My 1996 Toyota HiAce camper van arrived stateside with everything in it to go camping right away. But as I’ve used it more, I’ve discovered a variety of things to change, update, or tweak. First on that list, adding some cupholders!

One of my favorite features of my Chevy Tahoe is the front bench seat. So I was super excited when my HiAce had the same layout. However, the cockpit of the van is much smaller than my SU. For that reason, it seems the Toyota engineers had to throw out some comforts in order to fit three seats in the front. Unfortunately, that means there is a startling lack of storage space and cupholders for the driver and passenger.

In this project, I want to add space for storage, a couple of cupholders, and a place for my Renogy battery monitor screen. I also didn’t want to diminish the front seat space too much, if possible. Let’s measure and start designing!

Designing a Center Console

If you’ve read any of my other articles, you already know I am a big fan of starting projects with SketchUp. If this is the first write up of mine that you’ve come across, welcome! Also, I’m a big fan of SketchUp.

This project feels momentous because it is the first time I’ve designed something in SketchUp that I built almost exactly one to one. It is also the first project where I dissected the model into all the individual pieces within it which allows for easy planning of the cuts I will have to make in my wood. In previous projects, my SketchUp file is more of a guide to get me started but then I tweak and adjust on the fly to get to the final result. But this time, the final result matches almost exactly!

If you also have a Toyota HiAce (particularly an LH113 chassis one, though this might work for others), you’re welcome to use my SketchUp file to help build your own center console. The file is available here.

Cut, Glue, and Clamp

The next step, after finalizing my design, is to go buy a sheet of 1/2″ plywood. You could definitely build this with a nicer piece of wood, but I am trying to keep things cheap for this project. Plus I am planning to paint it all anyway, so the quality of the wood doesn’t matter as much.

As you can see in the picture above, I already have four pieces glued up. I used my SketchUp file I mentioned before to help plan all of my cuts at the beginning. Then I used a combination of my circular saw and my jigsaw to cut out the pieces. I really wish I had a table saw for a project like this. That would allow for straight cuts a lot quicker but the circular saw gets the job done for now. Maybe one day I will invest in a nice table saw!

For the top piece, I used a jigsaw to cut out the holes for the battery monitor and the cubbies. Measure and draw out all of the cubby holes first. Before cutting, drill a hole with a large drill bit in one corner of each square, inside the lines. Then insert the jigsaw blade through the hole and begin cutting along your lines. Take it slow here, the margin for error is small.

The final step is the cupholders which I cut out using a 4 inch hole saw. You could also use a Forstner bit if you happen to have one that is big enough. I picked 4 inches because I wanted these cupholders to be able to hold a Nalgene sized water bottle. Keep reading and you’ll see this didn’t work as planned but they still fit plenty of normal sized cups!

Some Tips on Gluing

I also decided with this project to only use wood glue as the means of combining everything together. Wood glue is incredibly strong when bonded correctly. Also, since this is essentially a box, the forces acting on it shouldn’t stress the glued joints too much. Just to be safe, I opted for Titebond Ultimate (with the green label) which advertises being waterproof and formulated for indoor and outdoor use. I also figure if I have any problems later I can always add screws, right?

I wish I had taken more pictures during this process but trust it requires much glue and many a clamp. If the glue drips or runs as your clamping your panels together, be sure to wipe those up with a rag to make the next steps easier.

Time to Add Some Paint

Once the glue is thoroughly dry, you’re ready to move on to sanding and painting. If there is any dried glue that is particularly large or unsightly, you might need a chisel to chip those away if sandpaper isn’t able to smooth things down. Otherwise, give the whole piece a good sanding. When it’s sufficiently smooth, clean it off with some tack cloth to ensure there isn’t any dust left behind.

To pick out the paint, I actually took a small piece of the van interior in to Home Depot with me in order to find the best paint match. I also attempted to do a gray wood stain on top which unfortunately turned out poorly. I ended up just painting it a light accent gray instead. In the end, I think it turned out really nice!

I painted about three coats to thoroughly cover the plywood then I let everything dry for about 24 hours. For this project, I went with an all in one paint for ease of finishing. It should be good but if it gets worn out faster than expected, I might end up covering it with a polyurethane sealant. Especially with the potential of spilling a drink or something in it, I want to be able to wipe it down easily. I don’t consider myself much of a painter so this is always the least fun step for me!

All Buckled in and Ready to Go

Something I forgot to mention earlier is that my design centers around being able to buckle the console in with the middle seat belt. As you can see in the picture above, I can thread the belt through the cupholder section of the console and tighten everything down. This way, it doesn’t go anywhere in transit but it’s also easily removable should I need the middle seat. I also found I need to remove it in order to access the engine compartment. Otherwise, I can’t tilt the seat up high enough.

You may also notice in the picture above, I had to cut a small notch out of the passenger side of the “arm rest”. I didn’t realize in my original design that the middle seat is not actually centered between the two front seats. It’s actually closer to the passenger seat. Unfortunately, this cuts into the passengers elbow space a bit more than I anticipated but unless you’re a larger person, it doesn’t seem like an issue.

You can also see in that picture that I’ve installed my battery monitor. I want to eventually drill a hole at the back of the console to feed the cord through but I’m still deciding where I want to run the cord from the house battery. In the meantime, I can keep an eye on charging status while I’m driving along. I can also glance at it from the back while I’m parked to see how much battery I have left. Upgrades people!

Materials and Tools Used

• 4×8 sheet of 1/2″ plywood
• Titebond Ultimate Wood Glue
• 4 inch hole saw
• Handheld circular saw
• Handheld jigsaw
• Several large clamps
• Foam paint brushes

Final Thoughts

This project adds something I felt my HiAce desperately needs; cupholders and storage! After completing this build, there are a handful of things I would’ve done differently however. Mainly, the cupholder diameter! The whole intention was to be able to hold Nalgene sized water bottles (which should include Hydro Flasks, Kleen Kanteen, whatever your vibe is) but they ended up being too small! I’m not sure where I measured wrong but my Nalgene just barely doesn’t fit. Might need a 4 1/2″ size hole I guess.

The other thing I would change, and this is something I struggle with universally, is spend more time on the sanding and painting part. As you can see in my picture above, there are some jagged edges and unsightly paint strokes. A higher quality piece of wood may have helped with this but definitely could have spent more time sanding and finishing things better. I was just too excited to install my center console and test it on the road!

Finally, my battery monitor fits perfectly and I am very happy with the ability to see it while driving or moving around in the van.

If you have your own Toyota HiAce and decide to build something similar, let me know! I would love to see what others are doing to improve their HiAce campers. I’m always looking to improve my site so feel free to let me know what you liked or didn’t and as always, thanks for reading!