Baystate Jeepers

So it is finally time to ditch the rear seat. No one has sat in it for years, and my gear is stuffed into ten thousand nooks and crannies all over my jeep. The plan is to build a box which takes up all of the space behind the front seats. Since I'll probably still pile some stuff on top of the box, I am thinking at least part of it will be a large drawer which slides out of the back. So my questions are... what is the best material? 1/2" ply? Bracing? Angle brackets? Herc or paint the box? Drain holes? What type of hinges? Any recommended heavy duty sliders for the drawer? Bolt it down? Any other tricks or techniques? Trying to poll the wisdom of the baystate jeepers community what ya got?

Hey Ryan : I used 3/4 " marine plywood and brush painted it. Its holding up well without a top, not that she sees much rain. I divided the front of the box for my speakers and the rest is for tools and parts. There is another sheet of 3/4 inside separating the tools from the speakers. I used a piano hinge for the lid. Its aluminum , I have some left,let me know what width you need. FjR68

Yeah! Was wondering when you were going to pull the trigger and start the project.
Like Frank I used plywood for my box. Glued & screwed blocks in all the corners.
Bolt it down good. It's gotta withstand the force of all the goodies inside trying to rip it loose when you roll.
I used bolts with backing plates in the bottom of the box and bolts thru the side of the box thru the tub wall into the fender openings.
Piano hinge for strength. A stout means to secure the top closed in the event of a flop. Lockable is a plus too.
I used vertical dividers in mine to created some compartments. The top, when closed, rests on the top edge of the dividers. That way the top can support a lot of weight.
A doohickey to keep the top open so you can dig around for stuff with two hands.

Here's pics of my build. Just did it a few months ago. I used the seat brackets in the front and bolts in the rear to hold it down, so easy to take out if needed. I used angle brackets on all corners and base. Interior divider wall and tray for small items/carry to the scene of the crime. Sized to fit my cooler...

https://www.facebook.com/jason.quader/m ... 543&type=3

I loved Jasons! I was beyond jealous when you posted those!

108 pages of ideas and material choices here. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/t ... age-system

I dont have a Doohicky ! Thats why I keep gettin bonked ! FjR68

I got a good deal on a used Tuffy box designed for a TJ from a former club member... Built some simple wooden partitions from 1/4" plywood and 1x3 strips and bolted it to the floor of the XJ. Works well for me. If you decide to buy something Tuffy makes a nice product, but a new one is $$$.

I did consider the plywood box route like Kurt and Frank, but this box kind of fell into my lap at just the right time. I've built a few other things around the house... Definitely recommend using some type of construction adhesive and coated decking screws... I find the "heavy duty" liquid nails tubes from the local big box work well. I would say 1/2" plywood and 2x3 and 1x3 internals for corners should be fine - wood gets heavy fast. Consider external handles if you want to be able to remove it from the Jeep often / at all (even if it is with an engine hoist).

I don't know what kind of wood working tools you have but a table saw is really nice for this kind of job so you get nice square corners / tight seams. If you don't have one a hand circular saw works good enough if you clamp down a guide strip for longer cuts.

If you want to do a drawer on sliding rails... At the time I looked around a lot and couldn't find good ones in the size I wanted cheap...

JW

Awesome, thanks guys! Lots of great info. If you think of anything else please post up!

Can't really add any other advise, but I do know where there's a plethora of woodworking tools

Dont be using big words on me ! FjR68