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The SCORPION Cargo Rack

The concept of this rack came from lack of storage space in the back of the FJ for trips, expeditions, etc. When Doc introduced his M-PAC racks, the concept became far more clear since the marriage of a cargo cage and the M-PAC's makes perfect sense. Thomas Sinclair (COWBOY 4x4) took the concept and we worked together to generate the rack in the photos below.

It is still going through field testing to determine what minor changes may be needed. At present it may be sold through this forum but I don't have vendor status yet. We're exploring the possibility of making them in China out of Stainless Steel. I couldn't do that in the US and keep the cost reasonable.

My Concept had these requirements:

(1) Easy to take out - under ten minutes

(2) Still allowed you to sleep in the back of the FJ when camping

(3) Light weight and strong

(4) Provided many hard points for cinch-strapping to

(5) Added at least 25% to available storage space

(6) Provided the ability to mount a ready-shotgun

(7) Integrated M-PAC racks/MOLLE mounts

(8) Made it possible to put a cargo net on the back of the cage to allow for storage to the roof.

(9) Did not interfere with the seating and comfort of the rear passengers.

(10) Had the ability to be modified to particular user requirements.

So far, so good.

FORWARD RACK W/SHOTGUN MOUNT

I added an M-PAC rack, the same rack that many of you have on the back door of your FJ - facing forward toward the rear passenger seat. You'll note that the rear passengers retain their headroom even with a shotgun mounted there. The MOLLE bag is for a SAW (squad automatic weapon box linked ammo box magazine) but it holds shotgun shells too.

REAR FACING 1/2 RACK

The rear facing M-PAC rack is the one they made for the Jeep TJ. It works perfectly with the Scorpion Cargo Storage solution. You can put two Jeep TJ racks on the back or one more full length rack just like the one that faces forward. You'll note that the MOLLE bags can be double layered on the TJ rack to the rear and you can truly make it your own by adding a recovery strap mount or any of a dozen other solutions to your own particular storage needs.

I make use of the M-PAC racks everywhere because they seem to me to be the best solution for storing "ready gear" that you need now and don't want to unpack.

M-PAC side rack

M-PAC rear door rack

 

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Good job, Larry. Seems like a couple of different members are coming up with these. Looks like it'll be a race to production.

It's not really a race for me. If somebody comes out with a better mousetrap, they should do it. First and foremost, I built the rack for myself. Because of my connections in Asia, I can manufacture a very high quality product and keep the price reasonable.

have you had a chance to see if the side rack is strong enough to hold a 10lb air tank
bolted up for daily and trail use?

I had the 10 lbs CO2 tank on my side rack for some time. It holds it fine. The Side M-PAC works very well. I also put down a strip of non-skid for the CO2 tank to rest on so it wouldn't score the plastic on the FJ.

 

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Are you going to try to get these things produced for sale? It is perfect for what I need.

Yes, we're going to try and field test the design so that we're sure that everything works the way we want it to when we're on the road. Since the initial installation of the basic Scorpion mount, there have been a few things that we've come up with. I'm sure there will be a few more once we get the trucks in the dirt at the Summit, afterwards and on a couple more runs. I don't think there will be major changes - but once the final prototype is done, they'll all look just like that one.

Wow! Excellent work.

Thanks. Once again, I built the design to serve my needs but I'm sure there will be others who feel the way I do.

I'm curious about rear view visibility. You loose it completely, correct?

Correct. Since I have Lowrance 540C GPS mounted where the r/v mirror used to be, there is no impact on my driving. If you're addicted to the r/v mirror, this might not work for you.

I currently have a homemade drawer system in my rig, but I'd love to have a cargo rack like this and build the drawers into it. Any word on production timeline and cost?

I can't even give you an estimate on the cost until I get the final prototype finished. I anticipate that since they'll be made in China in a factory that I personally control (therefore quality control) that our final cost to you will be close to what you'd buy the materials for here, but I can't promise that. Part of that has to do with the Chinese currency (RMB) floating on the market. The dollar will take a real beating when that happens - early next year. Stand by for EVERYTHING imported from China increasing in price by 20%-25%. There will be add-on's such as the M-PAC racks and while we may bundle them with the Scorpion Cargo Storage Rack, those costs are somewhat fixed by that manufacturer.

We might make a joint in the legs so that you can bolt it on top of a one-drawer storage system, but that hasn't been decided yet.

This is the design matrix:

Concept

Drawing

Refine Drawing

Proof of Concept <<First Prototype (in my rig) Second Prototype (in COWBOY 4X4's rig)>> Each prototype is a bit different to work on different variants.

Final Prototype

Production

Distribution

As mentioned above, I'm concerned about the impact to the US economy of a dramatic increase in the price of Chinese goods. Stand by for everything in Home Depot, Walmart, etc. going UP. There will be a ripple effect here in the States and it's not going to be pretty.

 

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BTW, what are you using for your shotgun retainer(s)??

QuickFists.

A 1" quickfist for the barrel and a 3" quickfist for the grip. They are non-locking and if I need a lock, I can run a security cable through the trigger guard and lock it in that way.

 

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Have you thought about an overhead locking unit (w/ remote electric quick-release)??

I don't know if the unit that Galls sells would fit or not. At the moment, I'm partial to the fit with the M-PAC because of the way this particular solution comes together.

I'd prefer a locking mechanism that I can attach via the M-Pac rather than a "roll bar" mount.

 

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Will the finished product be powder coated?

Not if we go with stainless steel. It will be a brush-finish stainless. If we go with common DOM, we'll go with a powder coat.

Will you consider countersinking the bolts or using allens?

COWBOY4x4's rack is mostly already countersunk. Mine is not basically because I'm working on design, not those refinements. The initial assembly hardware was cheap bolts. Most of the hardware on mine now has been swapped for allen button head stainless bolts.

It's a 305 spare on Wheelers. I can only imaging if more weight was placed on that door. Did you relocate your MPAC or added more?

I feel your pain. That's why I went to a swing arm on the bumper. Since then I've put what I want on the M-PAC on the rear door.

Soon I'll be swapping out my FabFours rear bumper w/swing arm for the new DeMello bumper w/swing arm. With the weight of beadlocks and a spare 305, the door will suffer and my concern was that ultimately it would fail. I implemented the solution before it failed, but the handwriting was on the wall.