Kryptos shelf project

[Kryptoroxx]

I did this from my phone so forgive me.

This has been on the back burner for a long time but it is starting to take shape. It all started with the 1st gen rollbar and I thought it looked cool.

Then I noticed that it had threaded inserts after I acquired one and the wheels started turning.

Then I found this thread and while it wasn't exactly what I wanted but it was getting there.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/105609-1st-gen-rollbar-install-guide-request.html

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/17/ff5f5c747f8ae25d3d7456d618d35432.jpg

The uncut rack wouldn't fit so I waited to see whether the od clamp would make it wide enough. It didn't but it was really close so I dragged out the grinder and made it fit. I also need room for a vertical piece to fit the seat belt inserts.
Here are the progress pics.

First concept attempt
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/17/5ddeff836bbe03ee75a400baa1fdb7ad.jpg

Rollbar completed with the od clamp
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/17/2b78696066aa88438d9b8ad290099885.jpg

And then the more current pics from the roof rack thread.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/17/0bf87425d12b3c8815baa999496988c3.jpg

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/17/a89714af39810234012c7cba16d31565.jpg

So the idea is to weld plate along the sides of the rack to provide a side rail, get rid of sharp edges, and give me a place to attach the supporting frame.

I would like the support to only come from the rollbar with no legs towards the back. I think I have all of the tiedowns I need but I might toss a small set on the rack.

Also doing the lights while I am back there. I found these on amazon and they seem like they would work quite well.

4pcs X 4th Generation High Power White LED Eagle Eye DRL Fog Light Daytime Running DRL Tail Backup Light Motorcycle Motorbike Light LED For Yamaha Honda Suzuki Kawasaki DUCATI BMW KTM BUELL APRILIA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GJQZB9Y/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_K.HAub1SGS5NP

Want to put 4 on the roof angled down (2 each side) and 2 in the door, and then 2 on the underside of the rack somehow.

[4x4mike]

I didn't know the 1st gen roll bars had to be cut to fit in the 3rd gens.

For your shelf I see e-track type pieces. Are the other side to side pieces a pre-fab thing? What about using the e-track stuff for the sides that way you can use them for tying down stuff?

Scroll down for straps and loops: http://accessories.etrailer.com/search?w=e-track

[Kryptoroxx]

I didn't know the 1st gen roll bars had to be cut to fit in the 3rd gens.

For your shelf I see e-track type pieces. Are the other side to side pieces a pre-fab thing? What about using the e-track stuff for the sides that way you can use them for tying down stuff?

Scroll down for straps and loops: http://accessories.etrailer.com/search?w=e-track

They don't but I installed a od clamp so I could remove/install through the rear Cargo door versus through the rear passenger doors which is difficult.

Good eye on the e-track! Yes I have lots of that laying around. I suppose I could use it as the sides but I didn't want the sides to be too tall as it would interfere with getting straps tight. I only wanted to do a piece of 2" wide plate along the sides to tie the two racks together and leave the straps for front to rear strapping.

In fact now that we are talking about it I just need to just cut the front wall off completely and flip both the racks over so the e-track is on top. The front wall could be easily netting or I could just weld it back in place after I flip it.

[Kryptoroxx]

The final bit of progress till Black Friday....or when/if TSC has a sale on welders before then lol.

Quick picture of the scrap pile that I intend on using for little things if they occur to me as I build these projects.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/673/6650ii.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/ip6650iij)
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/538/R7wsml.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/eyR7wsmlj)

The shelf as it sits now. I was able to get the ends pretty straight but a little touchup with the grinder in my welding prep will make it sit very nicely.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/538/8pUZQz.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/ey8pUZQzj)

This is where I want to do the plate steel. What I have yet to figure out is the support for the entire rack but that will probably wait till the weekend when I can sit and think about it. A simple triangle would be great but I am not sure how much weight that would handle to be quite honest especially if you consider off-road travel.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/913/s0fwa5.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pds0fwa5j)

Well that pretty much wraps it up. I looked at flipping the whole assembly over to put the e-track right side up but I think it will work better on the outside and underside of the shelf just from the standpoint that the anchor point does not interfere with the load at all. I will also likely put a small brace in the corners up front since it no longer has much support at all.

BTW mike I had a chance to look at the link just now for the e-track stuff now that I'm on the computer. They have some pretty trick stuff for e-track. I might save what I have spare now for the roof rack and put some on that!

