Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum banner

3D Printed Rear Door Latch release + lock switch

137K views 587 replies 342 participants last post by  Westcoastakings  
#1 · (Edited)
Hey everyone. First time posting here, but it's been an amazing resource for me so I wanted to give back. There have been several posts about this already and I want to thank especially WESAYSO and SONOF40 for the inspiration. I'm preparing to do more car camping with my FJ cruiser, so in anticipation of sleeping in the cab I needed a way to exit. Here's what I did:

There's already a small access port in the bottom left of the rear door inside panel, so I calipered it and quickly modeled it in Sketchup to form my parts around. I modeled an inset port that has snap fit sides to sink flush into the existing opening. I also modeled a "button" that will gently snap in to the rails on the "port" and keep it traveling vertically, but with a loose fit as to not bind.

1163413
1163414
1163415


I was surprised this worked perfectly on the first try. But no complaints! I located the metal rod that moves vertically from the exterior handle and modeled a snap fit junction to intercept it with my own aluminum rod. The junction snap fits onto the existing rod and has a topside receiver for the aluminum rod I cut and bent to fit. This was a bit of a gut feeling shape. But in general I came up the length of the straight portion of the existing rod, then bent out and up 45 degrees, then back out at 90 degrees to the original rod. Basically targeting the center top of the existing opening. Then cut the excess off to slide into the rear of the button. The "junction' piece's rotation around the rods allows a little fore/aft play for connection, while keeping a rigid connection in the vertical axis.

1163418
1163419
1163420


(SEE EDIT BELOW) Next, I designed and printed a pull handle and created it to fit into the top left bolt hole that fastens the door cover on. There were naturally negative spaces on the left and right of the port for placing the snap in hole cover. I utilized these to keep the handle from rotating. Kind of a keyway design. One thing I struggled with was that the receiver for those two bolts is a plastic insert and I felt that yanking on the handle over time could weaken that, so I grabbed a 3" 5/16th carriage bolt from the HD that fit perfectly in the square hole of the door with the threads facing OUT. That way I can tighten the through bolt down from the outside for easy removal later. I had to remove the bracket from the door temporarily to install the carriage bolt.

1163424


Lastly, I basically did the exact mod that WESAYSO has posted, but placed the button under the pull handle to protect it from shifting cargo and prying eyes. 10 bucks on amazon for 5 3 position switches with male paddle connectors. Look to their post for details.

1163425


Ultimately, I think this recessed button design is the safest when it comes to shifting cargo. It seems very unlikely that anything would poke into a small opening AND push down, so I feel confident I won't lose my cargo all over the freeway. Here's a video of it in operation. Thanks for reading!



Edit: If you'd like to print your own kit, here are the STL files and instructions to bend the rod. I suggest printing in PLA+ or better. Also, print the port face-down, the button lying on it's back with support and the handle on it's side with support.


UPDATE PLEASE READ!

Hey everyone. I was never really thrilled with my pull handle design and after field testing mine for some time now I’ve decided to redesign it. It looked cool, but I feel like it didn’t have the proper strength for hard pulls. I was throwing it in free-of-charge for that reason when people requested a set from me. I’m no longer making this particular part for people, but I’ll leave the file there in the event it’s still desired.

Instead I’ve come up with this soft handle design that I think is less intrusive and far more useful. The only time that the handle has truly been necessary for me is when bedding down for the night and needing to pull the door closed, so the distance to handle when standing on the rear bumper wasn’t ideal. The idea behind the soft handle is that you can clip longer webbing/rope to it when you want to pull from inside the truck. I had to source additional hardware and webbing for this design so if you’re interested in one, let me know. I have Black, Blue, Red and Orange webbing available.
Image
Image


* As of February 1 2024 The button/rod design has been slightly updated to simplify installation. The images in the OP don't reflect all the changes so refer to the PDF or Youtube video moving forward. The old files are archived in the dropbox if needed. I've also created an install video for the update that you can find here:


** I know it’s not obvious, but if you’re new to the forum and you need to DM me for a request, you must FIRST post a reply in the forum here or anywhere and your DM capability will be unlocked.

DM Instructions : Click on any member’s name, select “message” in the lower right.

*** It's recently come to my attention that some models of the FJ came with a double net rear panel. This is something I've never seen in person but feedback from a user has suggested that the depth of the panel varies potentially as much as a half inch. I need to confirm this myself when I find a local panel I can measure. All this to say that if your FJ has this panel, it may require further modifications including shaving more panel plastic rib to allow button movement and cutting the aluminum rod back slightly to recess further into the button. The top net also interferes with the downward angle of the handle hardware so I'm adding an "inverted" version as an option.

