So this next part may be a little controversial, but it was merely a means to an end...
Sadly, the smooth steel side saddle toolbox I used on Gladiator v1.0 is no longer in production, and I just didn't want the visual asymmetry of checkered aluminum on one side with open air on the other. To make matters worse, the Gladiator bed has the fuel filler neck protruding into the interior space, so much so that a typical crossbed toolbox will not drop in. There are a few options on the market to alleviate the situation, but they all involve a tapered bottom section that just robs too much real estate for my taste, not to mention basically forcing everything you drop into the toolbox right out to the center where it's the most difficult to reach
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
As such, I was on the hunt for a way to make a standard box fit and about the only viable solution I could come up with was to jack the box up enough to clear the filler neck. In doing that, I was left with a cavity between the bed rail and the toolbox, which ended up seeming like a good place to stash a fire extinguisher. But, what to do on the opposite side?
![Confused :?](./images/smilies/icon_confused.gif)
Let's fab an air tank
![IMG_2555.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2980&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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![IMG_2697.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2985&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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With that handled, it was time to figure out how to mount all of this junk. This Gladiator isn't as highly equipped as my previous unit, so I didn't have the super handy "trail rail" system inside the bed. That problem, however, was easily solved with a couple chunks of stainless Unistrut:
![IMG_2636.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2981&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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![IMG_2637.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2982&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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Time to mock up raised the toolbox location:
![IMG_2638.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2983&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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![IMG_2639.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2984&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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Not being horribly upset with things at this point, I spent a few minutes making some simple brackets for mounting the toolbox and fire extinguisher, and then mounted the air tank directly to the toolbox:
![IMG_2701.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2986&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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![IMG_2705.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2987&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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![IMG_2706.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2988&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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At this point I stood back and looked at the mess I'd made, and quickly realized the jacked up toolbox, while functional, left the rest of the bed just looking, well, empty. I played around with a few ideas and landed on a version of a "bed rack" that is still marinating, but the foundation has been mocked up with some 1-3/4" tube:
![IMG_2719.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2989&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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![IMG_2722.JPG](./download/file.php?id=2990&sid=83604d758509228b3b504930ace8a257)
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The plan will be to add crossbars that are just proud of the top of the toolbox to allow longer pieces of, uhhhh, whatever to be slid over the top of the box in a effort to keep as much utility as possible. The front cross bar will be fully welded in, but the rear bar will be removable with tube connectors so that I can pull it out and haul taller items if necessary. I'm out of 1-3/4" tube at the moment so hopefully I'll hop back into the project over the weekend.