This page covers installing a 12 volt rear power outlet in your truck's bed. The idea for this came from Christian's page on the same topic.  Since my truck is a stepside and I have a bedliner; I had to modify the install to make it work. This mod uses a 12 volt female power outlet available from your local RadioShack. I use this port to provide power for my air compressor and 12 volt drill. It will also come in handy for tailgate parties.

First drop the tailgate, and remove the left rear lights. Let the wiring hang out the hole.	I used a power drill and a 1 inch metal hole saw. You will need to dremel the hole slightly to fit the 12 volt outlet.	I selected a spot near the tailgate and high on the sides. Start by drilling through the bedliner.
The metal is quite thin, so don't push too hard. I almost drilled too far, but thankfully hit a metal bracket inside the bed skin.	When done, put some touch-up paint on the bare metal to keep out rust.	The 12 volt outlet had a thin raised area which serves as an alignment peg. I removed that part, since I didn't want to cut a slot in my bed
Starting at the battery, I installed a 10 gauge wire directly to the positive post. I made sure to locate the fuse as close to this point as possible.	The wire is encased in flex tube until it reaches this bracket area. I used the spare attachment points to secure the wires.	The wire then runs inside the frame towards the back of the truck. You can see the wire ties that I use to secure it to the frame
The wire then exits the frame and goes towards the connector. I used flex tube to keep it safe.	I drilled a screw hole by the taillights for the 10 gauge ground wire, and modified the spade connectors to use thick gauge wires.	Now, just attach the spade connectors and push the outlet into the hole. I used heavy gauge wires, so I could run a 120 volt inverter
The outlet has a nice cover to keep out water and dirt.	I chose this area, since it's enclosed and at the rear-most part of my truck. Perfect for tailgate parties.	The new power port is ready to go. Here is my air compressor attached to it.
	Add a 120 volt inverter and a small blender; and you have the perfect tailgate drink maker

Here's a great idea that I got from my friend John Griggs. I have throw away several old 12 volt cordless drills just because the battery packs went dead and it's cheaper to just buy a whole new drill. I could never figure out what to do with the drills, so I just threw them away until I saw John's site. His idea is to convert the drill to 12 volt corded operation, and keep it in your truck. I tried it with a Craftsman drill, and it works great. A great addition to my rear power outlet mod.

I used an old 12 volt cordless drill and a Radio Shack 12 volt plug.	To connect the wires, I used large spade connectors inside the drill handle. They attach to the battery terminal prongs perfectly.	I removed the batteries from the battery pack, and drilled a hole for the cable.
I also cut off the top of the battery pack, so it wouldn't interfere with the wires and spade connectors.	When done, the unit should look stock. It can easily be returned to cordless operation, if required.