[Kryptoroxx]

Hey good news! Hobart is on sale tomorrow at tractor supply. It's 70 bucks off which brings it down to $450 which is what most of them were going for on cl. I am slightly tempted to go with the 210 instead of the 140 because of the dual voltage in the 210 plus the capability of welding aluminum. It's also double the price and although I would love to say this next move would be my last....I know I would be lying to myself. Pretty sure the 140 is all I currently need for my projects.

[Kryptoroxx]

Meh.....tractor supply sold out before I could get there. I did get rainchecked so I get the welder at the sale price and I got a little off on the helmet I wanted too since they were out of those as well. Since I wasn't working on the cargo shelf this afternoon I worked on seeing how complex/expensive my grill re-fab might be. So far it's looking fairly cheap. The goal is to have a grill that doesn't leak heat like a sieve. Here's a pic as is:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/674/82zxVm.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/iq82zxVmj)

And here's what I've hatched up for replacement so far.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/673/fm9zgP.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/ipfm9zgPj)
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/538/6nRO7D.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/ey6nRO7Dj)

So first what I re-designed is the ash catcher. This thing is useless. I actually level out the ash inside so that all the heat doesn't leak out and my fire isn't blown out when trying to light it off. So in the re-design I made it 5" deep with the bottom out of 3/16" and the sides out of 1/8". A little bracing was added just in-case my welds are not the best in the beginning. I will try to re-use the handle from my current grill just to conserve funds. I will make one large improvement and put the ash catcher on a 100lbs ball bearing drawer slide. Amazon has them for 10 bucks so not a huge cost.

Next up was the fire-box as the sides leak, it flexes horribly, does not line up with the grill lid, leaks more smoke out the sides than what should be going through the top, and generally sucks. The front door is well made but why have a well made door out of cast-iron when the rest of it is less than 24ga metal? Anyway I made everything to the original size with the exception of where I am using gaskets. Yep bbq gaskets. 1/4" sealing material that will withstand 1000 degrees. For a 12' kit with adhesive it's a little over 30 bucks. Again the great thing about this grill is that I built it (thank God I am not responsible for designing it or QC) so everything is bolted/screwed together. All I have to do is cut the appropriate holes and I have a better built version of my grill.

I will work on the lid but I think using the same hinges might be a bit of a safety hazard as my lid would be lots heavier.

The sides are all made out of 1/8" and the bracing as well. The griddles will be re-used and I will re-use the coal elevator as well (one thing I love about my grill). I will see about beefing up the coal elevator as it seems a little worn with age.

When this grill was new I paid around 200 for it. My goal is to finish this with a quarter to half of what I paid in the beginning. Not sure how much the plate steel will be though...

[Kryptoroxx]

After digging through Amazon multiple times basically trying to find something flush mounted that isn't so cheap that it isn't worth it and not getting ripped off on a product I came upon these. It's a package of 12 9w single mounted led bulbs in a flush mount housing. From what I could gather on the reviews out of over 100 there were 9 that complained about mounting these on their bikes. Bikes vibrate a lot and my guess is that there was an issue with their install. If I install 4 on a side I believe I will have some pretty good lighting that I don't have to worry about scrubbing off and I also don't have to worry about wiring on the shelf itself when I am removing or installing them. I believe I will also install 4 of them in the rear hatch as I have seen in many different builds and that should help immensely.

With these lights being only 9w apiece I am fairly certain that I can just wire them in line with the dome light and not burn anything out. I have 2 other 12v leads run to the back of the 4runner just in case but I was going to use them for other purposes.

[4x4mike]

Link?

[Kryptoroxx]

Man I forgot that one. Here's the link. Universal 6pcs High Power White 3w LED Eagle Eye Bumper DRL Fog Light Motorcycle Light Daytime Running DRL Tail Backup Light Car Motor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FEZEVQK/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_4CcFub1SCJKAG

[Seanz0rz]

I might have to pick up a set or two of those! How flush do they actually mount?

[Kryptoroxx]

I'm guessing that it's just that little dome lens sticking out but everything is on hold for the holidays right now.

[troyboy162]

things are coming out great over there! Are you going to be wheeling ready soon?

