More cargo room

[Manuelsv]

Dont know if the pictures are too good, but the lid is welded to some heavy duty hinges that are also welded to the box...
The boxed and ribbed area of the lid will be filled with foam, and then have a Plexiglas cover on the inside boxed area to insulate the lid from the outside + a thick door seal watertight seal around it to seal up against the box lip..

 

[Manuelsv]

Beadlining..

So papered up inside and under.. and bedlined the inside of the box, lid, and once at it the entire cargo area to make it all look nice..
Also got the box from underneath, so it's bedlined on the inside and out..

 

[Manuelsv]

Sorry forgot to take pictures from under.. but I'll get some posted

 

[Manuelsv]

Drain Plug.. Home made but effective.. I hope.. Have not had a chance to try it out yet..

 

[VFRMAN]

Damn nice. I was just curious how far it sticks down. Looks just like Haffi's though I guess so must be similar. Thanks.

 

[Manuelsv]

Soafter letting the bedliner dry..

 

[Manuelsv]

I shamelessly coppied Haffi's design down to the last Millimiter! Hope he don't mind

 

[Manuelsv]

OK so then how to seal the lid and keep it rattle free...
So that is where I am at so far.. I still have to finish the lid by putting insulation/foam something in between the ribs on the lid (the part inside the black rubber seal.. then cover it with plexiglass... Find a suitable latch and handle for the contraption, and carpet the wooden area.. +++ Details details..
I'll update as I go along

 

[haffi]

Hey!!!

Glad to see that someone finally stopped talking about it and did it!!

Did you use all the measurements and the drawing I provided?

Looks good! Great job.

I don´t regret having the lid in two pieces, I sometimes have to get something from the box with full trunk. Then it is nice not have to unload the whole truck and be able to pull the lids out to open the box.

Keep the pics coming!

 

[Manuelsv]

I thought about doing the lid in 2 pieces, but then it would have been much harder to achieve a seal.;p Your lid design is probably a lot more practical for everyday use, but I was trying to achieve a water resistant lid to keep the water moisture etc.. from splashing out and on to the carpet in off camber situations.
I used all the measurements and drawings exactly as you provided, only slight modification is the materials.. Although yours looks a lot more professional, I was told that aluminum would be much more difficult to weld, so we went with steel for the ease of welding, and although I was concerned about possible rust issues with the steel, with the bedliner in and out it should not be an issue. Anyhow I live in Arizona where rust is never an issue.
Also as you can see now I am in the stage of putting the finishing touches on it. I cut 1/2" plywood to level the floor around the lid as you can see on the last picture. My plan is to secure that to the floor using the bolts that held the 3rd row seats, and the cargo hooks. I'll carpet the area with matching carpet, and also carpet on the lid to make it all look (hopefully) as nice as yours once it's finished.
I'll also put a latch to secure the lid, and make a lay-down or flat grab handle for it, once the carpet and lid are flat with each other there will not be any way to grab the lid to open it so I defenitely need a handle of some sorts.
I'm also thinking of a locking mechanism, perhaps just a simple padlock, to make this my hidden and secured lock box to put things in so that a thief would have a really hard time getting into. We have a problem with tweakers/meth adicts in AZ
I figure 1st they would have to know that it's there, and second they would have to cut the padlock, if I do a good job with the finishing touches, it should look stock, and I doubt thief's are in the habit of checking the "spare tire compartment" for valuables to steal.
Any more ideas are welcome especially now that I am in the middle of putting the finishing touches on it! Any ideas on how to make it more stock looking would be very welcome by my who is slowly coming around to liking it.. She said I'm ruining the cruiser several times.. until she saw the bedlined stage.. Before that she was adamant that the truck would be ruined :whoops: Especially after seeing the hole. ..
I'll update with more pics as I make more progress this weekend.

Again Heffi your idea rocks! In my oppinion you are an IH8MUD Genious! Thanks again! Your Idea has traveled from Iceland to Arizona/Mexico!

 

[julstirn]

This is a great way to stow stuff that you rarely get into, it allows storage and regular use of bed area. Nice!

 

[94SRUNNER]

This is a great mod! I can't believe i missed the original thread.

Nice to see the spaced used so efficently! Well done.

 

[meathooker]

Looks good guys!

will this work with 3rd row seats? if not i think it would be nice to make one that did.

i really like this idea and am thinking about making one. i work at a sheetmetal shop and could make a few if other are interested; how much interest is there and how much would you be willing to pay? From the looks of it mild steel with a powder coat would be best. off the top of my head i would guess $350 with a single piece lid but this shipping would be buyers responsibility.

 

[Manuelsv]

Forgot to Mention..
When I had mine made.. I had a second one made also!!!
I'm not looking to make any business with it. Just thought I'd get a second one made for a fellow Muud Member.. IT is quite bulky, so shipping would be definitely an issue.
I paid 2,500 pesos, about $230 U.S in materials and labor for my Uncle's shop to make both for me.. So whoever wants the second one I just need $120 to recoup 1/2 the cost. Hope one of my fellow AZ muudders will pick it up locally
The box is in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, could not bring it up after the holidays.. Had the truck full of other things but I go down there every month if anyone wants it let me know.

 

[Manuelsv]

Will definitely not work with the 3rd row seats..
The box is square in the middle of the back lower latch points so the lid would have to be modified to fit the latch points.. and strong enough to support both the weight, and in an accident remain solid enough?
I can see with some effort making it work, but I took out the 3rd row long time ago and I did not even consider the issue.

 

[meathooker]

Will definitely not work with the 3rd row seats..
The box is square in the middle of the back lower latch points so the lid would have to be modified to fit the latch points.. and strong enough to support both the weight, and in an accident remain solid enough?
I can see with some effort making it work, but I took out the 3rd row long time ago and I did not even consider the issue.

i was afraid of that. wonder if the box could be made a little narrower (going into the cargo area) and on disturb the 3rd row latch point??? i'll have check out mine this weekend

 

[Manuelsv]

i was afraid of that. wonder if the box could be made a little narrower (going into the cargo area) and on disturb the 3rd row latch point??? i'll have check out mine this weekend

Possible Certainly.. But you'd cut don the size of the box by at least 1/2. Also: The anchor points look like they are just molded to the floor, but that is not the case if I remember correctly.. There is sort of a mini-chassis type frame that runs in parallel front to back to give strength to the area, and I assume mostly to provide a solid anchor point for the 3rd row seat rear anchors.. This was one of the hardest points to cut, because it’s not just the ribbed floor sheet metal, but a rectangular tube that is 4x the strength.. (you can see that in the picture where there is just the hole.. in both mine and Heffi’s original pics.
[FONT=&quot]The more I think about it, it would probably be easier to modify the 3rd row seats to only use the front anchor points which remain untouched.. But then would you be comfortable knowing that in an accident the 3rd row seats are anchored to ½ their original points? [/FONT]

 

[93yotasr5]

god damn thats bad ass. i have a huge mega raging boner now!!!

 

[meathooker]

The more I think about it, it would probably be easier to modify the 3rd row seats to only use the front anchor points which remain untouched.. But then would you be comfortable knowing that in an accident the 3rd row seats are anchored to ½ their original points? [/FONT]

that's where my little girl rides....so HE11 NO!

 

[Manuelsv]

god **** thats bad ass. i have a huge mega raging boner now!!!

Note to self: No truck modification activities while 93yotasr5 is arround!!