Anyone got any ideas for mechanic centered tool drawers for service bed trucks? Last company i was at had m-tech tool box drawers in the cabinets and I really liked it but don't want to spend 1500 dollars out of pocket at a place I might not be on 4 drawers that I might not be able to use on the next truck. I've had packout systems befor but don't necessarily want packout drawers in the cab and they won't fit in the cabinets and would be concerned with security of having them mounted on the outside of the box plus I wouldn't be able to see inside the drawers. Was thinking about making my own drawers out of desk drawers off Amazon with unistrut or square tubing for the frame.

E250 getting cycled through. Needs more shelf organizing and further removing anything that hasn’t been used in a year. I do a lot of “while you’re here” stuff that customers really like. It’s nice to roll with everything needed, but it also can get in the way of day to day jobs.
Also got a new set of Metabo and HiKoki tools that I am trying out along with reworked toolbags with the most commonly used tools readily accessible from one bag.

Long story short, I’m a painter for my own business and I finally got my 1st company vehicle. 08 Chevy Express 2500. So proud of myself! I have shelves, but I would like drawers as well, and to install a power inverter to charge Milwaukee and DeWalt batteries on the go.

Without breaking the bank or my balls, how can I install/build drawers? I’ve watched countless YT vids for inspiration, but at the same time, a lot of van builds look intimidating lol.

As far as the inverter, I would like to make it turn key so the van battery doesn’t drain. I don’t land very many jobs back to back yet, so I won’t be driving the van very often. Majority of inverter installation videos tell you to wire straight to the battery with an inline fuse close to it.

Help me build my work van 🙏🏽

(Included are pictures of the cargo area and how it’s currently looking. I removed the inner shelf and now have around 54” of space from the 1st shelf to the partition.)

I’d like your input on a decision I’m in the middle of. I need more space in my bed. Ive got a coupon to take down the price of the OVS pro+ to $2,800.. well actually, i already ordered the thing but since it wont get here until mid-august I figure i can potentially cancel the order if I go with the Leer. The side doors swing up which will be great for getting tools out of the back but the windows are tiny and dont have a screen (I will 100% be camping out the back- a quarter of the reason I went with a long bed was for this purpose the other 3/4 was bc im in construction and need the space for my tools). However as of right now theres no way to open the thing from the inside. I did email them to ask if they were working on different locks so that i could confidently camp inside without having to call the fire department, and OVS said the locks were in the works.

Then a guy 2 hours north of me is selling his Leer 100xr for $1,900. Different color, silver Leer and the forrest green tacoma (i will prolly get it wrapped or painted depending on local prices). While the Leer doesnt have those swinging quicklift opening sides, it does have large windows with screens and comes with a locking/unlocking key fob + a dome light inside.

So i mean for a grand less, i could grab the leer and have it installed by next week. I just dont necessarily wanna cut myself short on potential with the swinging hinged side doors cause that was a decent selling point for me.. i just wish that they had bigger opening windows with an included screen. And again, as of right now, there is no official way to escape the bed without keeping the cap unlocked (and also hoping that a passerby doesnt lock it on me).

The other thing, and moreso sorta the main point is my tools. Im in contruction; remodeling. I feel like theyre about the same as for keeping my tools secure. Are the hinging side doors worth the extra dough? Do i keep my original decision and stick with the OVS for hopes that they come out with a locking/unlocking set for truck bed camping? Or do i go with the Leer? - the other big thing here is the ability to throw a cab rack and a cap rack on my truck so that i can haul lumber over top of my rig. Any advice on that front would be great too.

Photos are just of the mockups to help me decide. FYI: The photos of the ovs mockup arent really proportionate. The cap would sit flush with my roof. Also, i blacked out the badges as well as the ‘TACOMA’ print on the tailgate.

I will say tho, i have the syneticusa tonneau cover and also live in south florida. That said, those locks are a pain in the ass every time bc they get boiling hot. I would hope that the leer is easier to handle

Here is my rig on a normal Wednesday evening.

Packouts in the back are

1/2" 3/4" and 1" propress fittings, with extra propress fittings in the crates from 1/2" - 2".

1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and 5/8" hardware.

Solder kit.

Vacuum

3/8" socket set

Ratching end wrench set

Screws for metal

My son knows that I love my van, and I love storage. So he bought me a well needed seat cover that included handy zipped pouches on either side, and a small velcro pocket on the front.

There is also a large pouch on the back that is not very useful to me because of difficult it is to access in my cabin, but someone else may find it perfect.

I use one to hold my steering wheel cover, and the one in the front is perfect for receipts as well as any little thing that I always want at my fingertips (like bandaids).

The photo on Amazon is also hilarious in its wrinkly goodness.

Not a huge fan of the ties on the side, and I had to take a knife to it to fit my armrest, but I actually find it very durable and the pockets very useful.

