passenger-side drawer slid in perfectly. The driver's side...Not so much. It fit—but only technically. It was far tighter than I was comfortable with, and there was no way it was going to operate smoothly once carpet was added. After standing there for a while debating my options, I decided the simplest solution was to trim the drawer itself. Unfortunately, that meant removing most of the screws I installed so I could run the side back through the circular saw. Using the guide track once again, I carefully shaved a narrow strip off the side of the drawer. I'll admit, I wasn't thrilled about removing material from already thin ½-inch plywood. I still have some concerns about long-term durability, but at that point I didn't really have another option. Thankfully, it worked. Both drawers now slid into the box exactly the way I'd hoped. With the drawers resting on a set of ¼-inch spacers I had 3D printed specifically for this step, I could finally attach the drawer slides. Getting everything aligned took quite a bit of trial and error. A small adjustment on one side would affect how the drawer closed on the other, so it became a process of tweaking, testing, and repeating until everything felt right. When it was finally dialed in the drawers opened and closed like they were on ball bearings, which they were. Of course, fixing one problem revealed another. Because I'd trimmed the drawer sides, the screws securing the drawer slides now protruded into the inside of the drawers. I didn't have any shorter screws on hand, so the Dremel came back out to grind every screw flush with the plywood. Since the rotary tool was already plugged in, I used it to smooth the finger cutouts in the drawer trays before switching over to the jigsaw to cut the openings in the drawer faces for the recessed handles and locking mechanisms. Looking at the raw plywood faces, I decided they needed a little attention before installation. I had some leftover flat black paint sitting on the shelf, so both sides received a quick coat before being mounted to the drawers. With the major components complete, I turned my attention to the side filler panels. My main concern here was simply making sure they fit correctly. After a little sanding and wrapping them in carpet, they filled the gaps beautifully and really helped the drawer system look like it belonged in the truck.

I deviated from the plans yet again by attaching these panels with pocket screws instead of permanently fastening them. During my research I'd seen some really clever ideas—air chucks, power panels, switch panels—and I realized I might want to do something similar someday. Using pocket screws means I can remove the panels in a matter of minutes and replace them with something more functional later without tearing the entire system apart. Before calling it a day, I installed the turnbuckles and their mounting points. The plans only called for two, but I doubled that and installed one in each corner. Four tie-down points seemed reasonable to prevent having a plywood missile in the back seat.

Looking around the garage, I noticed there was still an intimidating pile of parts waiting to be assembled. The project somehow felt both almost finished...and nowhere close. I figured I had enough energy left to tackle one more item, so I moved on to the sleeper platform. Compared to everything else, it was refreshingly simple. A few jigsaw cuts, some carpet, and before long I had a fully functional platform sitting on top of the drawers.

Nine hot, humid hours after I walked into the garage, I finally called it a day. The drawer system was operational. The sleeper platform was complete. And for the first time, I could actually picture the finished product. After sweeping up what felt like half a forest worth of sawdust, carpet scraps, empty water bottles, and random offcuts, I looked back at the project and had one final thought. With nearly twenty hours already invested... I briefly wondered if spending two thousand dollars on a prebuilt system might have actually been the better option.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Going into the final day, I was convinced I was almost done. All that remained were the hinged side panels and in my mind, they were just a couple pieces of plywood, a few hinges, some carpet, and I'd finally be finished. The instructions, however, had already warned me these would be the most difficult part of the build. Naturally, I found a way to make them even harder.

From the very beginning I had envisioned the top of this drawer system looking like one continuous surface. I didn't want raised hinges or obvious transitions between panels. I wanted everything to follow the contours of the cargo area and look as close to factory as I could make it. Thankfully, the plans included templates that got me close. After transferring the templates to plywood and cutting them out with the jigsaw, I started sneaking up on the final shape one cut at a time. Once I was happy with the overall fit, I mounted the piano hinges I cut to the length of the panel. Before installation I sprayed the raw hinge edges with black primer to help prevent rust and added a small dab of epoxy to each end of the hinge barrel. The chances of a hinge pin working itself loose are probably pretty slim, but after spending this much time on the project, it seemed like cheap insurance. I deviated from the plans once again when it came time to mount the hinges.

The instructions called for laying the hinge across the top surface, but I thought that interrupted the clean look I was after. Instead, I recessed the hinge between the two panels. With the hinges mounted, I could finally start fine-tuning the fit. This ended up being one of the most time-consuming parts of the entire project. I'd set a panel in place, grab a marker and highlight every spot that touched, pull it back out, knock those areas down with a 40-grit flap disc on the angle grinder, then repeat the process. Again. And again. And again. Each trip back to the truck removed just a tiny bit more material until eventually the panels settled into place exactly the way I had imagined. They followed every contour of the interior and sat perfectly flush with the rest of the drawer system. That was the moment all the extra effort felt worthwhile. With the fit finalized, I wrapped the last panels in carpet. I did manage to run out of adhesive on the final piece, so that one relied on staples around the perimeter and a bead of epoxy along the hinge edge to keep everything sealed down. To install the panels, I had to remove the entire drawer system one last time. One problem immediately presented itself.

Because I had wrapped the edges of the top in carpet, I now had to drill through carpet to mount the hinges. As it turns out, drilling through carpet is awful. The fibers just wrap around the drill bit instead of making a clean hole. After a little experimenting, I grabbed a soldering iron and melted each hole before drilling. It worked perfectly, sealing the carpet edges while giving me a clean hole exactly where I needed it. With everything bolted together, I slid the drawer system back into the 4Runner for what I hoped would be the final time. It looked exactly the way I had pictured it. Even better, the first drive was pleasantly surprising. I expected at least a few squeaks or rattles that I'd have to track down but instead It was quieter than before. Apparently plywood and automotive carpet make pretty decent sound insulation. Not everything was perfect, though. The hinged panels ended up about three-quarters of an inch too long where they meet the rear seats. It doesn't affect normal seat operation, but with the seats upright I can't open those storage compartments, and more importantly, it prevents the sleeper platform from setting up correctly. It's an easy enough fix, just not one I was interested in tackling after spending nearly twenty-five hours in a hot garage. That sounds like a problem for future me…Preferably during a month that doesn't feel like the surface of the sun.

With the woodworking finally complete, there was one last detail I wanted to add. I'd seen several commercial drawer systems that offered CNC-cut hexagon drawer fronts, and while they looked nice, I wanted something a little more personal. One design element has quietly become part of The 4Runner Files over the years: topography. It's all over the website, and I liked the idea of carrying that same design language into the truck itself. Originally I planned on printing the panels in black and white. Then I remembered I had a spool of gold PETG sitting on the shelf. The gold paired surprisingly well with the interior and gave the drawer system just enough contrast without looking flashy. After printing the pieces, I mounted them to the drawer faces, instantly giving the entire project a finished look that was uniquely mine.

FINAL THOUGHTS AND SHOPPING LIST

About 25 hours of labor. Just under $700 in materials. Countless hours researching, planning, second-guessing myself, redesigning parts, and obsessing over details that most people will probably never notice. Could I have spent two thousand dollars on a professionally built drawer system and saved myself a lot of time? Probably, but it wouldn't have been this drawer system. Every deviation from the plans, every custom bracket, every pocket screw, every 3D-printed jig, every lesson learned, and every small mistake along the way made this project my own.

It's easily the biggest project I've tackled on the 4Runner, and without question one of the most satisfying.

Now...I don’t suppose my wife will buy “its too hot” as an excuse any more when I put off her projects.