Hey everyone thought I would post some pics of the tray I am in the process of building for my 2012 Xtra Cab Sr Hilux. Despite what everyone says we went for a full steel tray. Yes it’s heavy BUT it is strong, I don’t have to pay someone to weld it and I can get steel a lot cheaper and quicker!
Step One - Basic Frame
The whole frame of the tray is made out of 75x50 RHS with 100x100 angle set down to tray mounts.
We set the tray up around 40mm to miss the shocky mount, rather than notching out the main rail on the driver’s side which some tray builders will do!!
Step Two – The back bar
With an obsession with straight lines and symmetry this became my project while my dad started to tackle the head board. Starting out with a piece of 125x50 RHS I began to chop holes for flush mount LED lights and inset 2x Single 10W LED Narva’s as reverse lights. In setting the reverse lights became a bit of a challenge but with a bit of 100x100 box the job was made a lot easier and lights are still fully accessible.
With the lights all set in and flush I decided to seal up the back side as much as possible from water, mud etc. with some plate bolted on. After this was complete I needed to add a small section to the bottom of the bar to allow the number plate to sit under the number plate light. I used a piece of 25x50 RHS cut and filled to make it look like its meant to be where it is.
Ok with the main bit complete I welded it to the main rails sitting 50mm under the rest of the rails to allow me to lay some 75x50 RHS across to give me an overhang of 50mm to protect the lights from rear tray side.
I can’t remember exact wall thickness but I used 50x50 box for the upright support of ladder racks that allowed 40x40 box to slip in nice and tight. I then split a cut off of the 125x50 RHS and cut out the hole for the tie down point to drop in and welded it in. This was the back bar all done and looking good.
Step Three – The head board
Well as much as id like to take credit for this part of the tray all credit has to go to the old man. This was the part we wanted to make different to any tray out and stand out. Dad put the idea to me that we use cow rail (oval steel) to make it rather than tube. Hesitant at first and after hours of trying to find if it had been done I came up with nothing and figured this could be an interesting and good looking thing so we went with it.
Mastering the angles a seamless job was done first go (everyone said this was the hard part) and we were both stoked with the outcome.In looking at this we both realised a lot of potential in this bar. Being 115mm wide a lot of space was up for use and a fuel tank was the first thing that came to mind. So the build began. First of all a large bit of 100x150 RHS was welded in to the base this become the bottom of the tank and where we attached it to the main rails.
A fill point cut flush in to the side of the cow rail became the standard keeping with the flush look of the tray. After a trip to the wreckers and one soon became two fuel fillers. We decided to put a water tank under the tray and why not run its filler through the tank to hide it? Good idea we thought.
A length of cow rail was used for the top of the tank to keep the rolled edges across the whole tank. And yet again we loved the look. While all this was going on I began to make up the infill for the head board. We wanted this to complete the look of the headboard but not make it look too chunky.
100mm tube was selected for the uprights and 40mm was used for the cross bars. Running the cross bars through the uprights was a good option once the initial marking was done it made placing the uprights exactly where I wanted them an easy thing.
With the heavy bottom bar put on an oxy diet some weight was lost and the main frame of the tank was nearly done. After putting the infill in place we thought we were done...But with a late brain wave taking inspiration off the hidden water tank filler…. hidden diff and fuel tank breathers grow into a reality.
Running hydraulic tube through the tank and up to where the uprights of the infill sat we had a diff breather tube! We also drilled a hole on the other side as a tank breather in to the upright (didn't get a pic of that one oops). The tube is bent as it is to put it closer to the centre and inside the rails. The back side (tray side) of the tank was welded on first the chequer plate was set up a touch over 100mm to allow for the 75mm of the cross rails and a 25mm lip I had bent in the floor plate so the join wasn’t in the corner
Some fittings were welded in to the bottom of the tank. On the far left is a drain plug the next along is for the fuel line and next to that is the diff breather point. After this was done and the tank was scrubbed and cleaned the front was welded on (as shown next)
Step Four – Putting it together.
Out of some scrap steel a frame was built for the tray to be welded on. At this point it was all only tacked together wanted to do as little as possible near the new car! And finally it looked like a tray! With the head board in place it was time to start to join it all up. The cross rails were capped with some plate and some 50x25 RHS and 25mm tube was run along the sides.
This is as far as we have got with the tray as we both have gone away for work. Hope you liked it and updates will come as the tray is finished. Please let me know what you think.. Thanks Ryan.
