A few months back I decided to convert the first row of seats in my Fortuner to additional storage space. 

The idea was to remove the seats completely and then build a lockable "box" in the space where the seats use to be. 

As I already had a drawer system in the back the box would have had to line up with that so I could have one big flat service for putting things on top. 

Firstly, I started by removing the seats and then taking the necessary measurements. Measurements would be retaken several times during the process to check and double check everything. 

This is the Fortuner with the seats taken out. 

As you can see there is ample space to add additional storage.

Once we had the measurements we did some CAD drawings of the basic idea and to see how it would fit together. Below are some of those drawings to give you an idea. 

The unit was designed with two hinged lids that would open towards the car door for easy access. 

The cutting list was very simple and did not require too much router cutting. 

We did not end up using the brackets above but we did cover the whole box in carpet. 

I took all the designed drawings to Laurie Dunn at Dunn Brothers CNC (https://www.dunnbrothers.co.za/) who I have used before for other projects. He then refined all the drawings and set out to do the fabrications. 

Booi applying glue to fit the carpet. 

The whole process took about 2 weeks as we had to wait on the carpets to arrive from Johannesburg. In addition to the carpet that was added, we put in two lockable lashes on both of the lids so I can pack things inside and keep it locked. 

The final product came out exactly as I envisioned from the onset of the project. 

The final unit before it went into the Fortuner. 

I filmed the process and have added the three Youtube links if you would like to see how exactly we got to the final product.

The first video show the removal of the seats.

The second video shows the final product in the Fortuner.

The final video is a timelapse of the manufacturing process. 

If you have any questions drop us a comment on here or on Youtube. 

Lastly special thanks to the following people for their help.

Ernst Eloff

https://www.instagram.com/ernsthdesign/?hl=en

http://ernsthinteriors.com/

Laurie Dunn and his team at Dunn Brothers CNC

https://www.dunnbrothers.co.za

Cheers