Got a little bit of work done today

[4Runninfun]

Well today started off with picking this up off of CL....

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/4runninfun/4runner/tablesaw.jpg

After chopping up a few pieces of wood to get a feel for it i started with a project i've had on the burner for a while, a rear cargo box. I didn't get a whole lot done tonight as it took a bit to plan everything out but i at least have an idea of how it's going to look. here are some mock pics...

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/4runninfun/4runner/boxmock1.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/4runninfun/4runner/boxmock2.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/4runninfun/4runner/boxheight.jpg

Eventually There will be two drawers in the back which will be ~44" long and then there will be another section to this cargo design in which there will be a flip-up section where the rear seats used to be. This front section will be able to be accessed from the front seats. And the whole thing together will provide a great sleeping platform. This will be a slow build as sourcing everything will take a bit, but should be very handy once completed.

[Brody]

Jon

I am going to be starting a new job in Fairplay tomorrow. There should be a bunch of scrap wood around. Bren is also working construction. Let me and Bren know what you are looking for and maybe we can help 'source' some materials for you. LaDawn is also working for a builder of custom homes. You wouldn't believe what gets tossed. Put a wish list together.

I have made quite a few storage boxes like that and I found that the framing bracketry in the framing section of Home Depo and Lowe's has stuff I could always use. All the Simpson Strong Ties-right angle, flat plates, etc., etc. Just screw it together instead of nailing it. Cheap, fast and strong.

Looks like a great start! I had one of these under the camper shell of the Ford I endoed, just packed to the gills with stuff. It didn't survive the flip (neither did the camper or the cab) but the crazy amount of stuff that was in that box was unreal.

Lot of interest in a welding day. Start thinking about it. I proposed your place (barn) with me and Bear bringing our welders and junk up there .

[Chris]

I'll be adding something along that line to the 55. I take a slightly different approach and use flip up doors on the top rather than drawers or boxes underneath. Easier to build, easier to access.

[Funrover]

So it starts!!!!!

[Patrolman]

Man, that saw is OLD! At least it gets the job done though. Cuts look good!

Brody, you are driving all the way to Fairplay each way for work or are you staying there? That is quite a commute? I would be pitching a tent on Forest Service land and just hanging out for the week. Sure the better half wouldn't agree that is a good option though.

[4Runninfun]

Brody thanks i'll get a material list together. I think i have all the wood i need. I know i'll be wanting some 1" angle aluminum, a piano hinge, slides, handles, marine carpet ( i was going to use black but if it's free and not obnoxious then it's all good!) ohh one thing i bet you could find easily is carpet pad, the thicker the better. since the top is going to be flat for sleeping little extra pad would be good.

yeah i know this saw is old, but thats why i bought this one and not some new china POS, back when craftsman actually built something to last a lifetime. the thing takes two people to move it, and is all steel. Besides it's so simple that if something breaks i know i can fix it with a trip to lowes.

I'll give those framing brackets a shot, i hadn't completely decided how i was going to screw everything together.

[bskey]

Looks like a fun project! I'd like to do something like that but still keep the back seat, though it wouldn't work as a bed then... but I bet I could get creative there too.

[Patrolman]

I have seen guys who make a part that fits where the back seat is when it is flipped down. It is basically a removeable piece so you can carry 4 people but then have that platform to sleep on. Obviously the possibilities are endless!

[Brody]

Probably good for some carpet and I'll keep my eyes open for some pad. I gave the last stuff I had to Bear and it is now happy in the back of his 85. You'll like the framing anchors and brackets for what you are doing. They make stuff really easy.

[Chris]

I put carpet in the 62 when I did it and now it looks like sh#t, thinking of something else when I do the 55. Comfort can be had with a pad/sleeping bag.

[Pathrat]

Finally, something I know a slight bit about! :D

My late husband had a 73 van for work that he custom fit with a framed back seat patterened after the way a futon works. When the back was flipped down, there was a 2x4 mounted into each side of the van and the back snugged into place via a cut outs in the back fit to the 2x4. Gave it some stability and support, and it was handy to be able to adjust the space configuration when you permanently install such things. Just a thought.

[Funrover]

See all this thread is doing is getting me into trouble......LOL You're killen me Jon!

[4Runninfun]

HAHA serves your right you need some good trouble! lol

Chris the carpet i'm going to put in is marine carpet, so it won't mildew or get hurt if it gets wet. I have already put some in when i did the interior panels and it came out great.

