As some may have guessed, I'm a bit OCD about squeaks and rattles and despise both in my vehicles. I have had the Mac's Black Box in my Jeep for 6+ years now as my wife bought it for me for Father's Day in 2015. It is an awesome toolbox and keeps all my tools secure and locked away but also allows very easy access and has a top slide that serves as a work bench when the drawer is open. I have thoroughly enjoyed having this box in the Jeep and Lord knows I have it loaded heavy with tools and gear. I am certain I have at least met and probably exceeded the weight capacity of the drawer and it has taken it.
I think I have shown pictures before about how full the drawer is. Most of my tools are in soft-sided bags to allow easy access to what I happen to need and just as importantly to keep the tools quiet and rattle free in the drawer. Things like the handle to my bottle jack and torque wrenches that are not in soft-sided bags get wrapped in towels to protect them and keep them quiet as well.
One of the first indications that I had the toolbox loaded heavy was the locking latch had broken on me twice. Mac's was great about replacing them under warranty but I wanted something more "stout". One of the first posts in this 2.0 thread shows how I machined a steel latch pin to replace the OE aluminum one. I had machined a couple for friends that were experiencing the same issue and none have failed thus far. Next about three years ago I was having issues with the rivets and screws that hold the drawer slides coming loose which I am certain was due to the weight I had in it. To correct the issue I made some phenolic glide blocks that I secured up inside the front edge of the enclosure in which the box glides up onto the last inch plus as it closes. These blocks support the weight at the front of the box while closed and that weight isn't sitting on the drawer slides.
Well fast forward to this past year and I have had a couple of "creaks" in the rear that I have been unable to locate until last month. I kept rearranging the toolbox and re-wrapping things in towels thinking that something was rubbing against something else. During the trip to Afton, WY in July and having a pavement day going into Teton NP it drove me up a wall. I determined it was the front face of the drawer (rearmost part) just inside the rear tailgate that had sagged slightly and was resting on the bottom of the enclosure and thus creating the creaking noise as the metal to metal contact. Upon arriving home I again removed everything from the drawer and including the drawer to "tighten" up the rivets holding the drawer slides to the drawer. They weren't too loose so I figured things had just worn a bit creating enough clearance that the drawer now rested against the bottom of the enclosure. To test my theory I taped a couple of small .125" thick pieces of aluminum to the bottom of the drawer enclosure which created a step for the drawer to park on. It worked so well I had almost forgot about it. During the Ouray, CO trip as well as the Spearfish, SD wheeling trips it was quiet and squeak free the entire time.
Last night I decided to fabricate a more permanent solution. I cut some pieces of .125" aluminum 1.25" x 3" in which I also put a slight bend on the front .250" edge to create a "ramp". I then cut two more pieces in which would serve as the mounting flange to rivet them to the box's enclosure. I then welded the two pieces together, bead blasted and painted them a semi-gloss trim black and riveted them in place. They are barely detectable when I open the rear tailgate but have been working perfectly.
These two pieces in combination with the front two glide blocks now create a solid ledge for the drawer to sit on when in the closed position so the weight of the drawer and its contents are not sitting on the drawer slides while bouncing down the road or trail. Within the last inch plus of the drawer's travel it glides up onto these four blocks (2-front/2-rear) and therefore have a solid resting place.
Here is the preliminary markings on the aluminum after taking some measurements of the drawer's face and leading ledge. The dotted line will be the point where I put it in the brake and create the leading angle.
Laying out the spacing for mounting holes which will receive stainless steel rivets.
Holes drilled and parts ready to weld together.
I will have to get the final pictures as I must have forgotten to take any more after this point. I must say however, that the modification is a success and it is quiet and squeak free once again. Looking back I should have done this from day one to prevent wear to the drawer slides but knowing what I know now when I finally do need to replace them they won't have all of this weight sitting on them while going down the road.
While the paint was drying on the parts I took about a half an hour and winterized my sprinkler system by blowing it out with compressed air. Wouldn't you know it as soon as I drug the three air hoses out and started to pressurize the system the rain started.
