Project Alpha Bound II: Electric Boogaloo
- Thread starter ab1985
- Start date
ab1985
Explorer
Wrong on both counts. I forgot the pieces I had laid out on Friday night hadn't been cut, yet (duh). The space between the fridge and mattress is in question, but will not be 10.5". The drawers will provide roughly the same amount of storage as the two totes I've been using for the last three years. Where I'm really running into issues is with the fridge placement. My plan is to use a drop down fridge slide. My Edgestar is ~17" wide x 24" long. Before getting too deep into placement of the supports for the drawers, faucet/sink, and other compartments I checked the Tembo Tusk website for the dimensions of their slide. Yikes - 22" x 35" :Wow1: I need to call to determine whether the slide is really that bulky or if it is just intended for a much larger fridge. Either way it takes up far more space than I had anticipated so I'll have to think that through.
Initially, I was hesitant to go with a more traditional flat surface and drawers for this project. My main concern was sacrificing standing room in the cabin. The platform is 12" high and fortunately still leaves plenty of room to move around. I love all of the extra room the CampTeq top provides, but any way you slice it prepping an 80 to sleep 2 adults and 2 small children is going to be a challenge. Challenge accepted.
Mauka2Makai
Explorer
Looking forward to the finished product and staying in tune to progress.
ab1985
Explorer
Funny, I read your post while sitting in the garage having coffee at 6:30 this morning staring down at things trying to figure out the fridge situation. I've been travelling (not the fun kind 
) but should be getting after it again next weekend. I hope to have another progress report very soon. Two sets of drawer slides arrived on Thursday. I think I am abandoning the drop down fridge slide all together. Having room to move around inside the truck was one of the draws of the CampTeq top, and I just don't want to sacrifice a ton of space above the platform. This means moving the fridge down, which will be a tight squeeze with the water tank (it was sized to fit underneath the bed of my 4runner and is not quite the right dimensions for this project), and losing the drawer I had planned underneath. I mentioned I use two storage containers (one of which is pictured below). One carries camp/kitchen gear that is constantly being accessed. The other carried ropes, recovery gear, trash bags, and a bunch of other necessities that rarely see the light of day. I'm thinking about installing a wagon gear tailgate lid to store all of that, but those may not be available again until the fall (Edit - just checked his website and there were 2 in stock so I grabbed one). Feeling good about finding a home for the fridge that's lower to the ground.
So that's my early morning, half caffeinated stream of consciousness regarding the project. More to come.
:coffeedrink:
) but should be getting after it again next weekend. I hope to have another progress report very soon. Two sets of drawer slides arrived on Thursday. I think I am abandoning the drop down fridge slide all together. Having room to move around inside the truck was one of the draws of the CampTeq top, and I just don't want to sacrifice a ton of space above the platform. This means moving the fridge down, which will be a tight squeeze with the water tank (it was sized to fit underneath the bed of my 4runner and is not quite the right dimensions for this project), and losing the drawer I had planned underneath. I mentioned I use two storage containers (one of which is pictured below). One carries camp/kitchen gear that is constantly being accessed. The other carried ropes, recovery gear, trash bags, and a bunch of other necessities that rarely see the light of day. I'm thinking about installing a wagon gear tailgate lid to store all of that, but those may not be available again until the fall (Edit - just checked his website and there were 2 in stock so I grabbed one). Feeling good about finding a home for the fridge that's lower to the ground.So that's my early morning, half caffeinated stream of consciousness regarding the project. More to come.
:coffeedrink:
Last edited:
ab1985
Explorer
I got home late yesterday so the day was shot from a work perspective. I was able to get out in the garage for few hours today. By the time I was ready to install the drawer slides I realized I didn't have the proper fasteners. Good excuse to head to the backyard and hang out with the kiddo's. I'm out of town again this week but hope to dig back in Thursday or Friday and will post more pics.
I love working with metal - it is such a forgiving medium. I can't see building a wooden storage unit ever again.
I love working with metal - it is such a forgiving medium. I can't see building a wooden storage unit ever again.
LandCruiserPhil
Expedition Leader
Looking good!
Dont know if its a concern where you live or travel but dont over look fridge ventilation.
Dont know if its a concern where you live or travel but dont over look fridge ventilation.
ab1985
Explorer
It is a concern. I'll be giving up breathing room on the inboard side but should be left with enough space outboard and aft. I've kicked around the idea of mounting a 12v fan in the PS rear corner that could be oriented to provide cool air to either the upstairs or downstairs depending on the need.
ab1985
Explorer
This is probably a good time to ask. I am under the impression that a fridge works by expelling hot air vs. cooling existing air. If I'm wrong I may need to think differently about the surrounding space as I build. If anyone reading this thinks I should be concerned please feel free to chime in.
4Rescue
Expedition Leader
I know that feeling
... That is a BEAUTY of a truck aye and at only 110K it's still a baby!!! If I wasnt looking for a huge mileage improvement I would likely have gone to an FZJ80 just like that and it looks like you got a really nice truck to start with. Just taking the running boards off it looked nearly ready to go. I especially love the color, and what a great/amazing build plan... I'm subscribing to this one for sure!!! :lurk:
Cheers
Dave
ab1985
Explorer
Yes, the fridge will eventually be on a slide. I've thought about making a loft like storage area above it, but right now I'm not sure I'll need it. We shall see.
We're in the process of moving and all of our stuff is on a truck somewhere. Everything gets delivered next week when we return from vacation and hopefully the progress will start back up.
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