[Kryptoroxx]

I find time for some local stuff out in the park every now and then but it's just getting away on desert roads. Hopefully this spring and fall I can get some stuff in either with a group or just heading out into the Mojave for an overnight.

Edit: I read that wrong. As soon as I have my welder I should be ready by spring. The roof rack and shelf will be made and I will be good for wheeling/camping. Most of the stuff I have on hand. Wish I could find some cash for the rear springs but they aren't bad quite yet.

[Kryptoroxx]

Just a quick update....although there is nothing to really update. Starting to think that Tractor Supply either A. Sold a TON of Hobart 140s across the nation or B. Really lack in their shipping department to stores for stock. The helmet is in at least. I went with a Hobart helmet that was as light and comfortable as I could justify the price for.

In other news I was approved for my extension so I am still officially employed till Dec 2015 now. That's a great relief off my shoulders.

[Kryptoroxx]

Big update! Well its big news to me at least. I know most of you guys have a welder already lol.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/16/6d2218e1a96bcb932cb2463f15278723.jpg

[Seanz0rz]

YAY! Now come weld on my 4runner, I'm a little burned out.

[Kryptoroxx]

YAY! Now come weld on my 4runner, I'm a little burned out.

LOL!!

Let me get some practice in first before you see my welds. Actually you have seen my welds lol. You've seen worse so that's a good thing I think. :rolleyes:

[paddlenbike]

Big update! Well its big news to me at least. I know most of you guys have a welder already lol.


Congrats! And nope, it's just me that doesn't have one. :-( It's on the list...

[troyboy162]

Sweet! The problem now is radical modifications only cost $20 in steel and a couple weekends. Every desicion you make on the truck will now have a "crazy" option lol.

[Kryptoroxx]

Sweet! The problem now is radical modifications only cost $20 in steel and a couple weekends. Every desicion you make on the truck will now have a "crazy" option lol.
After dropping 1k plus in tools in order to do welding this is news I could use lol. I've usually got a fair amount of down time....but not a whole lot of spare cash to go with it.

[4x4mike]

Congrats. Time to have some fun.

[Kryptoroxx]

Well I definitely have worked a lot today but sadly not on the shelf. I need a table and cart first. Made pretty good progress on both.

Yesterday I picked up 2x2 and 1x2 tubing for the table frame and legs. I forgot that junk was expensive lol. Anyway now my project settles into lots of measuring.

Today I cut the legs and tabletop frame and pieced together most of the cart. Still have a little cutting to do on the cart but I will be finished with the cart tomorrow provided I don't have any major complications.

Sunday a much better welder than I is going to help me with the table frame. I really want it dead level. The table in the pic is warped badly.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/19/a83cca66fa1c485c7436c9cd7dc98314.jpg

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/19/ebebb0a65c5580a2affb8d8be40cd6b2.jpg

Oh and this came in the mail today as well. Super excited to start working with it.

[troyboy162]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/135631-Death-Valley-12-26-thru-12-28

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140814204631/knightsanddragons/images/c/c9/Do-it.png

[Seanz0rz]

Dang, that sounds fun! I pulled my bad tire off and maybe I'll go take it in this weekend or next. My back is hurting too bad to work on the truck today, probably tomorrow too. I have some other stuff I can do though.

How thick is that table top? looks like 1/4". You can probably clamp some of those tubing pieces to it to flatten it out while it's welded, that might get it a bit flatter.

[Kryptoroxx]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/135631-Death-Valley-12-26-thru-12-28

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140814204631/knightsanddragons/images/c/c9/Do-it.png
I wish I could but I've got my pennies invested in steel and tools right now! It will take me a few months to recover. It does look like fun though.


Dang, that sounds fun! I pulled my bad tire off and maybe I'll go take it in this weekend or next. My back is hurting too bad to work on the truck today, probably tomorrow too. I have some other stuff I can do though.

How thick is that table top? looks like 1/4". You can probably clamp some of those tubing pieces to it to flatten it out while it's welded, that might get it a bit flatter.

The table top is 1/4" and I am getting some help from a guy who welds much better than I to give me a hand with it. I want to make sure I'm as level as I can be and I will be trying to add in a table leveling system after I get it built so I can work on my slanted driveway a little easier. I am definitely putting a level frame together complete with legs before the tabletop gets added on. Total with casters the table will be 39" tall which is ok for me. It could be a little shorter without killing me but right now the table I'm working on is a total of 30" and it's killing me. My back is very sore.

