[kevinmrowland]

All that wasted space inside my rusty ol’ tailgate was bothering me so I wasted my Sunday and made this.

Thought I would post it ‘cause I’ve never seen one before.
Now I know that the reason I’ve never seen one is because it's kind of a waste of time, and you don’t gain that much space.

enjoy

[nikos8]

Maybe, but the wood paneling looks nice.

[MANUCHAO]

Nice work.

Whats with all the stickers...... you climb ?

[euclid]

Jumper cables and such would probably fit in there. I tried to snag an extra tailgate a few years ago for free thinking the same thing.

How bout some details on the build?

[nuclearlemon]

nice for the small stuff for those of us that don't have the boxes in the back. quarter panels are also a good place for stuff like that.

[Weaver]

shoot that looks perfect to me. i've been needing a storage option for my extra bungees, compressor hose, zip ties, all kindsa random items but didn't want to commit to a large pull out system for the back. it still sturdy enough for a couple people to sit down on for camping/tailgaters etc?

and whats the black surround, i'm assuming metal but the fit looks almost to perfect to be made in your free time on a sunday.

you do some great work, i must say

[MANUCHAO]

deleted

[import silvia]

I agree, that looks very good. And would also like a few more details on what went into the construction and just how much can be held in there.

[NorCal60]

Good idea, very nice!
I just might have to do the tail gate and cargo panels now.
What wood is that, Birch?

[kevinmrowland]

Thanks
Yes I climb, nothing to do with the stickers though, I just like them.
I already putt some hinged panels on the quarters, those are great, and VERY usefull.
I was thinking that the tail gate box would be good for emergency stuff, axe, jumpers, tow strap, jack (too bad the jack wont fit in there)
Now I am thinking that I will make it an overflow kitchen box since I lost so much kitchen drawer space due to the NEW FRIDGE!!!!

Since the main structure is made from angle iron it is still very strong, actually its stronger than OEM. I had the classic caved in tailgate and I used this to straighten it out.

The main thing is to keep access to the internal door mechanism so whatever I put in there needed to be relatively easy to remove, that limited the size a bit. The box is 48” in length but only 3.25” at its deepest, and that is right up to the outside metal.

Here's a pic of just the box outside of the gate. Basically the rim is made out of angle iron, the top bit has a 2" leg to clear the latch mechanism and the rest is just a few pieces of 16ga. I cut the tailgate out with a jig saw and welded on some 1/4-20 nuts to bolt the whole thing on. Oh, and some 1/4x1/4 rod makes the lip for the lid to rest on.

[kevinmrowland]

Yeah, so I looked at the pics I posted......and they suck, sorry 'bout that.

Here is a zoom in of the original photo, perhaps it will explain the constuction a bit.
I can take a few better ones tomorrow.

[Southbound]

That's quality, very nice. Now I'm curious about your quarterpanel storage.

[Weaver]

i should've figured it wasn't as simple as it looked in the first pic. that is some great work. i WILL be stealing your idea, however i think i'll ghettofy things a bit and just do a hinged panel here with no "frame" to speak of really. again, great stuff

[kevinmrowland]

The quarters are just the original vinyl panels glued to a sheet of aluminum, hinged on the bottom with a little 1/4 turn compression latch at the top. I am seriously considering doing something just like this so that there is actual boxes in the quarters.

I would not suggest cutting a hole in the tailgate without planning to reenforce it a lot.
Once the center bit is cut out there is pretty much no strength to the tailgate anymore.

[High Desert]

Great use of space. How much aprox does it weigh?

[cbmontgo]

Kevin, I think I have responded to some of your other posts in the same way: very nice work. I may have to steal that idea.

[kevinmrowland]

Thanks again

High Desert, sorry I did see your post. My guess would be about 15-20lbs for the box, but that is empty. It makes the gate drop a bit faster but it surprisingly didn't seem to make it that much harder to lift.

[calphi27]

I have always thought about doing this, as I am sure most others have too, but I always thought the opening mechanisms for the tailgate would get in the way. Glad to see it works!

Any pics on the quarterpanel storage. I am a visual learner. Gracias.

[kevinmrowland]

http://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/73388-rear-cargo-area-panels.html

Talked about the 1/4 panel stuff here.
Now I am thinking I might have to make them match the tailgate.

[AuburnFJsexy]

That is a good idea and looks really nice and with 1/4 panel stage like that too would be awesome.

[dogboy2]

you're a clever monkey.... nice work!

-db-

[PAFJ]

Nicely done dude!! This is worthy of a write-up...details, details!!

[kevinmrowland]

***UPDATE***

I've gone through a handful of versions of this project now (tinkering is a disease) finally happened on a version I like so I figured it was time for an update.

I realized that wanting an actual "box" in the tail gate was silly (and heavy for that matter) I lost the box, sealed up the inside with sound deadener and made a hinged "door" instead.
I did not like the lose panel (too awkward) so I ended up with a piano hinge running the length of the panel. The panel is still plywood (by far the best strength-weight-cost ratio I could find) the ply on the tailgate was not weathering well so I experimented with a bunch of bedliners till I found one that was durable, yet soft and rubbery to the touch.

There is WAY more useable room with this new version, the tailgate is not properly packed in the photo but on our last trip I put the saw, axe, hatchet, shovel, TP, bug spray, tennis balls, bog bones, zip lock bags of dog food, hammer, bungee cords, ratchet straps, oil filter wrench, some random tools and a handful of other things to spare in there and it swallowed it all right up.
I think this one might work out.

[kevinmrowland]

I also made some matching panels for the 1/4 panels, I like the way they look (the raw ply matches the drawers) and they should get much less abuse than the tailgate so I will se how they hold up.

[kevinmrowland]

I cut the inner supports out of the 1/4s (the panels are way stronger anyway) I just lost the washer fluid bag (tire blocks window anyway) and on the other side I extended all the breather lines and moved the expansion chamber back behind the tail light (out of the way)
Lots of stuff fits in these as well.

[kevinmrowland]

Couple more.
Second pic shows how far the panel opens with the boxes in, plenty of access.

[mainlander]

That is sooooooo sweeeet!

Didn't see the original thread. Thanks for resurrecting it. Great mods and awesome in truck storage for all that little stuff that can get in the way.

One day this will be in my BJ60. Tres' coooool

[Tinker]

You might consider sealing the plywood with epoxy - West is my favorite (available at West Marine, no connection). That'll keep it from absorbing moisture & add a little strength.

You could also do thinner plywood (marine grade is the best) if you added fiberglass cloth on the inside with just a little more trouble. That'd make the panels a lot stronger.

How much space would you lose by attaching bins to the doors so the stuff wouldn't bang the quarter panels?

Been considering a sub & rear speakers in the tailgate & a panel milled out of 3/8" aluminum that you could sit on or slide heavy objects over without affecting the speakers.

[kevinmrowland]

Thanks
Considered the fiberglass, but I hate working fiberglass (do enough of it at work) I neglected to mention that the panels are actually sealed up with marine spar varnish, they are waterproof and hose washable. I am trying to make everything inside hose clean up.

I considered putting a storage box on the back of the panel, but It was the same situation as the original tail gate box, so much room is up under the corners.

[Wile E Coyote]

Nothing to add 'cept that's some quality work. Thanks for lettin us bite your ideas!