We wanted some more storage in the cab, especially for our cameras. Our main camera is quite big, and with the 70-210mm
F2.8 lens on it, is quite long as well. I made a mock up of the console out of cardboard first, and drove around with it for a couple of days to see it if worked out.
We got rid of the smaller box as it made it too difficult to climb through.
I made the box out of thin plywood, but with 1mm angle reinforcing in the corners.
I added 2" of padding on the bottom of the camera side of the box, and lined both sides with marine carpet.
The lid of the box had to be narrower, as the armrests stopped the box lid from being raised when they were in the raised position.
The carpet is pretty tight, so no need for a catch. If it does loosen up, we will add a magnetic catch to the one side.
We added another storage net to the front of the box - Trish can never have enough storage for her stuff.
The final things to do before we head out on our first camping trip is to fit the aluminiumanchor tracks in the boot and other storage boxes. I have about 8m of the track, and will fit it around the sides and back of each storage compartment. We have found that if it is not tied down , then it likely to get damaged or damage over things.
The track allow you to adjust where you put the tie down rings. We have used this in the Land Rover for a few years, it is great stuff,and strong enough to really tie thing down properly.
We have also lined all the drawers with marine carpet, and will use velcro strips to strap everything down inside the cupboards and drawers. Something else we learnt on our last big trip around Australia, if we tie everything down, then less things break when you hit a washout or big bump at speed.