Weell today I learned about the mess that is flux lol. Honestly it wasn't too bad and while it can be annoying I weld outdoors mostly so there you have it.

I worked on my welder cart today and almost finished it. I need to add in some castors and a shelf for it and I will be done with the design. I wanted it to be low to the ground since I have no idea whether my welding skills are good or not and taller means easier to tip over.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/540/ZuOSTF.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/f0ZuOSTFj)
Since the design is completely from scrap I didn't have a wide selection of sizes or plentiful lengths in the sizes so I got creative......really creative.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/537/9dlKOR.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/ex9dlKORj)
My first attempt at overhead....needs work. I'm still having more trouble with a simple horizontal below for some reason. Some turn out fine and then some don't look fine.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/912/YUCGjo.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pcYUCGjoj)
Showing signs of improvement at least. I think some of my welds being sucky had to do with how clean the metal was. I will definitely want to get at least one more of the magnet squares. Those are handy to have for tacking things in place.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/537/q3g7Ly.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/exq3g7Lyj)
Where I stopped for the night. The welder sits at an angle quite comfy although the single arm is slightly off center but it actually worked out in my favor since the gas inlet is on the left side. I had to cut the rear support to make way for the gas inlet.

Still need to make a bottle holder, gun holster, shelf up top, and a ground/liner holder....oh yeah it needs wheels too. Amazon looked like they had some decent ones for about 24 bucks or so.

[Kryptoroxx]

So I finished the table....kind of at least. It's on wheels which is a big improvement over dragging the table around. I tried everything to get the bend out of the 1/4 plate but it still has a 1/8" rise in the middle.....grrrrrrr. I suppose this is why most guys that build a "welding table" use 1/2" plate instead of 1/4".

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/537/wcKP45.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/exwcKP45j)
At first I was having trouble welding the .060 to the .120 and I should have listened to my gut and just went a hair higher on voltage and kept the wire speed the same. I tried it later on and my beads smoothed right out.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/537/SGy3cT.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/exSGy3cTj)
Square so far! I had one leg that decided to be on it's own program and kick out just a hair but it did not upset the level of the table so I left a sleeping dog lie.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/538/xZPSr7.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/eyxZPSr7j)
All 4 legs connected! It's actually really square at this point but I want to add a set of drawers under the table top so I left one side out of the bracing. Coincidentally this is the same side with the 1/8" rise....
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/910/XbaHPa.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/paXbaHPaj)
I brought the table into a really square situation and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very level. I might be out of level by 1/64" but it is really slight.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/540/Z71QZF.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/f0Z71QZFj)
Caster feet. For some reason when I'm working with the thick stuff this Hobart just loves it. Really easy to get a clean smooth arc that just flows. The bumpiness comes me missing my start/stop points and having to go back over a section.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/905/oOpUCB.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/p5oOpUCBj)
Tacking and beading the table top. I had one section pop loose but two clamps later and letting the welds cool completely helped me out.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/661/Qq6PxK.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/idQq6PxKj)
Word of caution....don't buy INETUB flux wire. This was under the first layer of wire and messed me up really good. There were two sections of wire twisted together and yeah...I had to dump about 50ft of wire to get to good spool again. On the other hand it welded quite well.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/537/lo7iB9.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/exlo7iB9j)
All finished for now. I will work on the drawers slowly but I am happy for the most part. The table might be 2" too tall but as most of my welding projects are not tall items I think the table height of 39" is great. I would like to add a shelf at the bottom at some point but for now I have enough black boogers to go around.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/537/JHMhSP.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/exJHMhSPj)
Just another shot where there are height items to compare to. I might just get some different casters to lower the height a tad and use these on my welder cart (overkill much?) lol.

[4x4mike]

Looking good. Dialing in voltage and speed kind of takes awhile. On my Lincoln I pretty much leave it at the same speed regardless of the voltage. At higher voltage the wire gets eaten up faster but I tend to adjust my pass speed and not weld long passes.

I know what you mean about the black boggers. I can hardly do anything in the garage without getting them.

As for wire I'd invest in the largest spool your machine will take. On the HF welder I started out with I modified it and removed the lid in order to run a 5 pound spool. The small spools tend to get all hairy towards in the end and can cause feeding issues. A larger spool lengthens the intervals between the rats nests.

