Well, finally got around to updatting this thread with some old upgrades I did but never got on here.
I wanted to add secure storage in back. Folks have suggested building drawers or some kind of cabinet design but I've gone that route before and was not keen on the added weight it brings so this time I elected to have my design go on a bit of a diet...
Here's my setup...
For my needs I had just a few design criteria when my buddy (Michael aka Grasscat on here) and I designed & created a storage system for my 1996 Montero...
1) The solution had to be relatively light. As I've noted, I've built a few full blown drawer systems which I felt are simply too bulky and heavy for the benefit they provide. I wanted it to be lighter but also 'heavy-duty enough' a design to carry what I needed for a typical 3-7 day 4x4 trip on even the harshest rock crawling trips including an ARB Freezer fridge.
2) Platform would double as a bed.
3) I wanted to have full use of my middle row seating as required for family outings or airport runs LOL.
4) I decided to use simple sealed under bed plastic tubs.
5) And most importantly keep the design as simple as possible.
I first removed my 3rd row seats & folded the 2nd row seats forward (flat).
I then installed a platform cut to size across the entire rear half of the Montero. I used 2 sheets of 4'x4'x1/2" thick plywood for the platform. One of my idea's was to retain the ability to use the 2nd row seats since this is sometimes my daily driver. I also wanted to be able to store my ARB Freezer fridge securely on the platform hence the use of the U-Bolts in the animated gif above (they momentarily pop up out of the platform in the image above).
Here's a pic of the setup sans ARB fridge.
Image Notes:
(A) 2 hinges to fold the platform up and back to allow use of 2nd row seats.
I still need to trim 2 corners of the folding section at this hinge because I didn't take into account the curvature of the side of the Montero. Currently the platform will not fold back until I trim a 1x6" triangle off those corners.
(B) beefy 5/16" dia metal (U-Bolt) "handles" are used for strap points for my ARB Freezer Fridge. Worked great off road BTW!
(C) The platform itself is 1/2" plywood that's 73"x53" which is large enough for 2 of us to sleep on.
(D) This is the 1x2" hardwood cross bracing.
(E) Here you can see the 2x4's being used to support the sides of the platform. They're mounted to the OE mounting points for the 3rd row seats via 1/8" aluminum angle iron.
I need to use larger more aggressive screws for attaching the 2x4 mounts to the aluminum angle iron. The small 1/8" dia. screws I used were simply not up to task. I'll use 1/4" fasteners this time.
(F) This is the 1/4 dia. carriage bolt
(G) Here you can see 4 of the 6 Rubbermaid tubs I elected to use. Dimensions are 16.7x13.3x5.3" (x4) and 29x18x6 (x2).
I also added 1/2x3/8" door seal gasket foam to the perimeter of the covers to better seal the tubs.
(H) This is one of 4 turnbuckles
(I) Here's the 3" ID PVC pipe cut to size and placed at each of the turnbuckle mount points.
(J) Here's the 'J' bolt end attached to the built in strap points in the floor of the Montero.
That's about it! Very simple design yet extremely effective. Can be completed in a day or quicker with a buddy's help. Better yet, get your buddy to do the whole project for you. That's what I did.
Well truth be known, I was simply swamped with work and I'm sure the GrassCat was just itching for a project. LOL! Thanks again GrassCat!!
Oh, before I forget, GrassCat did mention that this is a patent pending design.
