Thanks for subscribing! I'm moving up closer to your neck of the woods later this year. How far are you from Louisville KY? You past Indy?

 

I'm about 6 or 7 hours from Louisville. It took me that long to reach there from Fort Wayne, IN (when I did a 17 hour run to Midway, GA [around Savannah, GA area] in February 2012).

 

I hope you won't be "like Gary", but better!

 

Don't worry Gary, there's no one in the world as crazy as you. I won't ever win that title from you.

 

Lotsa truth in that. I let strange people come to my house, people I've never met before.

 

The one I know of locally is called Greensleeves Farm. When you get back shoot me a PM. I'm about 2 hrs. from Louisville.

 

I have family in Carrolton. You live up around there? My wife and I plan on finding land anywhere around Louisville, from Carrolton all the way down to Bardstown. We've even thought of buying land in Indiana where its a little cheaper. But my granny just bought her retirement home in Mt. Washington and my parents know everybody in town there so I don't think I will have any luck getting them to move too far out of Mt. Washington. I will check out that Permaculture farm. Maybe when I get in town we can start up a Ford Truck meet and greet every other month or so.

 

I'm about 45 minutes northeast of Carrollton, on the Ohio river across from Cincinnati. I would be interested in a Kentucky Section meeting when you get here. Just let me know. Good luck with the move.

 

Guys, any ideas on how to hinge and lock this toolbox cover? I want it to sit flat enough to put a gasket of sorts behind it for sealing. And it needs a lock. The hinge must also go on the bottom, so I don't have to hold the door open while I am pulling tools out/in.

 

How thick is the door?
What material is it?

Use a piano hinge?

I would rout a recess so you can install a gasket and still keep it flush with the side.

They sell cheap file cabinet locks that would work well. (you need to find one with the proper depth and latch bar)



Might want to add a cable or chain so it only opens a little more than flat.
The extra space is handy for sorting through what you pull out without having to set it somewhere.

 

Diamond plate if I can find it cheap. If not, I will have to settle for whatever I can find. I am thinking anywhere from 10 gauge sheet (.0907" thick) to 1/8" plate. The 1/8" might be overkill though.

I downloaded a piano hinge and couldn't get it to sit right with the plate.

Great idea on the chain/cable. That using your noodle.

 

If you routed a groove it would set flat with the side.
If you attached the door to the inside of one leaf of the hinge then the pivot would be in the correct geometry to fully open.

But then you'd either need a hinge with a large space between leaves or have to set the inside leaf level to allow for the door thickness and the screws into the box.
It would be easy to fix this with a metal brake.

I don't think 1/8" is overkill.

I would probably plug weld the door to the hinge through those screw holes and grind them flat.

 

Route a groove around the perimeter of the square hole? For some reason I am having trouble visualizing how that's going to help. I think for this I will simply do an "AS BUILT" model of whatever I come up with in real life. I have a craigslist sell about to happen. SHould be enough to go get the lumber. But this weekend I am focusing on getting as much done on the cab as possible so I can paint it.

 

Where is your program having a problem fitting it to the plate?
I think you are trying to attach it flat, on the outside...

Fold it 180* and attach the door to the outside of the hinge.
Or 90* and attach the door to the inside of the vertical and the horizontal to the floor of the cavity.

My suggestion is to have the plate larger than the opening in the side rail.
Maybe 1/2" all around?
..or better, just top & sides if you decide you need to lay the hinge open 90*. that way it is flush with the bottom of the cavity.


This rabbet would be the thickness of the plate+the semi-compressed thickness of some self adhesive weatherstrip tape.

Then, the outside of the door would be flush with or slightly inset to the side of the truck when latched/locked shut.
Farm (ab)use will probably bend it anyhow but there's no reason to have it ready to snag anything that slides past it.
(like your leg when you slide over the side)

 

JUST FOR FUN. FOUND A 9" AXLE MODEL AND STUCK IT IN THERE.