Rear Cargo Area Organizer (Warning: Ghetto Fabuliciousness Inside)

[Shahram]

I'm what you'd call somewhat financially challenged. I got bills, a kid, and I'm not exactly making what I used to. So, sometimes "ghetto fab" is the order of the day. Hey, you get what you pay for...good and bad.

I've always liked those fancy rear drawer systems, but they have two things going against them:

a) They're too damned expensive. If I've got a choice between a rear drawer system and a ticket to Hawaii, I'm packin' my boardshorts and flip-flops.

b) I need the third row in sometimes.

I just needed something to clean up the back of the truck. Something I could put the everyday items in, like the tire repair kit, compressor, tools, fluids, spares, and various duffles and stuff that clutter up the area, and still have a flat surface to put things on. It would need to line up well with the backs of the rear seats when they are down, in case I wanted to eliminate using a tent and sleep on it when I go solo camping. It would need some anchoring points, so I could strap down the cooler or gerry can, or whatever. An added bonus would be if the thing could look halfway decent, or at least inconspicuous, at first glance. I'd like to have everything of value out of sight, if possible.

Oh, and it would cost less than $100.

I got out the measuring tape and started counting. Went to Home Depot, and bought a sheet of 3/4" plywood, one 2"x12"x12', and a blue quilted packing blanket. Cost: $53.29

Then, I went to Target and bought two plastic bins, 34"x16"x6", suitable for packing wrapping paper or some such nonsense and stowing under a bed. Total cost: $16.53

I cut the plywood in one 41"x57" sheet, then cut the 2"x12"x12' into three equal, 41" sections, and screwed them on so that they ran along the space just inside the wheel wells, then creating two equal sized 19" wide, 12" tall, 44" deep compartments. Spread the packing blanket over the top and voila, instant smuggle space, with room to sleep on top.

View with rear tailgate closed:

View with tailgate open:

View under blanket:

Two of these 6" tall bins from Target ($7.99 apiece) stack and fit very snugly into the compartment, with a little room to spare.

My plan is to do a couple of cutouts in the wheel well area, to fit the Gerry can, and to better utilize the space behind the wheel wells. I will also upholster the entire thing, using the packing blanket and a staple gun. I considered painting it, in case of fluid spills, but...well, I'm lazy. I will also put some kind of anchors, ie eye bolts or rings of some sort or another, to more easily strap things to the top.

 

[lockd80]

Cool, it appeals to my inner cheep*ss!

 

[ginericLC]

Jerry can? with water I hope?

 

[mainemike]

man, that is beautiful. As long as you anchor it well so in an accident it doesn't move (at all) you're good to go. You may want to frame out the end that abuts the rear seats with scrap 2x4 just so the three legs don't sway when you have weight on top. Never overlook the power of ghetto-fab!

 

[stayalert]

very cool. The only improvement I'd make is to use broken hockey sticks in place of some of that expensive lumber.

 

[badmuthatrucka]

Nice, quick, cheap, and easy! Just the way II hear that some guys like e their women...

 

[p8nt]

Nice work!

 

[sleeoffroad]

There is only one small item not listed and that is safety. What happens with all that stuff in the event of a crash or roll-over.

 

[Shahram]

Jerry can? with water I hope?

Oh yeah. I don't do gasoline inside the vehicle, ever. It freaks me out and I hate the smell.

man, that is beautiful. As long as you anchor it well so in an accident it doesn't move (at all) you're good to go. You may want to frame out the end that abuts the rear seats with scrap 2x4 just so the three legs don't sway when you have weight on top. Never overlook the power of ghetto-fab!

I'm going to do some cutouts , to do some ratchet straps to the third-row seat brackets, maybe a turnbuckle to the cargo tie-downs. To get it in, the thing had to be turned and twisted, in order to get past the thinner entry at the tailgate. At its widest, the cargo area is something like 60" wide. As you move forward, the cargo area thins again at the back seats. The "monstrosity" fits rather perfectly, nestled between the four points fore and aft the cargo area.

