Neat roof (ceiling) storage

[Abitibi]

It's not a Toyota but thought some might like the idea...

In preparation for my storage cabinets and new roof insulation, I took the headliner out. This allowed me to use these nifty little magnet hooks (strong enough to each hold 20lbs) onto the roof/pillars to partly support these cargo nets. Nothing fancy here but very practical (it's amazing how much stuff you can store up there)!

Also got started on my wood cabinets but still a long way before the project is fully completed, more to come...

Cheers,
Mr. D

 

[Abitibi]

Some more pics.

 

[Fantom]

I wouldn't trust/rely upon magnets for that application, but it is easy enough to add something to the existing cross supports that would handle the weight and not move.

 

[Abitibi]

True that. Not that I'm using it to store heavy or hard objects anyway, mostly for sleeping bag, clothing & light items when camping.

So far they hold fine but the heavier it gets they just start to slide a bit when rougher road (they don't let go). If I decide to keep them I'll probably end up doing as you mentioned but so far so good.

Cheers.

 

[AJAEbj42]

Would be a good idea if I had a metal roof!

Where did you source your cargo nets?

Good looking truck!

 

[Abitibi]

The cargo nets came from some American car's trunks but I can't recall exactly, sorry. Hooks are from Princess Auto. Yes, nice to have an overheight metal roof, thanks!

Cheers!

 

[Fantom]

Glenn and I made some baskets from metal, in Glenn's truck it's a thicker wire mesh basket that I believe is attached to the side roof supports in his 74 - correct me if I'm wrong.
In mine it's a shelf type that spans across the back from above the windows. I found the sturdy metal shelf or even a metal basket to be a little better than the netting (which I've tried). Simply because it doesn't move around, bounce or distract you while you're driving. The benefit of the netting is that it is flexible, so you can fit different cargo into them any time you want.

 

[Abitibi]

Good idea to go metal. I'm planning on replacing the rear net with a proper wood cabinet but there are a few advantages with the net:
-as you said it's flexible
-it's easier/cheaper
-you can pack wet clothes/gears in there and it won't mess the wood.

Here's a pic of something a little in between the net and the metal one? Similar to those pickup tailgates you see around...

Cheers,
Mr. D

 

[canucksafari]

I was thinking when I saw that pic that a quick stop and he would be reminded why a cargo rack is a good idea.

 

[ForealBoreal]

glenn i would love to see your setup

 

[Abitibi]

I was thinking when I saw that pic that a quick stop and he would be reminded why a cargo rack is a good idea.

Come test drive my truck John, we'll load up the cargo then you can slam on the break and you'll notice: Nothing!

Everything will remain in the cargo net...

I'd also be curious to see pics of the metal version...

Cheers,
Mr. D

 

[Abitibi]

Here's a few more pictures of the ceiling with it's first layer of insulation. There's one more layer to go before I'm done as I need to cover the cross-over braces as well.

So far it's working as it should... Happy with the result. Couldn't resist to post an extra picture

Cheers
Mr. D

 

[canucksafari]

Looks good. Are you going to put the headliner over the insulation?

 

[kim]

That is a really nice looking Pathfinder.

 

[canucksafari]

That is a really nice looking Pathfinder.

... but clearly not mistaken for a Jeep.

 

[Glenn-BJ74]

glenn i would love to see your setup

Here a few pics and description. The overhead storage rack is made of 2”x 2” steel mesh (3/16” diameter), supported front and back by 1” square tubing thin-wall (0.066”), which includes vertical supports a few inches high to attached ¼” black bungee cord. The mesh is secured with small 1/8” metal tabs screwed from below. The square tubing keeps the steel mesh tight against the walls (sitting above the windows), which when removed allows the mesh to sag to be removed or installed as required. The rack is quite strong as it picks up triangular support from the walls and roof of the truck.

 

[Glenn-BJ74]

[FONT=&quot]As you can see the rack contains things that are easy to get to, but are out of the way of the main cargo area. For my small BJ74 the rack is about 2’x 4’, which covers about ½ of the cargo area footprint, so I still have headroom to move around and clearance to open the fridge, which sits above the wheel hump. The ability to get something when the truck is packed to the gunnels is a big bonus.

[/FONT]

 

[ForealBoreal]

bomber. I like it.

 

[canucksafari]

That looks very neat Glenn. Is the wire 2x2 mesh clamped onto the square tubing or welded? From the pics, it looks like it is clamped.

 

[Glenn-BJ74]

You can see its clamped with the little 1"x1/8" tabs with sheet metal screws through the square tubing. This allows the square tubing supports to be taken out and allows the mesh to sag enough to be removed. Gives me nearly 2 1/2 cubic feet of otherwise useless space for storage. There is also little wire basket there that swings down for shoes - great for drying them out when drying.