I had a grand idea of respooling the 1 pound reels from the 5 pound and it was a sh*t show. I wasted so much wire. That's when I made the mods to the HF machine to run the bigger one.

[Kryptoroxx]

Looking good. Dialing in voltage and speed kind of takes awhile. On my Lincoln I pretty much leave it at the same speed regardless of the voltage. At higher voltage the wire gets eaten up faster but I tend to adjust my pass speed and not weld long passes.

I know what you mean about the black boggers. I can hardly do anything in the garage without getting them.

As for wire I'd invest in the largest spool your machine will take. On the HF welder I started out with I modified it and removed the lid in order to run a 5 pound spool. The small spools tend to get all hairy towards in the end and can cause feeding issues. A larger spool lengthens the intervals between the rats nests.

I had a grand idea of respooling the 1 pound reels from the 5 pound and it was a sh*t show. I wasted so much wire. That's when I made the mods to the HF machine to run the bigger one.
I was actually kicking myself because I didn't buy a 10 lbs spool but it was good to find out whether it was quality wire or not. Besides the rats nest I love the inetub. Welds a lot better than the hobart stuff. I will get into gas later but for now flux is fine. I do understand the pita that is flux. I really dislike cleaning in between each pass (if necessary).

Also figured out that my voltage recommendation runs a little cold. Once I got my circles and stitching a little more under control turning the voltage up helped a lot with the thin wall to 1/4" welding. I ended up running a little slower on wire speed as with the higher heat it can blow through very easily and the slower wire speed seems to help? I can't explain it but it seems to be working. Tomorrow I will be adding the drawers and if the wife leaves me alone for enough time I might get to the shelf lol. If not Christmas Day is going to be a slow day for us and the weather is in the 70s.

On another note I am now a Microsoft certified specialist in word 2010. Still working on the rest but I have to do something to keep developing professionally.

[Seanz0rz]

Congrats on the cert! Everything matters.

[4x4mike]

It's easy to blow through thinner stuff with flux. For sheet metal and thin stuff gas is much easier. Congratulations on you certification. For half of this year, half of my spare time has been classes and testing for certifications and qualifications.

[troyboy162]

nice looking table! I have to mess with my settings too with flux. I find the chart gets me close but turning up the power a notch or two works better except with 1/4" for me for some reason. Those welds look great too. Overhead is still worthless for me. I do everything I can to avoid it lol.

[Kryptoroxx]

nice looking table! I have to mess with my settings too with flux. I find the chart gets me close but turning up the power a notch or two works better except with 1/4" for me for some reason. Those welds look great too. Overhead is still worthless for me. I do everything I can to avoid it lol.
Thanks! I just discovered something though and I thought about it for a while before I made my decision. There are a couple of upgrades I going to do before I even technically finish with the first version. I know it will take a bit but I also think it will be worth it. I was looking at a lot of welding tables and they use slats that are spread out and removeable for clamping purposes. Then I thought about how much I couldn't clamp on mine. I know I won't weld every day but if I'm going to fabricate stuff now and then I want to do the project on a well build table. Plus my tabletop had a 1/8" bow in it. If I make it into slats I willing to bet good money I can make that bow go away.

I have enough tabletop to pull it off and I even have enough scrap metal to make a storage shelf below with the drawers underneath.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/24/0d92a9c07a8fe5c95b1511c847b1ba24.jpg
This is an example of what I'm talking about.

[Seanz0rz]

I wouldn't cut it into slats, it will just weaken it. Those slats on that table are at least 3/8" and probably 1/2" thick. Keep your table and work to building a new one when you need it.

[Kryptoroxx]

I wouldn't cut it into slats, it will just weaken it. Those slats on that table are at least 3/8" and probably 1/2" thick. Keep your table and work to building a new one when you need it.
That does make sense. I was only thinking about it from the angle that I could flatten the tabletop. I do believe it will work for the time being.

[4x4mike]

FWIW I don't find it necessary to clamp stuff for welding. If needed I weld to the table top and work from there.

[Kryptoroxx]

I wouldn't cut it into slats, it will just weaken it. Those slats on that table are at least 3/8" and probably 1/2" thick. Keep your table and work to building a new one when you need it.

They are 3/8" so they are thicker by a good bit. I didn't think the 1/4" would flex much though.


