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Ultimate rear cargo storage box

R

Red97XJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Northern Indiana
OK, have been wanting to tackle this one for awhile. Have been doing some searches, etc, please post any and all ideas, pics, links, whatever.

Here is what I am thinking. Full width (my spare is on roof rack) and full depth to seat. about 12" tall. Bottom and top, 1/2 plywood, side and rear 1x12's.

Then divided equally, three drawers made of 1x12 material. some sort of mounting system to remove.

The whole thing covered in grey cloth.

I am thinking angle BOLTED (NOT SELF TAPPED) angle iron, then a slip in and drop and pin setup. the ones by the seat would have holes, then a pin mounted on the box that fits into those holes, then push box forward into those holes, then back drop down just to fit into angle, with pin holes with a small hitch pin of some sort (still thinking this one thru)

a back lid that folds up to hold drawers shut, and also, this lid could flip down to be a work area/ eating area? (kinda small being 12") ideas?

The top is fastened down, (not a opening lid) because I will have stuff piled high on top like cooler, tent, camping gear, etc.

If it would hold, I am thinking some kind of fold out legs under that fold up under like a card table's. My only fear, is once I feel it with tools, straps, junk, etc, it may be to heavy to move AND for the legs to hold it. But it would be cool to take it out and use a camp table. Could even have sides and seat side that flip up (only 12") to make table that much bigger. Also I am not sure how these legs would hold up to being under the box during trial abuse (being crushed).

C'mon cuys, we can make the ultimate storage box, just start letting the brainstorm ideas fly. I can promise I won't slam ANY idea! just start typing.

I don't want to build this then think, I should have added this or that.

Thanks in advance,
Jason

97, 3.5 RE, 32" GY MTR's, front and rear hitches, CD, CB, roof rack, hi-lift and tire on roof, 400 watts of light on roof, JKS discos, custom air induction, and the list keeps growing....
 
i think this sounds like a great idea, however, i would sugest aginst using 1x12 as this stuff breaks, cracks, warps, and for all intents and purposes sucks. I work in theatre and we use 1x12 and rip it down to 1x3 (3/4x2.5) and us it for the frames for flats (theatre set walls). When we rip it down, we get 4 rips. at least one of theos rips breaks in half or bends way off.
whenever i have used a 1x12 as a 1x12, it splits when i put any screws in it.

i would go with 1/2ply all around. thinner and stronger

Glue and staple with a brad nailer or a 3/16ths crown stapler.

might want to rim the outside of the box with 1x3 to protect the joints and corners... (like touring shows do witht their road cases...

good luck and post pictures when ur done, id love to see this and would like to copy...
 
Use marine grade plywood, it holds up better both to weather and temperature changes, takes and holds screws better and when coupled with a marine rated adhesive will last much longer. While carpeting may look cool try a rough laminted surface and use contact cement just like laminating a counter top, the stuff I used to use was 1/16" thick and came in rolls, its rough surface would keep things in place, easy to clean too. If you want a 'slide out table' build it underneath the box between the floor of the XJ and the floor of the storage box. Route out two half round channels and use half round moulding to attach to the 'table', it will be both slider and provide some added support to the 1/2 or 3/4 inch plywood that that the table will be made of and use two taped legs that fold up across the bottom of the table or that won't rotate down till it is pulled almost all the way out.
I used to build customized vans back in the 70's so I found out that building for a van and building/framing methods for say a house don't work in the van or mobile environment. Be prepared though, that box is going to be HEAVY... marine plywood is DENSE like MDF....
 
This may sound a little far fetched but what about the idea of having the box legs fold out like the stretchers for an ambulance. Then it really wouldn't matter how much junk you've got in it because it just rolls out. You would probably need help moving it through sand but it's better than picking it up while someone attaches the legs.

I have a rear floor but mine is a flip up deal and it's about 6-7" inches tall. I built it just to keep things neat and clean. That way when I did go camping all the stuff I'm using is on top and recovery gear/tools are underneath and I'm not digging under the floor unless something happens anyway. I have pictures of it if you want them but it sounds like you're going a different route.

One more thing...use whatever wood you want as long as it's strong enough. I put some nice marine carpet from Lowes on my floor and it's awesome. Matches my gray well, it's cheap, and it's got a rubber lining on the underside to protech the wood.
 
If I make the shell out of 1/2 plywood, what about the drawers? I was orig thinking ply with 2x2 supports all around, but then realized it will take away from the drawer space, as I want 3 drawers, I can't think how to make this work. Ranger, just re-read your post.... are you saying on the OUTSIDE? I think this would work.... wouldn't it? So for drawer dividers and support should I use a 2x12? Man that seems like major overkill and alot of wieght, but I don't want the 1x12 to snap. I MIGHT have a 32" tire back there in the winter (won't fit in garage with a full size on top)

any ideas.

I like the drop down leg idea, as this project progresses, I am thinking that the box will be to heavy to get out anyway. I DO love Rich's idea, orig I was thinking slide out shelf on top, but didn't want all the junk coming with it (camping gear etc.) I like the the bottom idea.

Anybody have any pics of ANYTHING?

Also, decided to add some eyelets via eyebolts to top 4 corners for bungeeing and strapping junk to. Any ideas? I doubt I can find CHEAP 12 long eyelet bolts. I guess I could do just shortie's thru the top panel.
 
