Mirage's DIY 2 Door Rear Seat Delete/Raised Cargo Platform with 3 Lockable Storage Doors!

[Mirage]

I looked at a ton of company built storage boxes and they were either, too expensive, weren't exactly what I wanted or were too large/couldn't carry anything in the back...

I did a little research on some DIY options on here and found @KRAKEN 's Rear Seat Delete/Storage Box build and knew that I wanted it or something very similar! I don't hunt or fish, so I didn't need storage for that kind of stuff, however, I do have tools/recovery gear and if I ever take my hardtop off, I want everything secured/locked up!

I built mine slightly different than Andy's though. I can still recline the front 2 seats back, if need be?

For whatever reason, my Bronco wasn't ordered with a tow package..., so a few weeks ago, I ordered the Ford Towing Harness. I was going to install it before I started building my storage box... It was supposed to be here the weekend I wanted to start working on the box, it was in stock and I paid extra for 2nd air shipping! Fast forward about 3 weeks later, the wiring kit showed up Wednesday morning, a week after I built the box.... :/

The list below is everything that I needed to build the storage box, plus the MOLLE panels/bags and new RockWorx hardtop screws.

Lowe's
Three 2"x6"x8' Dried Whitewood Studs
Two 1/4"x1-1/2"x8' Unfinished Pine Lattice Moulding
One Sheet of .75"x4'x8' Oak Sanded Plywood
12 Sq Ft of 1/4" think Closed Cell Anti-Fatigue Mat
One Pound of Power Pro #10x3" Interior Wood Screws (pics below)
One Pound of Power Pro #10x2-1/4" Exterior Wood Screws (pics below)
35ct of Power Pro #6x1-1/4" Exterior Wood Screws (pics below)
One Pond of Teks #8x3/4" Sharp Point Lath Screws (pics below)
Three 1/2"-13x3-1/2" Zinc Plated Bolts
Six 1/2"x2" Zinc Plated Fender Washers
Three 1/2"-13 Zinc Plated Nuts
Two (Lowe's Item #66479) Angle Brackets
One (Lowe's Item #63048) Angle Bracket
Four 12oz Cans of Rust-Oleum 2x Ultra Cover Flat Black Primer Rattle Cans
1/8"x1.50"x3' Flat Aluminum stock
Scotch Heavy Duty Gripping Pads

Autozone:
One 14oz can of Raptor Black Spray Bed Liner

Amazon:
4'x8' Sheet of EVA Foam Boat Decking Faux Teak Marine Flooring in Brown w/Black Seams
Seven 11" Wise 8WD12 Aluminum Offset Piano Hinges
Four Large Lever Hand Operated Compression Latches
Four Stainless Steel Folding 4-1/2" Marine Dock Cleats
Lots of MOLLE Bags in various sizes
Lots of Velcro Patches

BuiltRight Industries:
MOLLE Compatible Cargo Panel - Full Kit

RockWorx:
8 Hard Top Quick Removal D-Ring Thumb Screws; Orange
2 Hard Top Forward Quick Removal Torx Thumb Screws; Orange

Xtreme Terrain:
RedRock Tailgate MOLLE Panel (I had planned to install a Broaddict Tailgate Table, but it didn't fit after the box was completed....)


Total Price of materials $??? (I'll add it up tomorrow)

So, I forgot to take down measurements and a total weight.... :/ I will get the weight, when I install the tow harness in the Fall! I will also take as many measurements as I can, once it's removed, if anyone is interested? I just visually studied Andy's and built mine!

So, next post will have all the pics/info of the actually building process.

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[Mirage]

Complete box was built/finished within 40 hours over 4 days!

Last Thursday (July 25th) afternoon, maybe around 2pm, the rain finally let up here, so I started working on the cargo platform. I removed the rear seat belts and zipped tied behind the plastic panels... I then installed the BuiltRight Molle Panels.

I then started building the storage box frame. I realized, about 2 hours later, that the outer 2x6's weren't long enough...

Built the front part and loosely bolted it up to the rear part. Note: The angles at the front were took sharp, so I modified them later...

Unfortunately, the rain returned about an hour after I started working, so I had to move everything under my carport...

Had to break out the beast to get some precise 45* cuts for the rear pieces. You wouldn't know it, but I do love DeWalt products

The building of this rear section was a lot of trail and error... It doesn't look exactly like KRAKEN's, but it's damn close and the tailgate shut without an issue!

This pic was around 8pm and I couldn't see very well anymore, so I called it a night!

Friday morning, (July 26th), I got up at 4am for some ridiculous reason and did some more studying on KRAKENs pics, until it was neighborly time to start working on my storage box, which was about 7:30am for me... I worked on it for about 2 hours, then I had to pick up my dad's cremation marker and set it at his hometown cemetery. I got this much done before I left.

Got the 2 main doors cut out and the lattice trim installed under them, to help hold them up.

Worked on this until about 10am, we had to do some errands, but I started back on the project about 4pm. Made some cardboard "templates" for the front box "wings"

This is my cardboard template for the "wings" and it worked out very well! It worked great on both sides too!

Unsure if I did this part correctly, but it's the only way I could figure it out? I cut a piece of plywood to fit between the front box "wings". I then marked how "big" the front box door needed to be and cut out. Sorry, I forgot to take a pic of this, but you'll see the door in this post below!

Got all the hinges pre-installed, cut all the holes out for the latches (tedious job) and I pre-drilled the holes for the tie down latches.

This is how it currently looks. I should be able to get it painted tomorrow and while it dries, I have more chores to do...

 

[Mirage]

Last Saturday (July 27th), I finished building the storage box , so here comes a plethora of pics/info! First thing this morning, at 7am, I removed part of the plywood and installed 2 modified angle brackets and also installed a different modified angle bracket in the rear!

