DIY Gear Plate System 6th Gen 4Runner Hybrid

[Trail4R]

Ok guys, making the plunge on a plate system for the cargo area on the TRD OR Hybrid. I just removed all the plastics in the rear and it looks like it’s doable with a few notes, and maybe you guys can provide some feedback on how you would approach it.

I'll update the list with all the tools and materials soon:

• Total length around final plate (approx): 42” x 43”
• Total length of center bolt locations holding plate down (approx): 16”
• Total bolts used 7 (5 X M10 and 2 X M6 Factory Bolts)

Two new holes need to be drilled into the sheet metal above the battery. Obviously, you don’t want to use a long drill bit here. I'm going to use a step bit to open it up to my desired nutsert size (maybe M10s) on both sides. Then I’ll use the two current threaded holes holding the battery cover down and the two new Nutserts as final mounting points.

We’ll have about 10” - 12” of plate overhang on each side, so I think that should suffice. In a perfect world, we would have mounting locations at each corner of the plate, and it might be possible, somehow, but I don’t see it without drilling into factory plastics.

If you’re willing to drill into factory plastics, then that opens up other options, but for now, I’ll try to keep the plastics out of the equation.

What do you guys think? Is the 18” almost on center enough to hold the plate down, or would you start drilling into plastics to get a more stable plate all the way around?

I’ll also have a fridge slide on the passenger side, and if used enough, might start to bow the plate a bit.

I think we should be good with the 18” distance center of plat,e but let me know what you guys think.

 

[imukrox]

This is something I personally would not tackle. I would go with the upcoming Goose Gear solution that has the R&D put into it.
https://www.goose-gear.com/collecti...resent-lc250-explore-series-rear-plate-system

 

[Trail4R]

This is something I personally would not tackle. I would go with the upcoming Goose Gear solution that has the R&D put into it.
https://www.goose-gear.com/collecti...resent-lc250-explore-series-rear-plate-system

It’s also $1400.00. I love Goose Gear. I’ve run their stuff for years in my 5th Gen’s. I’ve run their plate system, and the full drawer system in two different builds. Amazing stuff no doubt but a DIY plate will probably cost $200 maybe??

It’s also not going to be that hard, just remove the plastics and drill two holes in the sheet metal. I bet Goose Gear will require drilling as well. But who knows I could be wrong.

 

[4RunnerNation]

Are you going to rhino line it, carpet, or leave it bare wood? What type of wood are you going to use? Birch or something else?

 

[kophoto4x4]

Nice! Get some good measurements and build it up in CAD and send it to sendcutsend and itll be perfect for half the price of goose gear

 

[imukrox]

It’s also $1400.00. I love Goose Gear. I’ve run their stuff for years in my 5th Gen’s. I’ve run their plate system, and the full drawer system in two different builds. Amazing stuff no doubt but a DIY plate will probably cost $200 maybe??

It’s also not going to be that hard, just remove the plastics and drill two holes in the sheet metal. I bet Goose Gear will require drilling as well. But who knows I could be wrong.

Definitely a fair point. Looking forward to seeing what you can come up with.

 

[Trail4R]

@4RunnerNation I purchased some marine grade carpet, but after seeing that the plate system needed a couple of spacers underneath to level it out, I'm debating on just rhino lining it. Wrapping the plate + the spacers and making everything look seamless might be a challenge. Who knows, still debating.

@kophoto4x4 - If this one doesn't work out for whatever reason, I might take the final measurements and send them off.

I got the final plate cut. It was exactly 42" X 43" with about 1/4" on each side of the plate at the wheel well plastics.

For mounting locations, I used the three existing holes in the center of the sheet metal and then drilled an additional two holes. The existing holes were a little bit too small for the M10 nutserts so I had to open them up with a step bit.

Two new holes were drilled towards the front. I used a paper towel beneath each hole as I was drilling to catch any metal shavings.

Here's a random pro tip for you. Use a set of clamps to clamp down on your nutsert gun handles slowly. You will have more control of how the nutsert flange sits on the surface of the sheet metal, which results in a perfectly seated nutsert every single time: no more awkward nutsert angles or bent sheet metal resulting in a cross-thread or misaligned bolt. I had to use this method one time for something random a while back, and I use it every single time now, given that I have the open space to do so.

Final five (5) nutsert locations on the sheet metal.

Now it's time to drill some holes into our plate. I threaded the bolts down all the way until the tip of the bolt was touching the sheet metal cover around the battery. Then I set the plate on top of the bolt heads and adjusted each bolt so that every head was making contact with the plate.

I started by setting the plate down first with a 3/4" strip of scrap birch behind the plate as a spacer to give the plate some breathing room from the rear seats, and tested the rear seat positioning. Then I propped the plate up with a paper towel roll to give me access to each bolt head for the paint. Once the plate was perfectly aligned on both sides and firmly against the scrap birch, I put a drop of washable paint on top of each bolt head (enough to fully cover the whole head) and carefully set the birch down on the bolt heads.

I let the plate rest there for about 10 minutes so that the bolt head would make it's indent in the paint - ultimately providing the final bolt locations.