Go look at a nice set of kitchen cabinets and look at the drawers, those dovetails are not just for looks, nothing makes as strong a joint as a dovetail. For the drawer sides I would use 1/4" thick solid wood. Most places that build kitchen cabinets have the stuff in stock. When building this a router and dado blade are your friends as are biscuits. When assembling the sides of the the cabinet to the horizontal do a full dado on the floor above where the slide out table is going to be then use biscuts and glue, then use rabbits on the top of the box and and the bottom so that there is enough space to slide the table surface in.
When I built my big entertainment center I used 5/4 walnut plywood for the sides, 2'W x 5'H and bullnose stair tread for the top, bought 16ft bullnose, cut it in half and then doweled it back to back so that I had a 26" deep top 8ft wide to hold the 36" TV. That stair tread does not sag even after 4 years of having that 150lb TV up there. In the bottom I built 3 cabinets, each cabinet has a pull out drawer, one holds 33rpm records on a pull out drawer, I used ball bearing slides that are made to be mounted flat horizontally. The others have two drawers each, one above the other. One held VCR tapes and the other held CD's and DVD's. The VCR tapes are gone now and I'm replacing the drawers with ones for DVD's. The cabinet doors open out and down and lay almost on the floor when opened. The open center area has 3 shelves, one fixed and two on double shelf standards. They hold all the components, vcr, av receiver, amp, cd carosel, dvd deck, turntable, center speaker.
The downside is that even with it empty it takes two people to move the darn thing.... that 5/4 ply and bullnose weigh a ton....
 
Pics at http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/storage.html - why three drawers? Mine is divided roughly in half across the back and I can't see cutting that space down any farther to add another drawer/segment.

Whatever you do, realize that the lip on the cargo area is about 1/2" high so your design is going to have to clear that.
 
Yucca, that is nice, I especially like the flip over the front half. I always have my 2 boys with me , so I won't do that, but if I could figure a way for the 3 of us to sleep in there, I would do that.

I guess I don't NEED three drawers, just imagined it that way, don't forget, I already got the spare on the roof, so it is pretty wide (42") from well to well.

What about hieght? I am thinking 10-12". What do you guys think.

Hey TC, got some pics for us?


Thanks,
Jason
 
Red97XJ said:
OK, have been wanting to tackle this one for awhile. Have been doing some searches, etc, please post any and all ideas, pics, links, whatever.

Here is what I am thinking. Full width (my spare is on roof rack) and full depth to seat. about 12" tall. Bottom and top, 1/2 plywood, side and rear 1x12's.

Then divided equally, three drawers made of 1x12 material. some sort of mounting system to remove.

The whole thing covered in grey cloth.

I am thinking angle BOLTED (NOT SELF TAPPED) angle iron, then a slip in and drop and pin setup. the ones by the seat would have holes, then a pin mounted on the box that fits into those holes, then push box forward into those holes, then back drop down just to fit into angle, with pin holes with a small hitch pin of some sort (still thinking this one thru)

a back lid that folds up to hold drawers shut, and also, this lid could flip down to be a work area/ eating area? (kinda small being 12") ideas?

The top is fastened down, (not a opening lid) because I will have stuff piled high on top like cooler, tent, camping gear, etc.

If it would hold, I am thinking some kind of fold out legs under that fold up under like a card table's. My only fear, is once I feel it with tools, straps, junk, etc, it may be to heavy to move AND for the legs to hold it. But it would be cool to take it out and use a camp table. Could even have sides and seat side that flip up (only 12") to make table that much bigger. Also I am not sure how these legs would hold up to being under the box during trial abuse (being crushed).

C'mon cuys, we can make the ultimate storage box, just start letting the brainstorm ideas fly. I can promise I won't slam ANY idea! just start typing.

I don't want to build this then think, I should have added this or that.

Thanks in advance,
Jason

97, 3.5 RE, 32" GY MTR's, front and rear hitches, CD, CB, roof rack, hi-lift and tire on roof, 400 watts of light on roof, JKS discos, custom air induction, and the list keeps growing....
Click to expand...
Lesslimited built a beautiful one. PM him for pics. He's also redesigning it to be lower profile so his 35" spare can be mounted on top.
 
speaking of prices, wait till winter to start building because the prices for sheet wood should drop like crazy. i worked at home depot and the prices were outrageous. just to save you some money...
 
Thanks Terry ,but I gots no way of posting pics (I make Fred Flintstone look cutting edge). I used a metal cargo box with a fold down door and latch as a starting point. Cut the back out of it and extended it with 3/8" plywood, tapering the rear wall to match the same profile as the rear seat back. This made use of every square inch of space and also "wedges" it in place in case of a rollover. I also attached it to a couple of places with small (1/4") turnbuckles so I could remove it if needed. I made the top from 3/8" ply also and combined with the sheetmetal of the box it's plenty strong without being overly heavy. The ends of the top that extend over the area behind the wheelwells are hinged to fold up for quick access the the CD changer, tow straps, First Aid stuff and so on. I covered it with ligtweight gray carpet to match the interior. A strip of small Uni Strut provides numerous holes to attach the small cargo nets on top for holding jackets in place.
It doesn't look as bad as it sounds and works for my needs. HTH. TC
 
jfw432 lets see pics.

Terry, sounds cool.

I am now thinking that 12" is to tall. I am going to go with a 2x8 for the sides and dividers. Just trying to figure out how to get a slide out shelf in there yet. If I use 1/2 plywood, it will need center support also. I was thinking about placing off of floor about 1.5" to clear the latch, then a 1/2 of plywood could slide underneath, even could have counter formica on it. the bottom sheet could be like 40" wide and about 36 deep, but only hang out about 24 inches and still under the box to hold it up. understand? I don't know if that added hieght is worth it though, it would be a nice lunch spot, but also, the drawers could not open with out moving stuff off of the counter. To put it on top, it needs a cover over to put gear, so again taking up even more space.

help, need pics and ideas.
 
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