Adding Back the Driver Side Bed Storage Cubby on 2019+ Models

Toyota removed the driver side bed storage cubby on 2019+ models. Nobody really knows why, but 2018 was the last model year that had the glorious extra storage cubby in the bed. Makes no sense other than cost savings, because nothing changed structurally that would prevent them from keeping it in the same spot.

So I decided to add it back!

These are the 2 main components:

Storage Box - Toyota (64742-04010)

Truck Bed Storage Box Lid (Left, Right) - Toyota (64074-04011)

They're pretty expensive brand new, but I was able to find a set on eBay in great condition for $150. You can definitely find them on the used market, or search your local junkyard for a score.



Additionally, you'll need some hardware to attach the box to the bedside. I'll list below what I used, but you can do this many different ways. I wanted it to match the passenger side. This way is basically 100% OEM-spec:

1/4-20 x 1" Allen-Drive Cap Screws (x6)

#10 Black Chrome Standard Flat Washer (x6)

$10 uxcell 1/4-20 Multi-Grip Rivet Nuts, 5pcs Pre-Bulbed Shank Flat Head Threaded Insert Nut 304 Stainless Steel Plus Nuts for Construction Industrial

1/4-20 Stainless Steel Plus Nuts (x6)

First step is to mark out the rectangle shape you'll need to cut out on the driver side bedside. What makes this "easy" is that the hole is EXACTLY the same as the one on the passenger side. So what I did was I removed the passenger side box (the one with the small cubby and power outlet), and CAREFULLY measured the location of that opening to transfer it over to the driver side.

These are the measurements for the opening:



Do what I did and lay down a bunch of blue painters tape first. Take your time and carefully draw the rectangle. I HIGHLY recommend the use of a ruler and a square.

***DISCLAIMER*** This is not for the faint-hearted!! You will be cutting a huge hole into your composite bed and if you fuck it up, well... don't blame it on me!!!

Here we go, get a drill bit and drill out the corners first. You want to drill so that the outside radius of the holes are still within the inside of the rectangle:



Now go change your shit-stained underpants because you just drilled your bed and there's no going back.

You'll quickly learn that whatever the composite bed is made of (it's very fiberglass-like) is not fun to work with. It makes a mess and it's definitely not good to breathe in. You should probably wear gloves and a mask. I didn't, but what's that saying... "do as I say and not as I do"?

Anyways, next you'll need to cut a straight line between the 4 holes to complete the rectangle. One important thing I want to note here is that you want to keep the 4 rounded corners from the drill bit. Having a straight 90-degree corner probably isn't the end of the world, but I'd imagine it be more prone to cracking/causing undue stress on the composite bed over time versus having a rounded corner.

I used an oscillating multi-tool with a fine-tooth blade to make the cuts, then it looked like this:



I then used a rotary tool with a sanding drum attachment to clean up the edges.

Now you can dry-fit the cubby box into the hole and mark out with a sharpie where the 6 holes need to be drilled out. The diameter of these holes will depend on which attachment method you go with. If you're doing it like I did and using the exact same plus-nuts I linked (these), then it's a 11/32" hole.

BEFORE YOU DRILL THE 6 HOLES INTO THE BEDSIDE --- Grab the rectangular piece that you just cut out and use it as a "practice" piece to test out installing the plus-nuts. It was my first time so I did 2 for practice, and they both went smoothly:



In terms of installing the plus nuts, you can use a riv-nut tool (like this), but I didn't have one or want to buy one. You can make your own DIY version using just a bolt, coupling nut, and a couple washers. I'm not going to go into detail on how to do this, because there are plenty of tutorials online and also plenty different ways to do it, but the way I installed them was using the first method shown in this video from the 1:10-3:30 minute mark (assembling) and 4:55-6:07 minute mark (installing).

I can't stress this enough but if you are new to installing these types of fasteners like I was, do as many practice pieces as you need to in order to feel 100% comfortable (just make sure you have 6 left for the actual install). You don't want to mess this up while in the bedside and risk having to cut it out.

Two reasons I went with "plus-nuts" instead of normal riv-nuts:

1. When plus-nuts compress, there are 4 large "wings" that fold down and compress against the backside. You can see these in the photo above. In contrast, when a riv-nut compresses, you only get a thin "ring". See this pic for reference. I felt that the larger wings of the plus-nut would provide a larger surface area and thus be more secure.
   
   
2. The thickness of the composite bed (measured from the above offcut) is 0.13". This is significantly thicker than your average sheet metal that riv-nuts are more commonly used for. This is called the "grip range" so make sure that whatever plus-nut/riv-nut/jack-nut you use can accommodate 0.13" thick material.

After you've dry-fitted the cubby box into the rectangle and marked out the 6 holes, go ahead and drill them out and install the plus-nuts:




CONGRATS! THAT'S IT! YOU'RE DONE!

Now just install the cubby box with the 6 bolts and washers, pop on the lid, and admire your work!



This was a long write-up, so thanks for sticking around! To give credit where credit is due, I took inspiration from RobMotive's video. That's where I got the part numbers for the bolts/washers from Lowe's. Only thing I did differently was instead of using Tee-Nuts like he did (which are really meant for wood), I used plus-nuts for a more permanent, secure, and OEM install.

Here's a final before/after shot. Good luck!

 

Great write up! Tempted to do this myself!

 

Great write up. I have pre 2019 with the box and note it is NOT even close to being watertight. I have tried to get it dry for strap storage. So spending +$300 for a wet box you could put a waterproof box in the bed

 

You are correct it is not weatherproof, just like the small one on the passenger side. There are some solutions (see Mike's Cubby Caps), however, it's not that important to me. I keep rachet straps inside a Ziploc bag in there so it works for me. I spent about ~$170 all in and I enjoyed the DIY project.

 

Very cool, just setting expectations

 

@Jlevitt95 Please download your pictures to this website, some of us, especially me cannot access whatever service you are using. Can't help you with how to do so. I get confused too.

 

Nice write up. I did the same a while back Cutting the hole sucked with all the dust.

 

I don't know how to do that. I tried going to Media > Upload Photos at the top but nothing would happen after I selected the image to upload.

I linked the images in the post via Imgur, are you not able to see the previews in the body of the post? I checked on mobile and they show up for me. Also if you click on them it should open the full image on the Imgur site, if it doesn't initially load try going to the address bar and hitting enter so it reloads. Let me know!

 

Nicely done great write up. I'm in Arizona - Metro Phoenix - come do it for me LOL -

 

I did the same and great work on the clean cuts! I also used an oscillating multitool but did not get the clean bottom cut. I also used M6 rivet nuts instead of plus nuts.



The bed stiffener has made this installation more awkward.

 

I did this to mine, got it out of a junk yard for $40

 

Nice score!

 

Great write up!

 

See: Posting Pictures | Tacoma World for instructions.

I just tried it in this thread post #9:
Aftermarket front bumpers damaging mounting location? | Tacoma World
so it works. My internet is very slow and downloading the one picture took 6-8 minutes and I repeated it several times before I found I was rushing things.

Your original post with pictures did show on my phone I found out later, but could not see or click the link and get anywhere on the computer.

 

Nice job!

 

Thanks! That is very helpful!

 

Thank you so much for this write up!!! I have found my solution to ducting heat from my Chinese diesel heater to my gfc, im planning on drilling out a hole in the cubby for a blast gate to clamp my heater ducts to from outside. This instructional write up was exactly what i was looking for, thank you so much

 

Why is that? Did it get in the way?

 

It did. If I were to do it again, I'd put the cubby first before installing the bed stiffeners.