Cubby Box Fix

A Solution for An Annoying Problem

Ever since we’ve had the truck there’s an annoying issue that’s always been at the back of my mind. Or more precisely, at the back of my seat. You see, just behind the driver and passenger seats there are two cubby boxes that are accessed from the outside. They’re very handy and always full of paraphernalia. But the problem is that the stuff stored in there is always sliding about when driving. At times, it orients itself in such a fashion that is makes noises from moving about that we can hear from the seats in the cab. Since noise is always the first indication that something is amiss, we needed to isolate the gear so it was quiet all the time. Hence the organizer.

We had already made an organizer for the passenger side cubby box, as it was made to hold the new recovery gear we bought from Red Winches in the U.K. So that side was fitted out pretty good.

But the driver side was a mess. It’s where the wheel chocks, safety cones, engine diagnostic meters, tire torque wrench and of course, all the containers of fluids for the engine and window washer were stored. With so many different items is was always a problem. A few years back I made a separate box to contain the smaller items, but the bigger ones still just sat in the cubby box freely. But even the box I made was sliding around. The problem we had now though, was the fact that there were the two DC-DC chargers that operate when the truck is running, and they get hot. So having things sliding up against them isn’t good.

The solution to the problem was a tray that would accommodate everything and hold it fast, and a separate additional box to house all the fluid containers. So we got to work.

The first thing we had to do was create a cardboard template that was the shape we needed to cover the floor from edge to edge. Then layout the items in a manner that we figured was the most efficient. Not just for number of items being stored, but also for the ease of retrieving the various items when we needed them. Once done, it was just a matter of transferring the info onto some baltic birch plywood.

The second part of the project was a properly shaped box to hold the four litre containers of windshield washer fluid, engine oil and other miscellaneous items. The base is 3/4” plywood for a strong bottom, and the sides are 1/8” plywood to make the container as light as possible. The containers it houses are heavy enough on their own.

With the fit for all the components confirmed, it was a matter of applying the multiple coats of varnish to finish the parts. This happened over several days so the individual coats would have time to dry, and then be lightly sanded in between coats. Once done, the installation was quick.