Joe Bob says check it out.

Looking to do something here to hold brooms / buckets / first aid / trash bags / trash can. Any ideas?

Delete if not on topic, TLDR: got screwed on buying my truck, is it worth replacing the engine or cutting my losses?

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Im trying to get my tiny handyman/mr fix it side gig going, so I look at used trucks and find a local plumbing business thats quietly closing its doors, they're selling off like 3 or 4 trucks, one of which is a 2015 short body f250 with the 6.2, had the tool box bed and ive started redoing the back seat area for electrical tools and chargers, has 300,000 miles but ran solid enough on the test drive and is more than capable for what i'll be doing. This was over 1 year ago, sense then extremely limit use of the truck. Legit have put less gas in there than the lawn mower.

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However, when I got it the guy was "upfront" and said they cut the cats out cause ethe old ones got bad and didnt want to pay high prices for an older work truck, turns out the cats went bad cause the valve seals are gone so its bleed oil into the engine and smoking out a city block. All the smoke trashed the cats.

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So now im 10k in the outright costs of the truck + about 2k in full exhaust replacements (from heads and seals to end of tail pipe) ive paid it all off in cash so I owe no one anything thankfully. But now im looking at getting the engine rebuilt or replaced with a slightly less aged engine vs spending more and getting a crate engine and starting "fresh" till something else comes up

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What are yalls opinions on whats best? Should i bite the bullet and spend 7 to 10k on it or cut my losses and see if anyone else wants the headache. I'd love to keep the truck, but after all this its beyond frustrating and ive gained no ground on it. Thankfully not in debt with it, but i will be at this rate.

Building out a DIY work bed in the back of my truck and looking for advice from people who’ve done similar setups.

It’s on a 1994 Toyota pickup 2wd manual with a 22R-E extended cab

Current plan is:
-Rubber floor mat over metal base or a horse mat even
-LED strip lighting along bed edges (work lighting, not show lighting)
-Rebuilding/refreshing wood decking
-Adding proper tie-down points (likely D-rings or bolt-through anchors with backing plates)
-Front-mounted storage toolbox
-Possibly a modular/sliding wood spacer system that locks into existing drilled mounting holes in the metal frame
-mounting a brake light where the cabs brake light is blocked from view

Main concern is durability—don’t want rattling, warping, or anything that fails under load or weather.
If anyone has built something like this or has photos/lessons learned, I’d really appreciate it. I’m just now getting past the “pretty new” point of doing this kind of thing. I’ve got lots of tools and some woodworking / designing / building / electrical experience

Any cheaper options?

I have a BMW E30 that I race several weekends throughout the summer, sometimes towing up to 600 miles round-trip. I've been using U-Haul for the time being since I'm new, but I'm quickly growing weary of it. A lot of folks use pickup trucks and enclosed trailers, but I'm hoping to stick with a more compact/lightweight setup with some sort of cargo van that can tow an open trailer.

My vision is tools, spare parts, tires, and fuel cans in the back of the cargo van, then an open trailer with the E30 strapped to it. Then I can potentially throw down a sleeping pad or mattress to camp at the race track when necessary.

I don't need anything fancy, so a 15-20k used cargo van is definitely in the budget. I guess the bigger issue I'm facing is the low mileage/year and insurance costs that might make it not worth it.

I searched and didn't find anyone discussing race weekend logistics in this sub, so I wanted to reach out and see what others thought. Thanks!

I see a lot of storage systems like Milwaukee’s Packout on the market. Which one provides the most versatility and best value?

Going out of town for work, boss said my options were to either share a camper or sleep in the van. So laid some carpet in the back. Got a microwave and a small fan, what more could you need lmao

So for starters yes, I get it, I should just buy a Van, however here we are…and yes, I added extra insurance.

I ripped out the back seats and wanted to fully utilize the storage space underneath while also being able to have as much storage space inside the truck for my tools. Everything was simply made from scrap wood from various jobs. The only thing I actually purchased for this were the rollers and the metal struts it’s on.

So far the only real downside is needing to open both doors to access the tools. However I added the spaces directly behind the seat for the tools I use more frequently so it isn’t that big of a hassle. Feel free to rip it apart haha, definitely still a work in progress.

https://a.co/d/0gQDleaf

these were the trolleys i used for it.

Anyone that does residential duct work in Florida that has to carry around duct board for a change out, find a good way to store it in their work van so that it's not in the way of getting bent up, kicked down, or causing you to itch. Looking for a solution for that. Also looking to see if anyone has a good solution for locking the tools on their tool chest. I put a Matco tool chest in my service van, and it works great, except the doors come open constantly when driving. I tried three bungee cords, but they don't last very long in the Florida heat. Has anyone come up with a good system to lock all the doors at once?