Outfitting my Grenadier Trialmaster

[jscherb]

I don't know what the Grenadier designers were thinking when they created the storage compartment in front of the jack. It's hard to store anything in there because whatever is in there will be in the way when you need the jack, also things in there will rattle around because there's no provision for securing anything. And as another apparent design afterthought, they put the 120v receptacle for the inverter inside that compartment. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

There are a number of aftermarket bags for that space, some of which seem to just set in there and rely on the factory plastic cover to hold them in place, and some that are secured with self-stick Velcro. I suppose with the Velcro ones you wouldn't need to replace the factory plastic cover, although the end result doesn't look very good - all the various holes in the inner fender panel are visible. I've attached a photo of one such example I found on eBay - but if it's attached to the jack cover with Velcro, won't that make it difficult to remove the jack cover?

None of the ones on the market seem optimal to me so I designed something that I like better. It's a bag that clips in place using existing holes in the inner fender panel and removes in seconds, doesn't require Velcro or any additional hardware, replaces the factory plastic cover and hides all the unsightly clip holes in the inner fender panel. I sewed one the other day in tan and photos are attached, and I also did a photo-edit to show what one would look like in black. This prototype isn't perfect, I've got a few tweaks to make to the pattern for it to fit better, but it'll do for testing.



A typical example I found on eBay:

 

[Bill Ruttan]

I don't know what the Grenadier designers were thinking when they created the storage compartment in front of the jack. It's hard to store anything in there because whatever is in there will be in the way when you need the jack, also things in there will rattle around because there's no provision for securing anything. And as another apparent design afterthought, they put the 120v receptacle for the inverter inside that compartment. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

There are a number of aftermarket bags for that space, some of which seem to just set in there and rely on the factory plastic cover to hold them in place, and some that are secured with self-stick Velcro. I suppose with the Velcro ones you wouldn't need to replace the factory plastic cover, although the end result doesn't look very good - all the various holes in the inner fender panel are visible. I've attached a photo of one such example I found on eBay - but if it's attached to the jack cover with Velcro, won't that make it difficult to remove the jack cover?

None of the ones on the market seem optimal to me so I designed something that I like better. It's a bag that clips in place using existing holes in the inner fender panel and removes in seconds, doesn't require Velcro or any additional hardware, replaces the factory plastic cover and hides all the unsightly clip holes in the inner fender panel. I sewed one the other day in tan and photos are attached, and I also did a photo-edit to show what one would look like in black. This prototype isn't perfect, I've got a few tweaks to make to the pattern for it to fit better, but it'll do for testing.

View attachment 889334View attachment 889335View attachment 889336View attachment 889337

A typical example I found on eBay:

View attachment 889338

I like your version of the bag (in sand color) that fits in the front of the stowage compartment for the jack. I certainly hope that it goes into production!

 

[jscherb]

I like your version of the bag (in sand color) that fits in the front of the stowage compartment for the jack. I certainly hope that it goes into production!

Seems likely that one will go into production, OO has asked me for the patterns so they can make them.

 

[jscherb]

I'm not much of a fan of the Grenadier factory tool roll - yes it holds the critical tools for tire changing plus a few others but it doesn't really close nicely and while it does have a few extra slots for tools you might add, it closes even more poorly if you add anything. I'm thinking of sewing a new one that will have enough capacity for a reasonable set of emergency tools. Not large enough to replace my complete tool bag, but enough larger so that a dozen or so screwdrivers, wrenches, etc. could be stored in it for times when I'm not carrying my full tool bag. Attached is a *very crude* photo edit showing one way I could do this as well as a photo of the factory tool roll. If anyone has suggestions about what emergency tools should be accommodated in this updated tool roll design; I'd like to get a good consensus list before I sew a prototype. TIA.

A quick concept mock-up:



The factory roll as-is:

 

[jscherb]

This morning's quick experiment - a few years ago I made some MOLLE panels for my Jeeps and this morning I came across one I hadn't used. It was the right size to fit on the side of the Grenadier's cargo area so I adapted it to hang there. It hangs/removes in seconds, could be useful when extra storage capacity is needed and removed when capacity isn't needed.






Because it hangs/removes from the cargo area so easily and uses hooks to hang, it could also be useful at the campsite - store it inside for travel and when setting up the camp, unclip it and hang it on the drip rails.

 

[utherjorge]

I love your stuff, at all times. I only wish I was fortunate to see you do some stuff for the Prado/GX platform. Awesome ideas.

 

[jscherb]

I love your stuff, at all times. I only wish I was fortunate to see you do some stuff for the Prado/GX platform. Awesome ideas.

Overland Outfitters has wanted to do more Toyota stuff for quite a while, but they (and I, as an independent designer) don't have access to any Toyota vehicles to use for design purposes and test fittings.