Dallas
 
#169 ·
Hey everyone. First time posting here, but it's been an amazing resource for me so I wanted to give back. There have been several posts about this already and I want to thank especially WESAYSO and SONOF40 for the inspiration. I'm preparing to do more car camping with my FJ cruiser, so in anticipation of sleeping in the cab I needed a way to exit. Here's what I did:

There's already a small access port in the bottom left of the rear door inside panel, so I calipered it and quickly modeled it in Sketchup to form my parts around. I modeled an inset port that has snap fit sides to sink flush into the existing opening. I also modeled a "button" that will gently snap in to the rails on the "port" and keep it traveling vertically, but with a loose fit as to not bind.

View attachment 1163413 View attachment 1163414 View attachment 1163415

I was surprised this worked perfectly on the first try. But no complaints! I located the metal rod that moves vertically from the exterior handle and modeled a snap fit junction to intercept it with my own aluminum rod. The junction snap fits onto the existing rod and has a topside receiver for the aluminum rod I cut and bent to fit. This was a bit of a gut feeling shape. But in general I came up the length of the straight portion of the existing rod, then bent out and up 45 degrees, then back out at 90 degrees to the original rod. Basically targeting the center top of the existing opening. Then cut the excess off to slide into the rear of the button. The "junction' piece's rotation around the rods allows a little fore/aft play for connection, while keeping a rigid connection in the vertical axis.

View attachment 1163418 View attachment 1163419 View attachment 1163420

Next, I designed and printed a pull handle and created it to fit into the top left bolt hole that fastens the door cover on. There were naturally negative spaces on the left and right of the port for placing the snap in hole cover. I utilized these to keep the handle from rotating. Kind of a keyway design. One thing I struggled with was that the receiver for those two bolts is a plastic insert and I felt that yanking on the handle over time could weaken that, so I grabbed a 3" 5/16th carriage bolt from the HD that fit perfectly in the square hole of the door with the threads facing OUT. That way I can tighten the through bolt down from the outside for easy removal later. I had to remove the bracket from the door temporarily to install the carriage bolt.

View attachment 1163421 View attachment 1163422 View attachment 1163424

Lastly, I basically did the exact mod that WESAYSO has posted, but placed the button under the pull handle to protect it from shifting cargo and prying eyes. 10 bucks on amazon for 5 3 position switches with male paddle connectors. Look to their post for details.

View attachment 1163425

Ultimately, I think this recessed button design is the safest when it comes to shifting cargo. It seems very unlikely that anything would poke into a small opening AND push down, so I feel confident I won't lose my cargo all over the freeway. Here's a video of it in operation. Thanks for reading!



Dallas

Hello Dallas,

I was able to print the components no problem. Do you happen to have a diagram of the lengths and where to bend the rod?
 
#7 ·
Thanks FJtest. Happy to. Here's a folder with the original Sketchup files and the associated STL files for print. Note that the FJ's existing rod is 5mm diameter, while I used 1/4" aluminum rod (6mm). If using any other diameter rod, you'd need to modify the clip and the button hole to reflect that diameter.

 
#8 ·
Super neat mod! And very practical too, I hate getting locked in my FJ when I sleep in the back and having to climb over the front seats. Hahaha.
 
#17 ·
Hey Norm, If you're not in a huge hurry to get them, I could do that. My work schedule is blowing up but might be able to print a batch next week. Maybe shipping plus 5 bucks for materials or something like that? What colors would you want ideally? I went blue for obvious reasons, but could do black, Grey or orange with the material I have right now.
 
#34 ·
Thread STUCK to the top of the section.

Very nice! :cool: I'm in if you're printing and selling. Black or gray preferred.

Supporting Vendor status will not be required for a small run of these.

Thank you!
Hey Hannibal,

I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know anything about vendor rules. Hopefully I'm not bending any. Please let me know if there's anything off-limits. Just trying to make my beloved truck even more beloved and help you fine folks out in the process. D
 
#28 ·
I think you just opened up a can of worms! 😂 But, when you have FJ aficionados that are looking for the perfect solutions...well then...I think you can see what may come out of it.

You created a very clean and thoughtful design. It's the best I've seen done by a long shot! Excellent job and thanks for sharing your files. I just wish I had access to a 3D printer.

...and with all that said...

I'd also be interested in buying if you were to ever produce them! 😉 Seriously
 
#31 ·
Hey everyone. First time posting here, but it's been an amazing resource for me so I wanted to give back. There have been several posts about this already and I want to thank especially WESAYSO and SONOF40 for the inspiration. I'm preparing to do more car camping with my FJ cruiser, so in anticipation of sleeping in the cab I needed a way to exit. Here's what I did:

There's already a small access port in the bottom left of the rear door inside panel, so I calipered it and quickly modeled it in Sketchup to form my parts around. I modeled an inset port that has snap fit sides to sink flush into the existing opening. I also modeled a "button" that will gently snap in to the rails on the "port" and keep it traveling vertically, but with a loose fit as to not bind.

