Built a new storage trunk

Today I finished up the storage trunk I've been working on. Here are some pictures...

The design leaves room in the rear footwells for little stuff like my recovery bag and camera bag. The cover is hinged halfway back to allow easy access to stuff under the cover. The front section is plenty strong enough to strap a cooler to the top, but I still need to add some tie-down hoops.



Inside there is some pretty heavy duty bracketry to keep stuff secure in the event of an offroad rollover. The bulkhead brackets use the front-most bolts of the two rear seat brackets. The angle-iron in the center provides good support for weight on top of the cover.



The hinged section is secured using the factory add-a-trunk hardware. The hinge is mostly hidden by the carpet, but it is one of those 4' long hinges you can buy in the hardware section at Lowes. Must have 50 screws in that hinge.



The hinged section stops 4 inches from the tailgate. I did this on purpose for 2 reasons: 1) If I'm on a trail in a situation where I really need to get something out of the back, but can't open the tailgate - I can reach an arm through the gap to remove the knobs securing the cover; 2) When the softop is down there is room to stuff the top material down through the gap so the top still looks neatly stowed. I am not so much looking for security from theft as I am securing gear offroad without having to deal with tie-down straps every time I need something out of the back.

I left the carpet long enough to cover the gap when the tailgate is closed, so it isn't obvious that someone could reach underneath and loosen the top. In this picture you can see the excess carpet.



The pictures don't really do it justice. I am really happy with how this thing turned out. I've probably got about $75 in it, counting wood, hardware, paint and carpet.

BTW, the bright white spots in some of the pictures above is reflections from snow - it was snowing when I took the pictures. Grrrr - it isn't supposed to snow this time of year...

Looks good Bill!

Good job I need to organize my stuff also, that's a good

Killer! dude.

Thanks!