Sanded everything with my DA sander, with 120 grit. Used about 10 pads. Tried to "round" the hard points throughout the whole box.

Painted both boxes with 4 cans of Rust-Oleum Flat Black Primer rattle cans.

Sprayed the front and rear of the full box and the underside of each door with a can of Raptor Liner Black Spray Paint.

White paint was drying, I installed some 1/4" Closed Cell Mat that I found at Lowe's. The White tape, under my impact gun is just to make sure the foam covers, (that are "hiding" the seat belt connector plugs), don't open up to let anything get stuck in there.

Bolted up the newly painted main box in, then bolted up the front box to the main one. I forgot to weigh all this... Just like KRAKEN didn't do, LOL! I would say the total thing weighs somewhere around 50-60lbs. It's actually very light weight!

UPS delivered these today, so I installed them while I was working back here!

 

[Mirage]

Now, for the fun finale part! I actually enjoyed doing this next part!

I laid out my boat decking out in the hot ass Alabama sun, to get the "roll" out of it! I chose a different color than KRAKEN, as this color reminded me of a wood bed, like an old truck would have in it

This first piece was easy, but man oh man, did I eat those words after it....

The rest of this took several hours, but it was actually quite entertaining and I was singing that 37 year old Stranger Things 80's song, in my head, the whole time! I have to install something to hide the OEM jack hole at the back of the box. I have an idea.

I used the same "wing" template from yesterday

I screwed up a little on the tan decking, but tried to fix it with some additional pieces of decking. It looks better than the pieces not being there!

Finished, more or less! I have to install the backing plates onto the latches.

I put all my gear into each compartment! I have a feeling I'll be rearranging these compartments soon, LOL!

Last Sunday (July 28th), I got up super early and headed to Lowe's! I bought some 1/8"x1.50"x3' long Flat Aluminum stock and cut it down to 4 matching pieces, then drilled a hole all the way through all 4 of them!

Also picked up this stuff at Lowe's, to act as a spacer, more than its' intended use

I used both of the items above to hold my latches down, which worked quite well! I also installed the bolts/nuts back to the latches for minor locking adjustments.

I still need to "fill" in this gap area, but other than that, it's finished.

 

[Mirage]

As far as the MOLLE Bags, I bought 14 various sized bags. 3 of those are for medical supplies. The red one is full of medical stuff, that's how it came. I also bought additional medical/pain reliever kits and put them into the other 2 med bags. I added obvious patches to these bags, LOL!

For the tailgate, I installed the RedRock MOLLE Panel yesterday.

I then put MOLLE bags and patches on it and filled most of them up! I have room for a couple more patches, then I have to stop, LOL!

4 MOLLE bags/patches on the drivers side BuiltRight Panels.

4 MOLLE Bags/patches on the passengers side BuiltRight Panels.

 

[flashpunk]

Wow this looks so great!

 

[AXMRDR]

Looks good! Great write up and pics.

I did something similar back in the 80's when I was into baja bugs but yours is much, much nicer. Well done.

 

[604Bronco]

What an awesome build - Thanks for taking the time to document this and share it here. I really like the "boat deck" on the top, and it also reminded me of an old truck bed (before I read your comment on that).

Also, I got a good laugh out of some of your patches too

 

[Mirage]

Wow this looks so great!

Thank you, I can only take credit for what I did, not the actual design, that goes all to Kraken

 

[Mirage]

Looks good! Great write up and pics.

I did something similar back in the 80's when I was into baja bugs but yours is much, much nicer. Well done.

Thank you! I had meant to keep up with all the measurements, but after a few boards, I totally forgot to keep it up, haha! I built a huge wooden box/drawer in my TJ, that locked only on the top. I did it completely the wrong way, using heavy materials..., it definitely held everything I needed, but when I sold the Jeep, I took the box out and it actually raised up the rear a little bit and didn't feel as sluggish on acceleration... This storage box is much, much lighter and way more functional than the one in my TJR ever was!

 

[Mirage]

What an awesome build - Thanks for taking the time to document this and share it here. I really like the "boat deck" on the top, and it also reminded me of an old truck bed (before I read your comment on that).

Also, I got a good laugh out of some of your patches too

Thanks! I shared all the pics on my build thread, but figured more people would see it here, if they were interested in something like this?

I love the boat decking and the adhesive on it is super super sticky!!! I would barely let it touch the plywood and it stuck immediately! I would have to get a flat head screwdriver and actually pry up on it, to get it to release it! Yep, I did mention that it looked like an old wood bed somewhere in my posts? I knew some of the old 1st Bronco's were half cabs, that had steel bed floors, but I don't think I've ever seen a wood bed in them?

Yes, my patches show how childish my brain it, LOL!

 

[AXMRDR]

Thank you! I had meant to keep up with all the measurements, but after a few boards, I totally forgot to keep it up, haha! I built a huge wooden box/drawer in my TJ, that locked only on the top. I did it completely the wrong way, using heavy materials..., it definitely held everything I needed, but when I sold the Jeep, I took the box out and it actually raised up the rear a little bit and didn't feel as sluggish on acceleration... This storage box is much, much lighter and way more functional than the one in my TJR ever was!

I've recently started building more 'framework' for my projects from 3/4" plywood and Kreg screws. Super strong and as you said, lightweight.

My youngest son taught me that trick when he built a workbench using only 3/4" plywood. He designs things for a living. Great feeling to learn something from one of my 4 kids.

 

[Squatch]

Great job! Love the boat decking/old pickup look.

 

[Aonarch]

Looks awesome!

 

[KRAKEN]

Man, you nailed it. Great job. Love the wood look decking.

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