Pathrat, If i carried passengers your idea sounds pretty good. but in the 3 years i've owned my truck i can count on one hand the number of times someone has ridden in the back seat. So i just don't see the point. I want all of my gear organized that way i know exactly what i have and i can access it quick. especially something like a med kit, or fire extinguisher. However it sounds like we just need to have you along on all our trips, and any medical emergency you're prepared for.

[Chris]

Chris the carpet i'm going to put in is marine carpet, so it won't mildew or get hurt if it gets wet. I have already put some in when i did the interior panels and it came out great.

Wet isn't an issue for me, it's the hauling axles and such and dripping gear oil that is. :D

[Pathrat]

Pathrat, If i carried passengers your idea sounds pretty good.

*Too bad I can't claim the idea. I had to mention it since I am female and it sounds like an accessory so therefore I am compelled to comment. :D

However it sounds like we just need to have you along on all our trips, and any medical emergency you're prepared for.

*Well thanks, but I only am adept at taking them apart, not putting them together. I need to take a first aid/CPR class to see what to do with the mostly intact and living.

[Pathrat]

Pathrat, ... However it sounds like we just need to have you along on all our trips, and any medical emergency you're prepared for.

Actually, I am sitting at my desk reading how to articles on first aid and wilderness medical care. I'm solid in my knowledge of anatomy and disease, and after reading your post, I thought I would a good idea to get more rounded and figure out what to do when OUT of the lab. :D

[4Runninfun]

lol, what do you do for a living?

[Pathrat]

I am getting way off topic in your thread, but we are still under 'general topics' so hopefully Admin won't move yet another one of my tangents. :D

I am a Pathologist's Assistant. I examine surgically removed human tissue for evidence of disease. I prepare said specimens for a microscopic examination by the pathologist by cutting up the tissue, submitting sections of the tissue for chemical processing, with the end result being a 4-6 micron slice on a slide.

I brushed up on wilderness medicine and might be able to field treat a sucking chest would, with Brody's help.;)

[4Runninfun]

thats pretty cool, my mom actually graduated with an Med. tech degree. So i've more or less be around the lab aspect of the hospital for a while.

[4Runninfun]

got a bit more work done yesterday and today. first off this came in today so i was pretty stoked.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/4runninfun/4runner/CB.jpg

I finally have my center console done! It contains:

stereo deck
window switch (my oem passenger switch failed so i bought a intermittent 3 way and wired it up)
CB
built a shelf as well to keep all the wires separate from the cargo area.

Now i don't have to stretch and reach for any of these things, everything is easily accessible from the normal driving position.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/4runninfun/4runner/P1010013.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/4runninfun/4runner/console-1.jpg

Then i got to work putting my lightforces back on. then i started mounting the hella 500s on the roof. Might seam like a bit of over kill but with the way i have them set up i have my lightforces for running back roads late at night. I swear i've these things have saved me from hitting more than a few dear. and then i have the hellas on the roof for night wheeling. Their high vantage point will provide good lighting on obstacles.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/4runninfun/4runner/LIGHTS2.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/4runninfun/4runner/LIGHTS.jpg

[Brody]

Great lights! I had a set of driving lights on mine and used then for the same reasons:deer. I traded them and some other stuff for the tube work on the rear axle as I wanted to get more air to the radiator. I'll probably end up mounting a single light in the center of my stinger in the future cause I miss them.

I haven't mounted any roof lights as I will probably roll the thing sometime and there would go more $$. I had a set of four on top of the Ford that I rolled and they ended looking like I smashed them flat with a sledge hammer...

Path-baggie, celophane or foil and duct tape. Lot's of duct tape. Works great for broken ribs, too, but the ER guys hate you for it. I taped a friend up after he got bowled over by a 400 pound boulder on our way up for a weekend of climbing on Sheeprock. This was right after the area reopened after the Hayman fire and this were a little sketchy on the trail. He had 5 cracked ribs and it was good enough that we still climbed all weekend. Sleeping was a little had for him, but modern medicine saved the day there. Sleeping was difficult for me, too as I donated my sleeping pad.Thank god we shaved his chest hair before the tape up. He said the ER guys were PO cause the duct tape really was a PITA to remove...

[Pathrat]

Great light set up! It looks like you are configured for exactly what you wanted. As far as overkill, Edna in the movie The Incredibles said, "Life favors the prepared." More lights are an eventuality after I order the new rack extension today on my way out of town.

Brody- I carry gallon ziplocks and lots of varieties of tape. I also managed to score a clear sealable dressing cover! When I find another, I wil send it your way.

[Funrover]

Looks mean man!!!! You are going to love the new CB!