REAR CARGO STORAGE SOLUTIONS: Compilation of different members' builds

[undertow]

To read the original full thread and to post questions/comments on this topic, please go to extra storage (rear)







basic carcase built of cabinet grade plywood.





drawers (3) built and fitted.



Top fitted and set





remove back two tie downs and use a longer bolt to hold down the back,
the front is held down with 2 turnbuckles attached to the stock front tie
down loops.


Unfinished drawers and top.







Glued down heavy vinyl to top/deck install some flush wood handles
and painted a semi-gloss back.

[Silverdusk]

To read the original full thread and to post questions/comments on this topic, please go to The "Mini Mi" BOX



First off I'd like to thank a few guys who inspired me to go forward w/ this project. LandCruiserSteve and Corey. Thanks a lot guys. It was your projects that inspired my own.

Here's the completed box. I went w/ a box only 7'' tall and the drawers are 5.25" tall. Mainly because I have a 130lb American Bulldog I haul around w/ me and I wanted to give him plenty of room.


The front portion has a carpet that goes over it, but it got wet in the rain. I'll update a picture later.


Last one. I moved the tie down points to the top of the box and used the original holes to fasten the box down to the truck body.


This is the false floor that covers the folded down seats. It's easy to remove when I have additional folks to ride in the back.


A side profile of it. The foot on the right is what levels the floor area.


One of two Footmans loops to attach the floor to the box. Compliments to Steve. I had never heard of one of these prior to his build. This was the hardest to track down of all the hardware. Try a Sail Boat specialty shop.


The back of the box. This shows the ledge again and the footmans loops. You'll notice I removed altogether the angled piece of plastic that sits between the cargo area and the seats.


A beauty shot. The drawers are 29" deep


Just another shot showing the drawer slides ((Blum Slides))


And another


Drawers Completed
Top Shelf

Underneath

Air Tools and Tire Kit


And one of the many reasons for the build.


If anyone has questions about measurements or anything at all feel free to inquire. I'll be happy to post plans for it.

Plans!

[tuffy]

Details on the Tuffy FJCruiser items are now available on the Tuffy website.

Cargo Drawer: FJ Cruiser Security Drawer for Toyota FJ Cruiser - Theft Protection


All of the products are in production now and orders are being taken. Contact your local dealer or Tuffy with any questions.

[sonof40]

To read the original full thread and to post questions/comments on this topic, please go to Yet Another Sleep/Storage Insert



I wanted to balance sleep area with storage space for adequate head room etc. So here goes nothin:

Here is the napkin stage:









I started with the 2X4 cross piece attachment to the truck. Turned out to be plenty of holding power:





Made a notch so as to fit flush:



Then I cut and assembled as per plans:



The side panels were the only parts that took some time to trial and error, cut and paste. I have a template that I would be happy to trace and send to anyone who might want to try this project.







I used overlapping piano hinges here (one screw through 2 hing holes, then into the 2x4):



Forgot to get a pic of the rear section by itself but here it is added onto the forward section by a single hinge:



Next, the indoor/outdoor carpeting:









Get some help from a buddy to lift the unit in from the rear:














It works for me. I use a twin air mattress and sleeping bag and I sleep better than at home!

[Hindsight]

Instructions for FJ Cruiser M-PAC Rack Installation

1) Open the rear door of the FJ and open the rear window.
2) At the top of the plastic panel, there are two access points to get to the bolts that hold the panel on. Use a small flat head screwdriver to pop out the plastic covers. Inside there are two bolts that can either be removed with a Phillips head screwdriver or the appropriate size socket.
3) There are two covers over window shocks they just pull straight up for removal.
4) The rear door panel is held on multiple clips. You can either purchase a door panel removal tool at the local auto parts store (recommended) or you can carefully use a flat head screwdriver to lift the panel. Use a short strong pulling action (with your fingers) to “tug” the panel from the door itself. Be careful as to not loose the clips or the felt washers.
5) Place the panel onto a clean cardboard surface and place the M-PAC Rack onto the door. Be careful to keep the edges on a flat surface so that the washers will lie flat on the backside of the panel. (Please note that the position that we chose partially covers the access holes to the two bolts at the top of the panel).

6)After you have carefully determined the appropriate placement of your M-PAC Rack, carefully mark your holes with a marker and remove the M-PAC Rack. (see photo for recommended placement).
7) Drill holes in the places that you have marked.

8)Flip the panel over, there may be places where the holes have been placed near plastic ridges. Utilize a dremel or utility knife to remove enough plastic to make a flat surface for the washers (see photo).

9) If you place your Rack on the back door as we have suggested in the photo, drop the panel bolts in the holes before screwing the rack down. Please be aware that there is enough room to slip in a Phillips head screwdriver to tighten the bolts but you may have difficulty actually getting the bolt in the hole after the M-PAC rack is secured.
10) Fit the Allen head bolts through the mounting holes of the rack and door panel, then slip over appropriate washer and tighten locknut.

11) Carefully place the panel back on the door and snap onto clips, use a Phillips head screwdriver to tighten upper bolts on panel.

