In Bed Storage Area

[Mr.Mike94103]

Would anyone know if it would be possible to use the bed well, the one used for the roll bars and foot area in the SUV build, as a tool storage area? I want the plain bed with no roll bar. It seems to me that the foot well would make a good tool storage area, if it's deep enough that is. I could rig some type of hinged cover hatch with a recessed locking latch. Might make a good place to store a jack and tire wrench. Of course you would want to take the jack and wrench out when you load up the bed, but most of the time that tool box area would be accessable. Anyone know if this might work?

 

[Oddballhero]

I was thinking the same thing, but have yet to see any pictures of it with the cover off. But we are most likely crafty enough to figure out a way to use this space.

 

[coregrind]

It appears to me, in vids I've seen, that the foot area for back seat passengers is fully inside the cab when in the stock layout as a truck. It doesn't look to me like there's any considerable space to be tapped into under the surface of the bed.

 

[KevinRS]

Pretty much the conclusion most of us came to from comparing photos of the truck and the SUV when the angles were right was that at most an inch or 2 if the "footwell" is outside the rear wall of the truck config. Those covers you see in the bed cover the area the rear seat sits and bolts in, as well as where the rollbars bolt on.

 

[EV Trek]

What is wrong with using the Frunk? You also might check to see if it will fit behind the seats. You will still need room for a spare tire, a jack and wrench are not much help if you don’t have a spare tire too.

 

[AZFox]

They call it a "Foot Garage".

See also: https://www.slateforums.com/forum/t...-seats-on-a-two-door-slate.14184/#post-211634

 

[coregrind]

They call it a "Foot Garage".

I don't like to use that term. I already get accused enough as being a foot fetishist as it is.

 

[Oddballhero]

What is wrong with using the Frunk? You also might check to see if it will fit behind the seats. You will still need room for a spare tire, a jack and wrench are not much help if you don’t have a spare tire too.

Nothing wrong with using the frunk, just looking at every inch of this little guy to get all the usable space. This "foot garage" is probably a great spot to smuggle stuff. No one will think to look there.

 

[007]

There's no hidden footwell. Toes go under the front seats and feet go behind the toes like most vehicles. There might be seat mounting hardware and wire connections under that panel.

 

[GrizzlysGhost]

There's no hidden footwell. Toes go under the front seats and feet go behind the toes like most vehicles. There might be seat mounting hardware and wire connections under that panel.

Nah man, passengers be like:

 

[kvermeer]

They call it a "Foot Garage".

Pretty sure the foot garage is mostly in the pickup compartment. That is a good thing, it means no wasted space that needs you to build a piano hinge thing or clamber into the front of the bed to access!

But if you look at how far back the seats are reclined when in pickup mode and where the hip point is, there's a big space for feet behind the seats but forward of the midgate. I think the panel covers the seat mounting points (which will be pretty much flush) and maybe provides a battery access point, but doesn't hide a lot of volume for storage.

Consider the "Interior Accessory T-Rail | Bulkhead" part:

https://www.slate.auto/en/store/ACCIU027

Or the Molle panel which also mounts on that bulkhead. Why would they offer those storage systems if there was no storage? Or heck, just look at the size of the B pillars!

I drove a single-cab Ranger, a single-cab 2001 F350 at work (we nursed that thing along to 380,000 miles!), I borrowed my Dad's single cab C1500 many times... you can fit a ton of stuff behind the seats in a single-cab pickup. A jack and 4-way for those of you who need a spare tire, a bag of ratchet straps, a coiled-up tow strap, a set of jumper cables (on second thought, don't really need those, except that I seem to use them to rescue other people's cars more than my own), a tool bag, stingers for the hitch, and other stuff that would clutter the frunk can probably go back there.

Alternatively, I'd like to buy (or build) a false floor organizer for the frunk: a 2x3 grid made from some 1x4s or something to keep the stuff organized, with a piece of plywood with carpet glued to it laid on top to separate it from groceries and bags you don't want kicking around mixing with the kid's soccer bag or whatever during normal use.

 

[FlyHappy]

Would anyone know if it would be possible to use the bed well, the one used for the roll bars and foot area in the SUV build, as a tool storage area? I want the plain bed with no roll bar. It seems to me that the foot well would make a good tool storage area, if it's deep enough that is. I could rig some type of hinged cover hatch with a recessed locking latch. Might make a good place to store a jack and tire wrench. Of course you would want to take the jack and wrench out when you load up the bed, but most of the time that tool box area would be accessable. Anyone know if this might work?

yeah, I'm with ya, but I've had a couple of thoughts that have evolved the more I see.

first - that large panel we see isnt a foot well, but most likely af a fairly shallow depression where the rear bench seat bottom mounts. If you closely watch some of the videos where they are showing the folding capabilities of the rear seatbacks, I think you get an idea of the likely depth there - not that much.

also, there's the possibility that they've designed the panel to run underneath the rear cabin vertical panel, making it much more challenging to create anything simple that maintains the design integrity of the cabin.

now, maybe that is enough for a low profile jack and such, but I think pooling water (rain/melt) could be an issue. I will be very curious once we get our hands on these things to see exactly how they've put all these bits together. I get that they've designed for the "bikini top" config (that would need to accomodate unexpected water), but its also easier for them to route water around with their own custom molded pieces vs our hacky home brew hatches.

 

[007]

I'm hoping find a way to strap a spare tire to the bed with 3 mounting points. I don't want the rear bumper thing. If I need the whole bed for something I'll remove the spare. I'll use a small hydraulic jack kept in the frunk or cab.

 

[FlyHappy]

I'm hoping find a way to strap a spare tire to the bed with 3 mounting points. I don't want the rear bumper thing. If I need the whole bed for something I'll remove the spare. I'll use a small hydraulic jack kept in the frunk or cab.

possibly upright, against the exterior rear of the cab? maybe something as simple as a rachet strap arrangement? would leave more of the bed floor available, as well.