DIY Sprinter Cargo Boxes
I constructed enclosed storage in the cargo area based on a design inspired by another blogger (Thanks Pete!). I liked the idea of a larger storage area on one side of the van and a narrow one on the other. There needed to be enough space between the boxes to park at least two bikes and store wider gear. This also left a clear path from the rear of the van to the front for carrying longer loads and to allow for access to the cargo area from both the rear of the van and the inside.
I had designed my 3-panel bed frame with the concept of allowing the front-most panel to drop down for additional bench-seating. To accommodate this and still allow for access to the storage boxes, I made each with a double lid so that one could be opened even if the bed panel was on or close to the top of the box. Rather than splitting the lids 50/50, the front lids were just a bit wider than the bed panel allowing for a larger lid opening in the rear when set up in that configuration.
Construction
I constructed the boxes using 1/2″ plywood with 1×4 and 2×3 bracing. This construction proves more than durable enough and is very light. I made 3-sided “boxes” since the inside would be flush against the stock paneling when mounted therefore the extra panel seemed unnecessary.
This is the bare-wood driver’s side box with the lids fitted in place. There’s a 4″ hinge support along the wall side of the box. This provides support for the top and is offset enough to allow room for the lid to be opened with ski-racks to be mounted on the wall behind.
I knew these boxes would get some pretty hard use with the loading and unloading of gear including bikes, skis, boats, etc…. Again, taking inspiration from another blog, I decided to cover the boxes with durable flooring.
My first attempt at this was a failure as I had chosen some PVC carpet protector (the black covering in the photo). Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it to adhere to the wood regardless of what adhesive I used. (I won’t go into details, but I tried everything including two-part industrial adhesives recommended by flooring companies.) It was strange stuff.
I had some extra coin-mat flooring left over, so I gave that a go and it worked much better. I installed indoor-outdoor carpeting on the top of the larger driver’s side box since it would hold gear in place better than the slick rubber flooring.
I trimmed the boxes with aluminum angle and left a lip along the top edge of the lids – also to keep cargo from sliding off the boxes. Lids were installed with cut-to-length sections of piano hinge and I ultimately installed small hydraulic struts to hold the lids open.
Here I’m checking the sizing and fit of the driver’s side cargo box. The boxes also had to fit between the two upright struts that are part of the bed-platform system.
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