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3D Printed Rear Door Latch release + lock switch

50066 Views 323 Replies 180 Participants Last post by  Hannibal
10
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. The door release mechanism has remained unchanged and appears to be working well for everyone!

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.
Tool Font Electric blue Cylinder Auto part
Automotive tire Hood Tire Blue Bicycle tire


One other thing! 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.

Dallas
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301 - 320 of 324 Posts
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

(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.

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!


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. The door release mechanism has remained unchanged and appears to be working well for everyone!

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.
View attachment 1227508 View attachment 1227509

One other thing! 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.

Dallas
Great job! I love the creativity people are using since 3d printing became a reality.
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Hey just found this and wanted to know if you have any more of those kits and how much. Also would like it in black with gray push down button. Thanks
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Reactions: 1
Hey Dallas, new to the forum and would like to get one of your kits. Great Job! It looks great, if they are still available I would love to get one. Please let me know. Thanks

Handle: black
Port: black
Button: black
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Reactions: 1
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

(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.

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!


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. The door release mechanism has remained unchanged and appears to be working well for everyone!

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.
View attachment 1227508 View attachment 1227509

One other thing! 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.

Dallas
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

(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.

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!


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. The door release mechanism has remained unchanged and appears to be working well for everyone!

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.
View attachment 1227508 View attachment 1227509

One other thing! 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.

Dallas
Awesome!
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

(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.

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!


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. The door release mechanism has remained unchanged and appears to be working well for everyone!

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.
View attachment 1227508 View attachment 1227509

One other thing! 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.

Dallas
Awesome
So I'm a total noob at this forum thing so I hope you all can cut me some slack..... I would love to get one of @dallassterling rear door mod kits.... I don't have access to a printer so I hope some one can help me score a complete kit..... If possible I would like to get it in a blue or black frame with the orange button. Having to sleep with the window and doors unlocked when not with a group is not really cool if you know what I mean. Thanks and hope to hear back! Brad
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HI. I would be interested as well in one of these kits. Black frame , white button.
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This is an awesome mod, so tidy too!
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So I'm a total noob at this forum thing so I hope you all can cut me some slack..... I would love to get one of @dallassterling rear door mod kits.... I don't have access to a printer so I hope some one can help me score a complete kit..... If possible I would like to get it in a blue or black frame with the orange button. Having to sleep with the window and doors unlocked when not with a group is not really cool if you know what I mean. Thanks and hope to hear back! Brad
Well I got my rear door mod and installed it... wow so cool and the quality is top notch! @dallassterling really came up with a great kit. I will have to say it is a bit tricky to get the right angle so the button seats itself into the frame but once it's in it's Awesome!
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@dallassterling I would love one of these kits too, all in black if possible... been a member of this forum for a long time but never posted. Mods, if I need to be able to PM for this please let me, thanks.
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Hello, I just got my new to me FJ Cruiser. I am ready to started modding this rig. I would love to purchase your door latch and handle. I’ll send a DM and follow post #33
@dallassterling just saw the mod and this is awesome work. I too don't have access to a 3D printer and would like to buy these parts off you. Please let me know how much and where to send money. Thanks, Chris
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HI. I would be interested as well in one of these kits. Black frame, white button.
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Reactions: 1
Ha. I know. I've just kind of decided to check up on the forum from time to time and DM people who express interest in the comments. I'm sorry that you have to keep seeing the carnage!
I’m going to PM Dallas after making this (my 1st) post…
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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

(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.

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!


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. The door release mechanism has remained unchanged and appears to be working well for everyone!

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.
View attachment 1227508 View attachment 1227509

One other thing! 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.

Dallas
Unlocking my ability to DM.
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Reactions: 1
This is fantastic! Would you consider doing one up for me? I’m in Ontario, Canada. Or could you maybe send me a pdf file of the instructions. I haven’t had any luck opening them. Dropbox isn’t working for me. It’s awesome that you’re sharing this with everyone. Big thanks!
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Reactions: 2
This is fantastic! Would you consider doing one up for me? I’m in Ontario, Canada. Or could you maybe send me a pdf file of the instructions. I haven’t had any luck opening them. Dropbox isn’t working for me. It’s awesome that you’re sharing this with everyone. Big thanks!
Apologies, The dropbox link needed to be updated for some reason. Should be good to go now. I'll DM you regarding a kit.
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  • Helpful
Reactions: 2
Finally bought my own FJ, here's hoping you are still making these! Will try to DM. Looking for door latch, lock switch, and soft handle.
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Reactions: 1
This is such a great mod....I need this. 😍
Finally bought my own FJ, here's hoping you are still making these! Will try to DM. Looking for door latch, lock switch, and soft handle.
Congratulations!
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

(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.

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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.

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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. The door release mechanism has remained unchanged and appears to be working well for everyone!

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.
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One other thing! 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.

Dallas
Thank you Dallas.
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