The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Basic tool storage ?

So where do you guys store your basic tools for on the road...jack, lug wrench, basic wrench set...etc. ? No access to under the seat...at least on my 49 half ton...

...click...

Remove seat

A few tools in canvas rolls in the cab corners.

Hmmmm....I'll have to see how to do that...I thought the whole seat and frame came out together...

Thanks

i use something along these lines. http://www.acehardware.com/product/...3&cp=2568443.2568450.2628082.1259491
i got the idea from sweet. im able to carry everything i need to work on the truck for simple things. i also carry a spare fuel filter,rotor,points and condenser in there. if i need something bigger i need a hook anyway. having a firebolt with top side compartments and my big tote box on my 40 it makes stashing it easier than in a rugular pick up.

Thanks 51.... I've got similar bags...a few of them.

I guess (silly me) never knew that you could just lift up the seat cushion to access underneath...just never tried and thought one had to remove the whole frame...

Just push seat towards the back and pivot front up. I do it one side at a time. No latch to release, just tight friction fit. Once do it you'll see how it works.

I keep basic tools and parts in a Coke ice chest that my Dad and I used to carry to picnics in the mid '50s. It sits on a black 1/2" plywood base with a lip that fits inside the recess in the bottom of the Coke case. Difficult to see the base. Tool chest rubber drawer liner on the bottom of the plywood base keeps it from sliding around the bed.
> Coke Ice Chest

Larger items for a long trip would go in a RubberMade box.

Cmon you guys, don't you have confidence in your trucks??? I only haul a spare tire and jack in my truck and drive the darn thing almost every day (You watch the truck gods strike down on me for this and I'll be stranded along the roadside tomorrow.

Better not park that where you can't watch it Lonnie, those
Coke coolers in good shape around here go for close to
two hundred bucks.

I like that tradesman tool bag idea, orta keep everything from
rolling around under the seat. Gonna take a look at HF, they
always have them in their sales.

DG

Several years ago, I got a few of those HF bags for free - they are not as pretty as the Dewalt Tradesman bag, but they are handy and the price was right.

Yep, have a couple of those tool bags myself. I TRY to put what I think I need and especially for any odd or funny size bolts/allen's and a set of sockets ect ect ect. Its amazing what you can get in one of those and the ones I have, have "slots/pockets" inside the bag to keep things separate. I worked on getting a bag outfitted and leave it along. I just sit it in which ever vehicle I'm going to take a trip in.......Sometimes, like the panel, I may even throw my 120 pcs Craftsman set I've had for about 35 years.

cmayna, I don't even carry a spare locally. I trust my work but I'd rather have my fate in my own hands, on a trip, than some unknown garage to do some minor work... and pay through the nose.
If its that bad, yeah, call the TOE truck

I did the toe truck thing once......

now I carry a few tools under the seat.



pulled over flooded a few times, luckily I had the tools on the truck to get me home.

I do not worry about what I carry in any of my vehicles, unless I go on a trip longer than 125 miles each way. My insurance policy covers an unlimited number of flatbed "towing" of any vehicle in my family up to 125 miles per tow (and the first $100 of other roadside services like fuel delivery, battery jumps and lockouts).

I have a small tool box bolted to the running board. Seems like I use the tools most for working on something for someone else.

So far I don't go long distances...at least until I solve a few problems.. All I really wanted was a place to store a bottle jack and lug wrench... Didn't know how easy it is to remove the bottom seat cushion... I like all the ideas you guys have come up with though...Tool box on the running board must look cool

i have all the confidence in world in my trucks and the work i do on them. wait until your 100 miles from home when your on the side of the road or in a parking lot doing this then you'll carry more you do now. what i found is my bag helps others more than it does me. its a good insurance policy.

AMA card and a VISA Platinum card . LOL

AMA?...so you'd call a Doc to fix your truck .. LOL...Visa is a must..

I believe some of these trucks came new with a tool pouch

http://1954advance-design.com/Photos/Truck%20Tools/index.html

A tool kit was standard equipment up to 1948.

From 1949 onwards, the standard tools were jack and tire iron and a few other tire tools, depending on the model of the truck.
From 1949 onwards, the small-tools kit was a separate-purchase/cost accessory.

I have this fantasy someday of cutting a rectangular hole about 2 inches by 14 inches out of the front of the seat support and making a nice drawer that slides out with all of the tools in it. Using 1/4 turn (Zues) fasteners, one could secure it quite nicely. Done right, you would never know it was there. Just have to make sure it didn't weaken structural support.

Mr Dzus spelled it different but those fasteners are actually pretty structural, used a lot on aircraft

Bill

Boy Craig, bet your gonna live to regret this statement.
"Cmon you guys, don't you have confidence in your trucks???"

Good example popped up the other day. A buddy who is pretty
thorough in his work is doing a complete restoration on a '53.
Last week he got enough of it together to take her out on a run
around the neighborhood with the neighbor in the copilot seat.
The got a few blocks from the house and all of a sudden it
started running rough and then quit. All the ignition was
replaced with new parts during the rebuild and he'd run the
truck up in the drive many times since he finished rebuilding
the engine. After checking things out he found that the
spot weld on one of the tungsten point contacts had broken off
and the contact was laying in the bottom of the distributor.
Bringing the gap back down allowed them enough run time to limp
back home.
So, it's not always the fault of the mechanic, but more often
now days the poor quality of the parts that we are stuck with.
Point being, if he hadn't had some tools on board he might have
been stuck with a "toe?" or a long walk home to get tools and
spare parts.
I wouldn't fault anyone for carrying a basic tool kit and spare
ignition parts at any time, even if it were just driving around
town on a daily basis.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

My 1941 1 Ton has limited storage space behind the seat where I carry the original jack and tire tools. I have an RC Cola cooler bolted to the bottom of the bed which is where I carry spare parts, belts, oil, fluids, fuses etc. Works great, is weather proof and is secure. If I take a trip my tool bag is cable locked to the cooler handle just in case.

My next ride is a 1946 Suburban which cures the problem with lots of room.

Dave Murray
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Dave...something like this??
http://s1237.photobucket.com/user/55GMC/media/55underseattoolbox.jpg.html?sort=2&o=1

Took that pic over 20 years ago, always said I was going to do it one day...always liked the idea.
Would also be a good way to put in a hidden stereo.

Under the seat on my 49 along with the jack and lug wrench.

I bought one of these

I repainted it flat OD green and it rides in the jerry can mount like a normal fuel can. It works pretty good but it won't hold a lot of tools or anything very bulky. Good for your basic set of screw drivers, sockets, adjustable wrench (i.e., the Kentucky socket set) and pliers.

John

Having a dump truck it was pretty easy. Got a large ammo can, made a frame to hang it on the dump frame under the bed, hinged the lid and the box to keep everything in one place and easy to reach. Works great and keep everything dry.
The seat in my '56 comes out in one piece, but I noticed the space under the seat would fit a couple tool rolls or a flat pouch. There's also the possibility of finding a friend that can work in canvas/duck cloth and make something to hang inside the seat back between the seat back and fuel tank. I keep a pair of gum boots back there along with a binder with my paperwork and some parts info.

I had this problem with my retro good humor truck.With
the freezer box on the back.I had no storage area,so I
design a box behind the cab and front of the rear
fender, resting on the running board.I made it out of
wood and bondo. I made a model for one that would
become the metal one for both sides of the truck.Steve
http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s554/icecreamman55/004_zps39d0f889.jpg