View attachment 1163413 View attachment 1163414 View attachment 1163415

I was surprised this worked perfectly on the first try. But no complaints! I located the metal rod that moves vertically from the exterior handle and modeled a snap fit junction to intercept it with my own aluminum rod. The junction snap fits onto the existing rod and has a topside receiver for the aluminum rod I cut and bent to fit. This was a bit of a gut feeling shape. But in general I came up the length of the straight portion of the existing rod, then bent out and up 45 degrees, then back out at 90 degrees to the original rod. Basically targeting the center top of the existing opening. Then cut the excess off to slide into the rear of the button. The "junction' piece's rotation around the rods allows a little fore/aft play for connection, while keeping a rigid connection in the vertical axis.

View attachment 1163418 View attachment 1163419 View attachment 1163420

Next, I designed and printed a pull handle and created it to fit into the top left bolt hole that fastens the door cover on. There were naturally negative spaces on the left and right of the port for placing the snap in hole cover. I utilized these to keep the handle from rotating. Kind of a keyway design. One thing I struggled with was that the receiver for those two bolts is a plastic insert and I felt that yanking on the handle over time could weaken that, so I grabbed a 3" 5/16th carriage bolt from the HD that fit perfectly in the square hole of the door with the threads facing OUT. That way I can tighten the through bolt down from the outside for easy removal later. I had to remove the bracket from the door temporarily to install the carriage bolt.

View attachment 1163421 View attachment 1163422 View attachment 1163424

Lastly, I basically did the exact mod that WESAYSO has posted, but placed the button under the pull handle to protect it from shifting cargo and prying eyes. 10 bucks on amazon for 5 3 position switches with male paddle connectors. Look to their post for details.

View attachment 1163425

Ultimately, I think this recessed button design is the safest when it comes to shifting cargo. It seems very unlikely that anything would poke into a small opening AND push down, so I feel confident I won't lose my cargo all over the freeway. Here's a video of it in operation. Thanks for reading!



Dallas
Late to the party, but have to agree with everyone else; this is awesome!

And thanks for graciously sharing your files. I'll give it a go (y)
 
#115 ·
Hey everyone. First time posting here, but it's been an amazing resource for me so I wanted to give back. There have been several posts about this already and I want to thank especially WESAYSO and SONOF40 for the inspiration. I'm preparing to do more car camping with my FJ cruiser, so in anticipation of sleeping in the cab I needed a way to exit. Here's what I did:

There's already a small access port in the bottom left of the rear door inside panel, so I calipered it and quickly modeled it in Sketchup to form my parts around. I modeled an inset port that has snap fit sides to sink flush into the existing opening. I also modeled a "button" that will gently snap in to the rails on the "port" and keep it traveling vertically, but with a loose fit as to not bind.

View attachment 1163413 View attachment 1163414 View attachment 1163415

I was surprised this worked perfectly on the first try. But no complaints! I located the metal rod that moves vertically from the exterior handle and modeled a snap fit junction to intercept it with my own aluminum rod. The junction snap fits onto the existing rod and has a topside receiver for the aluminum rod I cut and bent to fit. This was a bit of a gut feeling shape. But in general I came up the length of the straight portion of the existing rod, then bent out and up 45 degrees, then back out at 90 degrees to the original rod. Basically targeting the center top of the existing opening. Then cut the excess off to slide into the rear of the button. The "junction' piece's rotation around the rods allows a little fore/aft play for connection, while keeping a rigid connection in the vertical axis.

View attachment 1163418 View attachment 1163419 View attachment 1163420

Next, I designed and printed a pull handle and created it to fit into the top left bolt hole that fastens the door cover on. There were naturally negative spaces on the left and right of the port for placing the snap in hole cover. I utilized these to keep the handle from rotating. Kind of a keyway design. One thing I struggled with was that the receiver for those two bolts is a plastic insert and I felt that yanking on the handle over time could weaken that, so I grabbed a 3" 5/16th carriage bolt from the HD that fit perfectly in the square hole of the door with the threads facing OUT. That way I can tighten the through bolt down from the outside for easy removal later. I had to remove the bracket from the door temporarily to install the carriage bolt.

View attachment 1163421 View attachment 1163422 View attachment 1163424

Lastly, I basically did the exact mod that WESAYSO has posted, but placed the button under the pull handle to protect it from shifting cargo and prying eyes. 10 bucks on amazon for 5 3 position switches with male paddle connectors. Look to their post for details.

View attachment 1163425

Ultimately, I think this recessed button design is the safest when it comes to shifting cargo. It seems very unlikely that anything would poke into a small opening AND push down, so I feel confident I won't lose my cargo all over the freeway. Here's a video of it in operation. Thanks for reading!



Dallas