I took my youngest son out rabbit hunting recently and decided to take the FJ55 for the 1.5 hr ride to our favorite rabbit hole. We arrived, as usual, before sunrise excited about the prospects of harvesting some cottontail rabbits. I dropped the tailgate on the pig to grab our gear and had some difficulty finding it all in the dark with just a flashlight. I thought to myself here's an opportunity for improvement….
First, I bought the storage containers as they form the basis for the project going forward. I made the initial height measurement for the pillar 2x4 cuts which were 8” Next, I sandwich framed all the pillars and secured them to the cargo floor panel with L brackets.
I opted for the ½ plywood to prevent sag as well as to accommodate any heavy gear topside. It was necessary to rip the plywood in half in order to get it into the cargo area. Next, I ran a hot wire for the cargo lights x2. I opted for the smallest lights available which necessitated LEDs. The LED lights worked out really well. The entire cargo area is well lit with a very small mounting footprint which was very important for me. I used a standard lighted flush mount switch (Green circle) that I had on hand from a previous project and mounted it on the center 2x4 pillar for easy access.
The final step was pretty tedious. I bought two black diamond print rubber mats at the Home Depot as one wasn’t going to be enough to fit the entire plywood area. I bought one small section of anti-fatigue mat that had the interlocking mesh pattern. I then traced out the pattern onto the afore-mentioned cargo mat and then proceeded to painstakingly cut out the pattern onto the two mats. The end result was a tight fitting mat that looks really good and was well worth all the effort.
Project complete! The plastic storage containers hold all my tools and such with plenty of room for more crap. When we head back out to blast rabbits again, I remove one of the storage containers and slide in the shotguns or my compound bow.
The entire project ran me about $70.00 with the biggest cost being the 1/2 plywood followed by the plastic storage containers. The 2x4s, most of the wire, switch, connectors, L brackets and wood screws were all on-hand items already in my garage. Time wise, 80% of the project was done in 2 hours. The mat pattern trace and cut took almost 2 hours. It was an easy and enjoyable project and I'm really pleased with the final result, especially the LED lighting.
First, I bought the storage containers as they form the basis for the project going forward. I made the initial height measurement for the pillar 2x4 cuts which were 8” Next, I sandwich framed all the pillars and secured them to the cargo floor panel with L brackets.
I opted for the ½ plywood to prevent sag as well as to accommodate any heavy gear topside. It was necessary to rip the plywood in half in order to get it into the cargo area. Next, I ran a hot wire for the cargo lights x2. I opted for the smallest lights available which necessitated LEDs. The LED lights worked out really well. The entire cargo area is well lit with a very small mounting footprint which was very important for me. I used a standard lighted flush mount switch (Green circle) that I had on hand from a previous project and mounted it on the center 2x4 pillar for easy access.
The final step was pretty tedious. I bought two black diamond print rubber mats at the Home Depot as one wasn’t going to be enough to fit the entire plywood area. I bought one small section of anti-fatigue mat that had the interlocking mesh pattern. I then traced out the pattern onto the afore-mentioned cargo mat and then proceeded to painstakingly cut out the pattern onto the two mats. The end result was a tight fitting mat that looks really good and was well worth all the effort.
Project complete! The plastic storage containers hold all my tools and such with plenty of room for more crap. When we head back out to blast rabbits again, I remove one of the storage containers and slide in the shotguns or my compound bow.
The entire project ran me about $70.00 with the biggest cost being the 1/2 plywood followed by the plastic storage containers. The 2x4s, most of the wire, switch, connectors, L brackets and wood screws were all on-hand items already in my garage. Time wise, 80% of the project was done in 2 hours. The mat pattern trace and cut took almost 2 hours. It was an easy and enjoyable project and I'm really pleased with the final result, especially the LED lighting.
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