Just finished putting some tool boxes in my truck. I used Ammo cans for 40mm Cannon shells I believe. They were cheap on Midway USA https://www.midwayusa.com/product/19...6-1-2-x-10-1-2 . They latch on both sides and are made of heftier gauge steel than other types. I got the Grade 3 because they were cheapest and had good reviews. They had minor surface rust on some seams when I got them, a few small dings here and the. I wire wheeled them and cleaned with brake cleaner, I only really wire wheeled the rusty spots, I decided to let the original OD matte paint act as primer and sprayed Rustoleum Medium Grey over it to try and blend in with my truck.
I drilled 4 1/4" holes in the bottoms and then squared them with a dremel to accept 1/4-20 carriage bolts so they can be removed by one person if needed. Stainless Carriage bolts 1/2" or 3/4" would work better but I had bought the bolts ahead of time and didn't want to make another run to the store.
I also drilled the holes the same pattern on both so if I remove them I don't have to worry about which side they go on. The sides are in line with the inner side of the wheel well so I can still slide 4x8 sheets in the bed. On the Left side box be careful not to drill into the fuel filler tube under the bed, and don't do what I did by measuring off of the Right side and finding that the Left side has an indentation in the bed wall that moves the box over slightly.
Also when you do your own make sure to leave enough room so that you can pop the latch open with the tailgate closed.

PICS!!









I actually fit quite a bit of stuff in them, that's why I got the larger size boxes. Snow Chains, Tow Strap, cargo net, ratchet straps, 2 skeins of rope, misc hand tools, small clamp on light, and most importantly I taped a 7/16 wrench on the inside of one of the lids so if I ever need to pull them out I don't need to go hunting for the right wrench.

Enjoy

 

NIce. I have been thinking of doing this since I do not care for the look of a tool box on a truck and somebody stole my bungee straps out of the bed of my truck.

 

Very cool idea, and they look good, too.

 

I've got those cans strapped to the side of my motorcycle. They make a bigger version of the 40mm ammo can too, if you find yours getting cramped.

 

I really like your idea. Can you lock the cans?

 

I don't have locks on my cans, hence the grey paint to blend in. There are many ways to set up ammo cans to be locking. If I run into theft issues with someone steeling $10 worth of ratchet straps then I will do some locking stuff, but the locks would cost more than the contents at this point.

 

Locks depend on where you live too...some people will steal shlt just because they can, regardless if it makes sense whether the things are valuable or not. If I lived in Baltimore City, I'd lock it. If I lived in casper Wyoming, not a chance.