i dont feel like spending over a hundred bucks for a shelf or basket in the cargo area. So im building one out of plywood! it will rest on the back of the brackets that the rear seats latch onto and the 1" dowel screwed into the rear most portion of the shelf will drop into where the cargo liner would drop into. everything will be carpeted and have a factory look. total cost: $15. i will also build partitions to have separate compartments to organize things and prevent sliding on top of the shelf. the shelf is already cut and notched and fits nice and snug. just gotta attach the dowel, reinforce it, slap on some L-brackets to hook onto those brackets and then carpet it. should hold maybe 50-75 pounds. possibly more depending on how its reinforced. the plywood is a quarter inch by the way.
Cargo area shelf (Now with Pics!!!)
- Thread starter fasto82
- Start date
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MoladoGuy
Full Access Member
Remember to take some pics too. \
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jfortier777
Full Access Member
MoladoGuy said:Remember to take some pics too. \
Hey what was it that one guy used to make his own?
What was his name for that matter?
It was pretty cool whatever it was. Did you happen to take any pictures of it?
Mick
Full Access Member
Pictures and dimensions would be great. I've been thinking about building something too.
well i will not have pictures just yet. my friend forgot his camera tonight. we carpeted the main piece. and installed the shelf. fits like a glove and looks factory. the dowel proved to not be up to our standards in terms of strength. that will be replaced with something a bit sturdier.
we will also be reinforcing the bottom with fiberglass and then spraying it to match the body color of the jeep. i know you wont be able to see it but its still a nice touch. i dont have any exact dimensions. it does come shy of reaching the swing gate by about 2 or 3 inches but it looks great. it is a bit close to being even with where the cargo liner would go. it reaches all the way to the back of the rear seats. brackets hold it in plenty tight. there was a lot of trial and error when notching it to the contours of the interior.
if anyone would be interested in purchasing this shelf let me know. my friend thinks it would be a great seller on ebay. what would you guys think would be a fair price for this? i know pics would help. i will hopefully have some tomorrow. we also could do some other things with this such as wrap it in leather instead of carpeting, add in a toolkit, compartments, etc. please let me know if any of you are interested. and for the do it yourselfers out there dont worry i will post a how to sometime in the near future possibly sunday when i get some spare time.
we will also be reinforcing the bottom with fiberglass and then spraying it to match the body color of the jeep. i know you wont be able to see it but its still a nice touch. i dont have any exact dimensions. it does come shy of reaching the swing gate by about 2 or 3 inches but it looks great. it is a bit close to being even with where the cargo liner would go. it reaches all the way to the back of the rear seats. brackets hold it in plenty tight. there was a lot of trial and error when notching it to the contours of the interior.
if anyone would be interested in purchasing this shelf let me know. my friend thinks it would be a great seller on ebay. what would you guys think would be a fair price for this? i know pics would help. i will hopefully have some tomorrow. we also could do some other things with this such as wrap it in leather instead of carpeting, add in a toolkit, compartments, etc. please let me know if any of you are interested. and for the do it yourselfers out there dont worry i will post a how to sometime in the near future possibly sunday when i get some spare time.
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jfortier777
Full Access Member
FANTASTIC BUILD!
+5 KUDOS!
+5 KUDOS!
Marlon_JB2
Kombat Edition Jeep
You know, I've been thinking of doing the exact same thing lately. I gave away my cargo cover that came with my '06 to my sister for her birthday. She had been wanting one lately. Just didn't figure out what I wanted to build it with. Another problem: No tools and no money for them.
all you need is a drill, circular saw, staple gun, hot glue gun, spray adhesive, carpeting, brackets, razor blade and a tape measurer. all cuts, even the rounded corner ones, were done with the circular saw. as you can see there is very little gap on either side near the windows. that is due to the way the interior panel kinda tapers. the gap between the shelf and swing gate is because i thought the swing gate would be closer. if we start selling them i will account for the extra couple of inches and make sure there is barely a gap. everyone i have shown it to says it looks great. my one friend even asked me if i bought a shelf for it and then she was shocked to hear i actually built it myself.
