[kevinmrowland]

This is what happens when you have your evenings free, access to a welder and exhibit OCD tendencies in regards to rust and storage.

It all started with big rusty holes hiding under my carpet and a hatred of the dirt collecting-wasted space under my seats.

[euclid]

Fred Flintstone Power!

Keepem comin you cruiser savant!

FAQ'd cause I see what's coming.

[kevinmrowland]

Instead of being practical and cutting out the rust, I cut the whole floor out.

[kevinmrowland]

I welded a box together and stitch welded it into the big hole in my floor.

[kevinmrowland]

Here it is nice and dirty after 7000 test miles, worked great. Both the rear drawers can now be used solely for camping and cooking stuff and the best part is that when not on a long trip the cargo boxes can be removed and all the tools, supplies and emergency gear can stay in the truck.

I am quite happy with the amount of room in there, all my tools and recovery gear fit quite nicely and the wieght of those heavy items is about as low and forward as you can get. I used a marine hatch for access to the "center console" Without an actual console there it makes a great place for the dog to sit and provides a pass through to the back, very nice since we sleep back there.
Still need to make a new shift boot cover.


And lastly, the pile of rust that was my old floor.

[brokenparts]

holy shat batman... that's a great idea! Looks friggin good too!

[Dirtgypsy]

looks great. are you concerned with those little latches holding all your gear, seats and yourself in one spot if you ever roll it?

clint

[brokenparts]

Originally Posted by Dirtgypsy

looks great. are you concerned with those little latches holding all your gear, seats and yourself in one spot if you ever roll it?

clint

oh geez... mr. technical.

[OlympiaFJ60]

Very nice. Do you have plans/drawings for that or did you just measure cut and weld your way through.

That's freakn' awesome.

[fowldarr]

That's awesome, between those and the rear quarter/tailgate storage that we've seen the last couple of days, you could really load down your rig with everything you could possibly want.

[flybynight]

With no stiffening ridges in the floor, does it flex under your feat?
Or do the boxes provide enough stiffening?

BTW, a cam lock aka "coffin lock" would be a good solution for those who are worried about boxes opening at an inopportune time.

Very nice idea and build!

[kevinmrowland]

Originally Posted by Dirtgypsy

looks great. are you concerned with those little latches holding all your gear, seats and yourself in one spot if you ever roll it?

clint

Very valid concern, and yes I was, but those little latches are $40 a piece, stainless steel, race application, load-rated, dead bolt draw latches. When they are closed a spring loaded dead bolt is pushed between the two halves, locking them together in all directions. Not only that but there is a safety catch that must be pressed in from the side for the latch to open. I actually think the box as a whole, including the latches, is stronger that the little OE pedestals. But all that is irrelevant since it is certainly safer than the rusted out seat mounts that were flapping in the breeze.
I feel safe driving it.

Originally Posted by OlympiaFJ60

Very nice. Do you have plans/drawings for that or did you just measure cut and weld your way through.

I have an exploded CAD drawing of all the parts that I had laser cut, not really a plan, but it seemed to work.

[kevinmrowland]

Originally Posted by flybynight

With no stiffening ridges in the floor, does it flex under your feat?
Or do the boxes provide enough stiffening?

Not a bit, I rolled the edges of the new floor pans and there is a slight bend about three inches in to provide a slope down to the sill, the front of the box acts as a rib and the whole thing is made from 11ga, I didn't want it to rust out again any time soon.

[NocalFJ60]

No ejection seats?

You got some skills. Looks great. Thanks for sharing. Way to be creative with that rust.

[mtb_rider]

That's sweet. Definately a first. Expect followers!

[sirenmoses]

Wow!! Even with rust I'd've been afeared to cut up that much of my truck. Bowing to your ingenuity.

Hadn't thought about that location for fire extinguisher: do you carry a larger one in another location? I've worked a couple car fires that started as smoke coming from under the dash: not sure if that happened when I was driving I'd think to reach TOWARD the problem for the solution. Just my 2c.

What lives in the marine hatch, a gub? I know my dog would love the perch!

IIRC you have the rear seat removed, yes, so no issue tilting the seats back into where the rear seat would be flipped forward?

Amazing skills, and love the flintstone photo. Maybe someone should make a shirt from that...

Can't wait to see what you come up with next.

[overhanger]

Originally Posted by sirenmoses

Wow!! Even with rust I'd've been afeared to cut up that much of my truck. Bowing to your ingenuity.
<snip>
Amazing skills, and love the flintstone photo. Maybe someone should make a shirt from that...

Can't wait to see what you come up with next.

You should see his Pappy's truck! Heard of the "Trickle Down" theory?
Both the Rowland boys got skills!

[D'Animal]

Looks really nice.

[kling-on]

thats so COOL

[kevinmrowland]

Originally Posted by sirenmoses

Hadn't thought about that location for fire extinguisher: do you carry a larger one in another location? I've worked a couple car fires that started as smoke coming from under the dash: not sure if that happened when I was driving I'd think to reach TOWARD the problem for the solution. Just my 2c.

What lives in the marine hatch, a gub? I know my dog would love the perch!

IIRC you have the rear seat removed, yes, so no issue tilting the seats back into where the rear seat would be flipped forward?

I haven't settled on fire extinguisher locations yet, I have one up front and one in the back but I keep moving them around trying to find a place I like.

The hatch has all the usual center console stuff: paper, pens, little plastic tackle box of small stuff, bag of change............ There is about the same amount of space as the OE console, just flatter.

And the seat is removed, but the cargo boxes fill the same space. When the seat is in you just flip the latches and the gas shocks take over. With the seat flipped down or the cargo boxes in, you need to flip the seat back forward, flip the latches and push on the seat slide handle. Then the gas shocks take over, pushing the lid up and the seat forward at the same time.
Takes a minute to write but only a few seconds to do. I think it is a reasonable compromise for the amount of storage it afforded.
All my tools fit very easily under the drivers seat with room to spare and the passenger seat hides a pair of V-bar tire chains, snatch block, shackle, tree strap, full first aid kit, armorall wipes, window wipes, hand wipes, bag of survival essentials and probably a few other things I am forgetting. And on top of all that, the latches are padlockable so if I want to leave the computer or camera in the the car I can lock them in there and slow down thieves a bit more.

[FJota]

Nice fab work. Very clean look and good use of space.

[goldchaser]

wow that is awsome,great work top idea,ive gotta say though i couldnt stand being on a bad dirt road for a cuppla days with all them tools rattlin around,youve got a frigin workshop under them seats!
cheers goldchaser

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

Smart use of space. Makes me realy want a welder to try my hand at fabbing up something similar!

[Tinker]

So do you have a shear & a brake @ your house?

Damn fine fab work & a great idea. Too bad my floors are solid.

[chitown40]

Very nice Kevin. Way to think out of the box on this one.

[kevinmrowland]

I originally thought I would need to line the inside of the boxes with foam to hide the rattle of tools, to my surprise, I don't hear a thing. I could always hear the sockets jingling when they lived in the rear cargo drawer, but not under the seat, even on washboard or gravel roads.

I don't have a shear or a break big enough to bend 11ga, that would be one hell of a break. I just welded all those pieces together.

[beaufort-fj60]

is that your welder in post #3!?... looks like you could weld a skyscraper with that thing.

[87CRUSR]

Nice use of space..creative!

[gen2600]

Wow, great idea and good balls for jumping in like that for something so major. Kickass!

[boerboel313]

That is BAD AZZ. Nice job. How Much?