In order to replace the bolt covers, you must bend one tab inward and slip it behind the rack, if you have done this correctly the rack will hold the cover down securely



Enjoy your M-PAC Rack!
Thank you for purchasing our product.




Patricia Frost CEO
Springtail LLC
www.springtailsolutions.com

[Corey]

To read the original full thread of Corey's Build-Up and to post questions/comments on this topic, please go to http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forum...-few-mods.html



Back around August of 2001 I had a Boeing carpenter measure the cargobay of my '91 4Runner for a cargobox.
In the last picture below you can see the dimensions of it.

After taking delivery of the FJ Cruiser back in July of '06, the next day I put the cargobox in it.
It was a pretty close fit, and it suits the rig fine.

If I was having another one made, I would have it built to fill out the sides and rear a little more to provide more room in the box, but it works out great as you will see in the pictures below.

I like to carry a lot of tools with me such as a socket set, a set of screwdrivers, a Craftsman heavy duty impact wrench, impact sockets, ratchet wrenches, you get the idea, I like to be prepared for emergency repairs.

The carbobox also is a home base for my Powertank and one of my fire extinguishers, and also the Engle Slide-Loc that holds the ARB fridge/freezer for now.
Eventually I want to move the Slide-Loc to the rear left seatback, or take the seat out entirely to put the fridge to free up some space back aft.

[RockyMtnHigh]

To read the original full thread and post questions/comments on this topic, please go to The Box V.RMH



Here's my version of the BOX. Instead of doing a drawer set up, I went with a lid. I did this because I plan to mount the shovel and axe to the back of it under the top kind of where they are now with quick fists.

I made the bottom (compartment) smaller than the top to give me access to the electrical outlet in the bottom passenger side corner. It's not bolted down, I used a couple of 1" black ratchet straps to hold it.

The top extends over the driver side jack compartment so that I had to place to mount my cheap $50 compressor I got at Checker.

My plan was to make this so that it can be removed in a few minutes, if need be.

I also plan to build a platform that can be removed and that will extend out over the rear seat backs for camping trips, kind of like LandCruiserSteve's.

Let me know what you all think!






Here's what I came up with to mount the axe and shovel instead of using quick fists.

Nothing much to them except some 5/16" carriage bolts, nuts, washers and some bar knobs I got at Lowes.

There was already a hole in the axe handle, so I added another. With the shovel I put a hole in the handle and the shovel is actually held pretty securely in the strap.

[dirty flores]

To read the original full thread and post questions/comments on this topic, please go to I finaly built my own "Rear Gear Box"!! (w/Pics)



Well first, let me start of by saying this is my first ever project of this magnitude.
I first did all my research here at FJCruiserforums.com which was pretty help full
and also got good advice from LandCruiserSteve and Tubig, thanks guys for the
pointers. And to everyone else that had there own home grown rear gear boxes
which gave me plenty of ideas to go off of.

So here's what i did, i pretty much planed it out and drew out my ideas.
But of course that went over to smooth, so i wasn't surprised when later
i found my plans on my son's art desk, colored, and pretty much unreadable.
so that's when i pretty much wing it and just cut and see what happens.

day one: i planed out my plans, drew the blue prints, (then my son added red,
green, yellow, more blue, glue and food crumbs)

day two: bought the wood, paint, nails, carpet, screws, and everything else
got home and drew the base board lines out on the wood.

day three: cut, cut, and cut some more.

day four: attempted to put the pieces together, and when they weren't lining up
accordingly, i cut some more,

day five: prime time then slap on some paint.

day six: time to lay down some carpet! i think that was the easiest part of this project.
and put together in my FJ Negro

day seven: all was good, so i rested.

My make shift work bench


First fit test


Fit test with rails, and outlet cut out


Burning the midnight oil trying to build the drawers


Drawers, done, 2:30 am


Prime time, drawers.


Prime time, Gear Box.


Slapping on the paint


Final fit test.


Holding it down.


This box is bolted.


MY Rear Gear Box!!


Drawers carpeted.


Drawers with Heavy duty rails, Profile shot.


It is Finished.....


so there you have it, it may not be perfect, but it serves its purpose for me.

[Runt]

To read the original full thread and post questions/comments on this topic, please go to Rear FJ utility box with built-in sleeping platform



The idea of this box came from LandCruiserSteve’s design of his original “Box”. This one is basically a single storage box that has a space under the roll out drawer for the sleeping platform to fold up and be stored in. Does not require removal of the back seat. Basically butts right up to the back seats when they are folded up. Uses similar hardware as Steve’s original “Box”. It has two storage trays. One behind the roll out (will accommodate a rifle with a 20” barrel or air compressor) and one inside the rear of the roll out (will accommodate a pistol grip shot gun or tire chains). The sleeping trays fold into each other via a piano hinge (one is slightly smaller than the other). The legs unscrew from the pipe flange base and store within the tray when it is closed. The top lid of the storage box then opens from the top via another piano hinge, drawer rolls out and the platform then slides under the roll out for storage. When used as a sleeping platform the two trays have a reinforcing steel plate on the interior/bottom sides. This plate spans the gap between the two trays where the piano hinge to add rigidity. All materials are made out of 12 gauge (1/8) alum. All trays/sleeping platforms are formed boxes built with a press for strength. Roll out slides are rated for 300 lbs and lock. Top surface will be checker plate for traction and the rest is smooth alum, all will be painted gray to match the interior. Calculated weight is around 96 lbs. Construction starts this weekend. Locking mechanism is the only thing left to figure out. So far I’m leaning towards a simple padlocks. Thoughts appreciated



