Wheel Well toolboxes/storage

UTfball68

UTfball68

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2008
Location
Granite Quarry
So as I start working on my 79 Bronco again, I wanted a legitimate spare parts/tools storage solution, rather than a loose diamond plate box and stuff scattered around back. I want to retain my back seat. I think the perfect solution would be those 'half' wheel well tool boxes. I got looking at those things, plastic tub style versions are $100-150/ea...diamond plate are $150-250...and if you want drawers in the end you're looking in excess of $500/ea. I'd be running them on both sides, so purchasing is more than likely out, unless someone has links to cheaper. Now my thought is start bending some sheet metal, and I can make my own...run them from the back of the tub, to just behind the front seats (roughly 5 ft). Should have enough width between the rear bench and body to fit a spare drive shaft and axle shafts in both sides, other extra parts and tools. Primarily looking to see if anyone else has made similar and has pics, and I'm not exactly sure what would make sense for a lid either.
 
What about building a stand to mount a regular tool box above the wheel well? Leaves storage underneath and organizes tools.. I'll post a pic of what I've got in the back of my XJ if you're interested but mine is mounted to where the drawers slide to the rear because it's my work service vehicle.
 
a_kelley said:
What about building a stand to mount a regular tool box above the wheel well? Leaves storage underneath and organizes tools.. I'll post a pic of what I've got in the back of my XJ if you're interested but mine is mounted to where the drawers slide to the rear because it's my work service vehicle.
Click to expand...

Feel free to post any pics...didnt really wanna go over the wheel well for when o have the top off, and trying to keep stuff from being permanently mounted in the cargo area, so I can still flip the seat up and have an area to sleep. I figure if I can keep it 4.5-5'Lx 4-6"Wx 18-24"H, I can pull out the interior panels, keep it under body lip and really not lose any space.
 
Now I comprehend the solution you are looking for.. a compact compartment to use presently unusable space, as opposed to creating a larger space for tool/parts storage. Likely easiest would be a bin with a hinged lid/front, with a bottom and access from above for the length of it, with fold down doors/drawers for space fore/aft of the well... Into mspaint cad (Computer Aiding Drawing...yeah..).. five minutes later I think this is what you are envisioning.... simplified a little bit, but you could do a bin type lid at the top and cabinet type doors under the shelf. Most likely it would be easiest to build it onto the truck permanently, and if you don't extend beyond the wheel well into the center, you won't really lose any space that wasn't really useable to begin with. if you do the top lid, then you could add dividers to customize how you want it..

wheel box.jpg
 
Since this is custom, you could cut out the inner body wall and extend the box into the body shell and gain ~4" or whatever the depth of the body is behind the panel since you will be welding/riveting it in anyway so it won't be as if you were just cutting the panel out and not reinforcing it. just a thought.
 
Any of the boxes you mentioned are very economical for what your getting. I personal like some of the molded plastic ones; except for the hardware on them. They fit tighter and use the space better.
The fact that many have drawers and slides makes the metal box prices justified in my opinion.
Try and buy good hardware and sheet to reproduce them and hit the higher quality mark and you'll spend double.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Any of the boxes you mentioned are very economical for what your getting. I personal like some of the molded plastic ones; except for the hardware on them. They fit tighter and use the space better.
The fact that many have drawers and slides makes the metal box prices justified in my opinion.
Try and buy good hardware and sheet to reproduce them and hit the higher quality mark and you'll spend double.
Click to expand...

Agreed...if I didn't already 'kinda' have the boxes I mentioned (a couple 3' diamond plate boxes mounted against the wall in the cargo area), I wouldn't have thought twice about buying. But then the mind got wandering about covering everything I'd want secured (axle/drive shafts). I figured with the Jeep guys on the page, I probably wasn't the first guy to want a narrow profile storage solution with some length to it.
 
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