4 Weekend DIY Truck Upgrades You Can Do At Home

Sometimes your dependable daily driver can feel a little…stagnant. But, with these four truck upgrades you can change things up easily from your own driveway. You will need a few basic tools but none of these projects should take more than a few hours to complete.

Add A Dash Camera

Considering the sheer number of people on the road today it is no coincidence that the chance of being in an accident is pretty high. Documenting an accident is extremely important, especially if insurance is involved. Taking lots of post-accident photos with your cell phone camera is wise, but having video footage is invaluable. Ideally a dash cam video records the immediate time leading up to the accident, the accident itself, and the events afterward. This is key when it is sometimes necessary to assign fault for either law enforcement or insurance claims. Most dash cams are easy to mount on the windshield inside the truck and simply plug into a nearby 12v power outlet. And with prices that range from under $50 to above $400, there’s a wide range of options and accessories to fit your needs.

Add A Swing-Out Tool Box

Truck beds are great for toting large items, but small things like tools tend to slide around. Adding a traditional truck bed toolbox is a great solution, but what if you still wanted to use your full bed length? That’s where this trick side-mounted tool box shines. Designed to mount at the rear of the bed it swings out a full 180-degrees for easy access. And when you are done it swings back into place tucked in behind the wheel well. Perfect for tools, supplies, or anything else you want handy but still locked up for safe keeping.

Add A Bed Extender

There was a time when truck beds were most commonly available in six or eight foot lengths. Today bed lengths seem to be all over the place, with some being as short as five feet long. But today’s trucks also see a lot more double-duty as passenger haulers, so to make space for people something had to give. One brilliant solution to adding more usable bed length is a bed extender. No, the bed of the truck isn’t made physically longer, but by lowering the tailgate and adding a barrier it is possible to create more controlled space. This bed extender simply mounts near the tailgate and can be quickly deployed for extra bed length capacity. It can also be left inside the truck bed as a great way to keep items contained like a cargo divider. This is one of the more popular truck upgrades due to ease of installation and added utility.

Add A Power Inverter

Some new trucks are already available with a built-in power inverter that drives a 110v outlet. But what if your truck doesn’t have that feature, or you need extra outlets? The solution is simple: an add-on power inverter should be on your list of truck upgrades. There are lots of options available depending on just what you need to power. There are small units that fit in a cup holder and use your existing 12v power outlet, all the way up to hard-wired units that can crank out 3000 watts. Pretty much anything that you can plug into a household outlet short of an appliance, you can run from the correctly sized converter. Power tools are a great example, but you can also try a TV for tailgating, or lights working outdoors. Whatever you plug in just make sure to check the power requirements first so you don’t overload the inverter.

Check out all the accessories available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on the weekend truck upgrades, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.