Ok we got started on it today. About 3/4's of the way there. Still need to add the dividers in the roll out, finish the trim on the front of the roll out to cover up the gaps, rivet in the piano hinge, and fab up the sleeping platform etc. After all is said and done I put all the materials on the scale & the box with sleeping platform weighed in at 101 lbs. Decided to go with 12 gauge smooth aluminum for everything. 300 lb locking drawers so there is zero shake or movement. The interior will be lined with ¼” high density foam. The box will be silent. You can see the blue tab that locks and unlocks the drawer. Kind of a nifty slider, it locks half way as well if you want. The locking mechanism is still leaning towards a simple padlock type set up. Unless any one has a better idea? Turned out to have 6’4” of sleeping surface. The extra weight in the back is exactly what the OME Heavies needed. Any way I should have more pics coming up once it finished. Maybe Wednesday. Here is were it's at for now:



What it will look like open:


You can see the locking mechanism blue tab on the right side of the roll out:


Here is a example how it would store a 20" barrelled rifle (extra room is for foam):



My box measurements were made with seats pushed fully forward, bottoms removed, seat backs laid fully forward and a air mattress in the back which puts you level with were the seat bottoms would have protruded into your sleeping area. You then get about four more inches of head room.

I'm restricted to steel or aluminum, plywood is nice but you lose the interior space and I'm worried about the legalities. It's tough to build a box that is secure but yet light. One big reason why I went with 1/8th formed alum. over plywood. Just enough room for ammo box, 20" rifle or air compressor etc. My experience with plywood is poor. On my old BJ42 Land Cruiser I built a plywood box (I used the best 3/4" 100 % Douglas Fir...yes it was a long wait to get it) with wood screws nails etc....basically a way overbuilt box and with four tire chains bouncing around it came apart. It took years of beating but after time it fell apart. This may of been because it had no top a lot of the time and moisture weekend it, but for the price of plywood these days alum. was my choice. In my opinion if you want to carry tire chains 12 months out of the year (and I do) you need steel or alum. Simply because they bounce & beat the s$&t out of your box. My old plywood box had high density foam glued to the top, bottom & sides which was not very noisy but the logging roads and the bounce took its toll on the box.

[caddo]

To read the original full thread and post questions/comments on this topic, please go to Yet another sleeping platform ...



I think this is more like a bed frame..


The requirement:

We want to be able to sleep inside the truck when we dont feel like setting up tent. The FJ lacks storage compartment, and I need some to haul all my stuff, the plastic tub I used in previous truck doesnt have enough room anymore. Oh and we want to sleep with the door closed...

I didnt want to remove the back seat completely because I might have to haul co-workers/people in the back seat when needed. The compromise: remove just the seat bottoms and leave the seat back & fold them down.

First I build a "ghetto box" for the cargo area to store my stuff:



Now you know why I call it the ghetto box.. two tubs as drawers because I cant cut things into right size and have no skill making any sort of container that has any hope of fitting into those slots:



pull out:


small section of the box top opens up:



The frame is made with something like 15/32" plywood. It holds me and my husband pretty well.. and I stand on the edge of the frame when I need to get/put stuff on the roof rack too. It seems to hold..

The folded seat back is a problem area. I didnt really want to put any weight on it directly, so I figured I will just run some "beams" across and find something out front to sit the beams on.

The board on the right hand side uses the seat bottom holes (4 bolts & nuts) and seemed to be pretty sturdy.



Another reason to do it this way is I dont want to be driving a bed frame around, it will probably make a lot of noise...

I later carpeted the front board so it does not look as ghetto..

then to hold the board vertically up so we can have a flat surface area:



Originally I used nylon strap but velcro works just as well. I like velcros..

Then the cross beams:



This is the second revision, the original version I used 2x4s ... they were bulky and I have no place to carry it.. the Thule load bar comes in handy.. I got a pair of 78" bar (cheapest per inch) and cut them in halves.. plasti-dip the ends so I dont have to file them.. It's not pretty but it works..

The bars are just sitting on the wood block screwed onto the cargo frame.

to make sure they dont slide I tie them with bungee cords. I have no picture for that.

Then two boards to form the platform:




and we have our platform:



with sleeping pads and bags (and pillows!)



to stow it:



stacking the two boards:



Instead of the two section boards I can probably use a bigger single board, but then I couldnt store it in the mid section of the truck. This way I got a flat spot to put my stuff.. <