 

[rlabair]

Screw the ratchets and turnbuckles, it ain't true ghetto if you don't use duct tape!
Innovative, good work!

 

[Shahram]

Update: Rear Cargo Area Organizer Modified!!!

Screw the ratchets and turnbuckles, it ain't true ghetto if you don't use duct tape!
Innovative, good work!

Well, I didn't use duct tape, but I did use gaffer's tape!

While the original system worked well, it had a few annoying faults.

--Access to the jack/OEM tool bag was hampered.

--Water geri can was stowed underneath. But when filled, the geri has to sit upright, and there was no place to put it where it wouldn't be knocked down, leaking over gear. (After one night in a soaked sleeping bag, I vowed never again.)

--Whole unit was strapped down to keep it from moving, but the straps were inefficiently placed and migrated too much.

--The slack from the packing blanket was getting caught on equipment, bins, and in the rear hatch.

So I got out the jigsaw, some scissors, and a heavy duty stapler, and went to work.

After removing the unit from the Cruiser, I traced the outline of the geri can to fit just aft the third row seat brackets, against the passenger's side rear speaker, and cut the outline out with the jigsaw.

I then trimmed a couple of inches off the driver's side tool bag and jack access door, to better maneuver my hands into that space.

I cut two four inch grooves, rounded, into the mid-fore section just between the geri can stowage, directly over the third row seat brackets, in order to run a more stable and direct line with the strap.

I then trimmed the packing blanket and folded the excess underneath, where I went a little crazy over-stapling the crap out of it. This tightened the blanket enough to keep it from snagging on equipment or door latches. I lined the geri can stowage with gaffer's tape and stapled it down...eventually, I'll get a rubber seal or something for it. For now, it works!

Cost: $0.50. ($.25 in staples, $.25 in gaffer's tape.)
Time: One hour, most of which was spent giggling and deciding what to cut, how much, and where.

Results? It turned this:

Into this:

I don't normally carry that much crap around, but it helps to illustrate the level of organization that was achieved here...which is a big deal, considering the source.

 

[fjfar80]

Shahram...for safety sake I hope you secure that stuff down...one of those folding chairs across the head would suck.

 

[NLXTACY]

Shahram...for safety sake I hope you secure that stuff down...one of those folding chairs across the head would suck.

Have you met Shahram? The chair would just slide right off his head.

 

[Shahram]

A camp chair is no match for my melon!

No, I strap everything down...not so much for safety, but I hate my equipment banging around in the back when I'm on the trail. I'm crazy loco en la cabeza grande for over-strapping.

 

[1973Guppie]

nice work, I agree the aussie systems are way too much $$!!

nice to see that the target bins work well, what is the other beige/black bin in the pic above, looks like it fits perfect, is that the roughneck type?

I plan to build something similar, although with a metal frame, built off of some spare 3rd row seat brackets, with that metal mesh stuff.....

 

[hoser]

The best ghetto cargo system I've seen yet! Add a cargo barrier and you'd be set.

 

[NLXTACY]

The best ghetto cargo system I've seen yet! Add a cargo barrier and you'd be set.

Yeah but you gotta use chain link fencing for the barrier.

 

[Shahram]

nice work, I agree the aussie systems are way too much $$!!

nice to see that the target bins work well, what is the other beige/black bin in the pic above, looks like it fits perfect, is that the roughneck type?

It's a brown and black Action Packer (Rubbermaid) that I picked up at the hardware store.

The best ghetto cargo system I've seen yet! Add a cargo barrier and you'd be set.

How about a ghetto cargo barrier?

Yeah but you gotta use chain link fencing for the barrier.

Well, I did use Home Depot wire shelving. Actually, the system is about half the size now. I use just one shelf, and I've turned it sideways, so that it just covers the space above the seats.

Good God, I am a cheap-ass.

 

[hoser]

The chain link fence would've been ghetto but the shelving is approaching... marketable.

 

[1973Guppie]

no, really cheap would of been if you used old cut up street signs.....