Once the paint was dry, I used a 1" hole bit and a 3/8" drill bit to open the holes up. Once the holes were open, I cleaned everything up with a hammer/chisel. If you don't have a small enough chisel, a flathead screwdriver will get the job done. Go slow, take your time, and make sure the distance you're drilling into the plate doesn't exceed the height of the flange head on the bolt. You want the depth to be just enough to clear the flange but not so deep that you're removing needed material. You can always take more material out, but you can't put it back. Go slow, be patient.

These holes will get a 1" washer and the M10 flange head bolt to ensure the most possible surface area contact on the wood. In my experience, you don't want to use a regular hex head bolt and a washer. They will bow the washer and create too much pressure on the wood, causing the wood to crack and split, which results in a weaker plate system.

 

[Trail4R]

After reversing the plate and setting it back down in place, it appears the holes in the plate are not 100% symmetrical, so I had to rip another 1/4" off the passenger side. You can see in the photo below, the passenger side (right-hand side) is a little closer to the fender well plastics.

Everything is starting to come together, and we're almost there.

Next up are the spacers underneath the plate to add support in the center.

The sheet metal above the battery has quite a few differences in height. I decided to go with a location that provides the most surface area to allow more support underneath the plate. My final height was about 1 1/8".

I ended up ripping a board at 1" while adding a strip of carpet underneath the spacer board to add 1/8".

Using the same paint marking method, place the gear plate on top of the spacer with some paint on the outsides and center to mark the location, then add some liquid nails and clamp it together.

Once the liquid nails sets (takes 12-24 hours), remove the clamps and sand the whole board down and get ready for carpet. I also put three 3/4" flush screws into the spacer from the top to hold it in place.

Now is also a good time to test fit your washers, flange head bolts, carpet fitment, and cutting into the carpet to make sure everything fits inside the vehicle. I spent quite some time test-fitting the plate inside the vehicle, making sure each of the holes in the plate continue to line up perfectly with the nutserts. I had to open up the holts in the plate and the washers until the fitment was 100% perfect, and each bolt threaded down into the nutserts by hand. You don't want to cross-thread any bolts, and if something doesn't line up or if there's any resistance, you probably need to open something up to make more clearance.

I used liquid nails to glue the carpet to the plate because that's all I had on hand, although looking back, this was definitely overkill, and it's much harder to work with than something like high-temperature 3M adhesive spray. Preferably, you should use a spray adhesive on the carpet and the plate so you don't have any lines in your carpet for the finished product. I did end up with a few noticeable lines but in the dark, you can't really see them.

Once I had the surface of the carpet glued down, it was time to staple everything around the edges. I cut the carpet with a 2" overhang all the way around the plate. Then I watched a few YouTube videos on how to lay carpet around square edges and got to work.

Check out this video for reference on how to wrap carpet around corners.

The corners turned out amazing.

 

[Trail4R]

Here is a look at the top of the plate. The fit and finish are starting to come together, and the plate looks amazing. Honestly, looks better than the factory carpet. Thicker, stronger, and doesn't wear so easily. Starting to get pretty stoked right about now.

I opened up the holes in the carpet with the backside of a screwdriver and then finally punched a hole in the center. Then I cut four slits in the carpet in order for the washer and flange head bolt to seat correctly.

All the holes are cut. The washers and flange heads are sitting just below the final grade.

I used some rubber grommets to finish off the plate so that no dust and debris get inside the holes. Such a small addition always takes finish work to another level. You can use rubber grommets like this or just find some exact-size plastic cover caps.

Test fitting the plate again, and again.

After placing the main shroud back in place for a final fitment, I forgot that there was a big 4" length of factory plastics that I had to clear. I had to take a 4" section of the spacer out and re-carpet the end.

And I didn't want to drill into the factory plastics, but we had to. Not really a deal breaker for me, though. If you were to ever take the plate out and put the factory battery cover back on, you would never see this hole.

Final fitment with the plastic shroud back on.

Test fitting the plate again with the shroud on. I was able to hand-tighten all of the bolts down all the way. Everything fits and looks amazing. I was kind of shocked at how good it looked. Again, this carpet looks better than the OEM carpet. Looks amazing. So stoked with the final result. I'll post up some final pictures with all the plastics on soon.

I still have a whole 12V power system, secondary battery, charge controller, additional 12V ports, USB ports, fridge slide, and fridge going in soon.

 

[4RunnerNation]

Looking good, dude. I've run Rhino-lined gear plates from AJC in the past, and those are hard to keep clean. Really curious to see what this will look like after a trip out wheeling/camping. Every time we go out, my gear plate gets caked with dust and debris, and because it's textured, it's almost impossible to keep clean. I like the idea of carpet over Rhino-lining. Keep us posted on how the power/fridge setup comes out.

 

[TRD JON]

Dang that looks great bro! OEM!!!

 

[Trail4R]

@TRD JON - it's even cleaner in person. Incredibly stoked with how this turned out. Waiting on a new fridge slide and fridge to finish it and then i'll post up some final high res shots.