Marlon_JB2
Kombat Edition Jeep
Yeah, that's the thing, I don't have a circular saw.
I know where I could get one though, but it would take some coaxing of a certain individual.
I know where I could get one though, but it would take some coaxing of a certain individual.
jfortier777
Full Access Member
Marlon_JBT said:
I hope you arent talkign about me. [-X
Trodo
Full Access Member
Very good! Now you got me thinking about one.
Marlon_JB2
Kombat Edition Jeep
Uh, no? :-s (Aeh) screwy.gifjfortier777 said:
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jfortier777
Full Access Member
Marlon_JBT said:
Lol, w/e loser.gif
Se7enLC
Full Access Member
fasto82 said:
That looks AWESOME! I was thinking of doing something very similar since I didn't want to spend $300 on a metal shelf, but I like having the storage space for things without having to stack them. I don't put much weight in there, usually just something light like a gym bag or something, so it's nice to be able to move heavy things in and out of the bottom without disturbing the top.
What did you end up replacing the dowel with?
Is it possible to drop the shelf down to the floor or swing it up against the back seats, or is it too large? That's one of the things I was planning on including in the one I build. I like the idea of the shelf, but I want to keep the versatility of the tall space back there when I need it without making the shelf itself become the cargo. If the shelf can lay flat on the floor, it'll take up very little space, same with if it can swing down against the back seats.
Sweet! That shelf looks great, and I'm sure you'll get a ton of buyers for it!
What did the parts end up costing? I know you had an initial estimate of $15, but then if you replaced the dowell and fiberglassed, did that hike up the cost much?
i havent replaced the dowel just yet or added fiberglass. after all that i believe the cost of making one would be about $30-$50 roughly. right now the cost as is was $20-$25.
the test with the weights is just the piece of plywood and wooden dowel. held the 63 pounds pretty well with minimal bulging and no fear of it giving out. once it gets reinforced it should very well hold 150+ pounds if my friend is right. i should have the whole thing done by the end of the weekend, then i am going away for a week then after i get back i think they will start going for sale on ebay.
the test with the weights is just the piece of plywood and wooden dowel. held the 63 pounds pretty well with minimal bulging and no fear of it giving out. once it gets reinforced it should very well hold 150+ pounds if my friend is right. i should have the whole thing done by the end of the weekend, then i am going away for a week then after i get back i think they will start going for sale on ebay.
jfortier777
Full Access Member
If you use factory fabric instead of carpeting; they will probably sell even better.
the carpeting actually resembles the factory fabric in a lot of ways. it feels almost just like it and from the pics you can see it looks just like it. it can be done in gray, black, or tan. we can also use other materials such as vinyl, leather, suede, etc. just what ever you want keep in mind it may affect the price.
sorry but this shelf does not have a swinging feature. the whole idea behind it is it is cheaper than the metal one and there will be no drilling or modifying of your jeep to make it work. it uses whats there. i dont see why you wouldnt be able to lay it down on top of your cargo, or stand it on its side next to it with the seats folded down.
the only thing to watch out for are the brackets. the do stick out off of the shelf and could cause some damage if they hit something while being bounced around. also if you experience the shelf becoming loose all you have to do is rest it where it belongs and fold the brackets over the seat brackets again. its a pretty simple low cost design that has its flaws but the pros far outweigh the cons. i cant wait to finish it this weekend. im sure everyone shall be pleased with the end result.
sorry but this shelf does not have a swinging feature. the whole idea behind it is it is cheaper than the metal one and there will be no drilling or modifying of your jeep to make it work. it uses whats there. i dont see why you wouldnt be able to lay it down on top of your cargo, or stand it on its side next to it with the seats folded down.
the only thing to watch out for are the brackets. the do stick out off of the shelf and could cause some damage if they hit something while being bounced around. also if you experience the shelf becoming loose all you have to do is rest it where it belongs and fold the brackets over the seat brackets again. its a pretty simple low cost design that has its flaws but the pros far outweigh the cons. i cant wait to finish it this weekend. im sure everyone shall be pleased with the end result.