 

[jscherb]

Overland Outfitters has started shipping from the first production run of the narrow door pocket panels with a single large pocket. They say all orders placed so far should be shipped within a week or so as production continues.

I was asked to install a black set on both doors to do some photos, so here they are. Photos attached include the new narrow door pocket panel with large pocket in black, a wide door pocket panel in black and some tan examples. And an interior photo of the removable first aid bag (it unzips from the panel) showing how the first aid supplies are organized inside - it can easily be used without removing it from the panel.




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Also another product I haven't posted about so far is hanging on the back seat - it's called the Backpack, it's a Messenger-style bag with a shoulder strap, backpack straps and can hang on the seat back.



OO is still offering the 15% discount on the new new narrow door pocket panel with large pocket in both colors while they complete the first production run: https://www.overland-outfitters.com/store/p90/Narrow-Rear-Door-Storage.html#/

 

[jscherb]

Some people complain about the small size of the Grenadier's cup holders. There is a commercial solution with larger cup holders for about $400 but I had some large cup holder inserts left over from a console project for another vehicle I did years ago so I decided to use them in my Grenadier. The photos show a proof-of-concept prototype; the panel is wood for this prototype because it was quick to make; I'll probably make a final panel if I like this prototype after using it for a while, instead of wood I'll use either aluminum or textured ABS plastic, both of which I have on hand in my home workshop.

 

[Bill Ruttan]

Real wood does help to ‘warm up’ the feeling of the interior.

 

[Quartermaster]

Yeah, those cupholders available are a nice piece of kit, but damn expensive, but then what isn't for these trucks. This is an interesting solution.

 

[jscherb]

If you're a Grenadier owner and you're not familiar with Rok_Dr’s Exceedingly Unofficial Owner’s Manual Supplement you should be, it's a fantastic document covering many topics that the Owner's Manual either doesn't cover or doesn't give enough detail about. It's available at: https://www.theineosforum.com/threa...nofficial-owner’s-manual-supplement.12415655/

One of the many useful tips I found in the document is a gasket that can help keep the rear NATO plug cover threads from seizing. It describes a specific rubber gasket that can be added to keep water out of the threads. Previously I had used Lithium grease to keep the threads in good shape (you can see some in the "before" photo without the gasket). I found the equivalent of the gasket that was mentioned in the document on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/2ur7ztnh

Photos show before and after gasket installation. You can see the gasket installed and see the cap snugged up against the gasket. A very worthwhile preventative measure for less than $10.

 

[jscherb]

I received photos from the craftsmen at Overland Outfitters of a preproduction sample of the jack compartment bag that I designed and prototyped a few weeks ago. I had sent them patterns and sewing instructions about two weeks ago and this is the result. As usual, the sample is done in tan because tan photographs better than black in the event I need to send them photos of adjustments or corrections they need to make before production. Hopefully I have this sample in my hands in a week or so for test fitting; I'll post photos of it installed when it arrives.



Photos of the prototype that I sewed installed in my Grenadier:

 

[jscherb]

Two weeks ago I posted that I'm I'm not a fan of the tool roll Ineos provides with the Grenadier (https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/outfitting-my-grenadier-trialmaster.247640/post-3226081). It's cheap and barely does the job for the jack accessories. It does have a few extra pockets, so presumably Ineos meant for people to put additional things in it but you can't really add too many things.

So I designed and sewed a tool roll that I think Ineos should have done. I'm kind of calling it the "Two Roll", because it does two things - it does what the Grenadier one does, plus holding a reasonable assortment of tools. It's got seven pockets for wrenches, two pockets for pliers, four places for screwdrivers, eight places for sockets, a place for Allen/Torx wrenches, a small items pocket and the jack accessories and tools that Ineos provides. It also has a carry handle, and it still fits very nicely under the front seat and can hang on the drip rail or a tree if needed.

The factory roll and mine new design:



Unrolled:



What it can hold:



It can also hang for convenient access to the contents:



And it still fits nicely under the front seat:



And just for comparison, the factory roll:




Don't know if it's worth suggesting to Overland Outfitters as a product, but this one has already replaced the factory one in my Grenadier.

 

[utherjorge]

Overland Outfitters has wanted to do more Toyota stuff for quite a while, but they (and I, as an independent designer) don't have access to any Toyota vehicles to use for design purposes and test fittings.

I completely understand. I vaguely remember from when you were weeding out your Jeepy things, you aren't that far from me. I've already made changes to my GX, so I'm by no means stock and therefore likely of greatly-diminished use. But I'd certainly take one for the team and drive a backup rig for time needed if you had thoughts about the GX. And I won't hijack this thread anymore with my selfish interests, so feel free to reach out in all of your spare time if you were so inclined.

Again...awesome work.