FWIW I don't find it necessary to clamp stuff for welding. If needed I weld to the table top and work from there.

Just goes to show how little I know about welding. I hadn't even considered that I could just spot weld it to the table. That makes me feel better about keeping the table the way it is too.

[Kryptoroxx]

A very small update for this thread since the weather was not conducive to working on the roof rack.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/22/eabafc79e66db59d5c522d11adc27e51.jpg

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/22/be102199d7ddf0d4eb92649034a532f6.jpg

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/22/15c06dd994dea45eb24f52a0bec2af28.jpg

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/22/6b70ae2f5c009fcfdcc470bb1a2d4f87.jpg

I think they came out well for light output and while I took my time it was definitely one of the easier mods I've done......minus running wire from the cab to the tailgate through the factory run. That was like torture mixed with muscle cramps.

[Kryptoroxx]

I've got a small amount of progress. Time to get this project done though. I will have to strip the interior out so this is getting done too.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/01/48782a707c3c025ef92d2b180ffef1ab.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/01/61d78409705981edbf439d2c84f018ea.jpg

A little bit more of a mockup
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/01/01b7ec29ddc0a60778ab8064bfc677b5.jpg

[4x4mike]

I assume the shelf attaches to the roll bar? Glad to see it's back and getting worked on. Mine has gotten a lot of use since I finished it and I'm really enjoying it.

[Kryptoroxx]

Yes it will. It just took a while for me to figure out how to mock everything up so I could measure out the brackets. I really wish I would have had mine when I went on that trip. Sometimes the stuff bouncing around in the back made me think it might come over the top and get Natalia. It was louder than it was high but still. Heavy stuff down below could be strapped in and the stuff up top would not be able to bounce over.

[4x4mike]

Like I had written in my shelf post, all my heavy stuff goes on the bottom and is limited to an ice chest and Action Packer. A metric S-ton of stuff goes on top of that. The heavy stuff is on the bottom because it packs better that way. With the shelf there is no way one of the large heavy items will make it into the passenger area which is nice.

The shelf was for better organization and didn't necessarily change the way I packed the vehicle. Stuff would fall on the kids heads but it was pillows or sleeping pads. They basically held back sleeping bags and small duffle bags.

Because we do carry a lot of different things I wanted the ability to stuff more random things in. There could be a time when something a little harder would go up top of the pile and could make it's way forward.

I can't seem to find the picture but I added tie down points near the C pillar to add a net or screen to.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j_8TYlGzeiI/VGKsi252hgI/AAAAAAABBTY/qE24ntcPUVA/s800/20141111_141416.jpg

A couple of months ago I finally got around to rigging a net. It's not exactly what I was after but I'm not sure I want to spend a lot of time trying to perfect anything especially since it wouldn't be used all the time. It uses 550 cord to hold a thick wall 1/2 pvc pipe across that the net is zip tied to. The bottom of the net clips into the cargo tie downs and on the metal pieces the rear seat click into. I use the netting that is against the back of the seats to hold the fishing poles, chairs and half of our sleeping pads. I can remove most everything and still have those held in tight where as before they could tumble down.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eUT4Nl3NPg8/VVoGA-P988I/AAAAAAABEbc/SC7ZxkJIyZE/s800/20150516_153936.jpg

The rear head rests keep part of the net from stretching when the cargo area is loaded. The actual top of the seats and back of the kids seats hold stuff like a little shelf. On one of our trips I had it hold a sun shelter and the adult sleeping bags. I didn't get a picture loaded from the inside but it worked great and let me pack more even though I didn't really want to. Since that picture I perfected a method of tensioning the pvc so it's higher up but even at a lower spot nothing is slipping past it.

I need to update my shelf post with a few pictures.

[Kryptoroxx]

I am looking at the possibility of a net but with the built in front wall to the shelf I am waiting to see whether I need it or not.

I am so busy with work these days that finding time/energy to get out in the sun is more difficult. Its beautiful at around 6-8 but the light is fading and I haven't talked the wife into a light set so I can work in humane weather lol. Its triple digits here now. Granted its still below 115 bit the sick meter is starting to rise out here.

[Kryptoroxx]

Hey I found some time to square some stuff away for other projects making more time for this one. Made some major progress tonight.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/09/c9cef41d97f627f81bdaf2593769b80f.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/09/8aecaa06e58022db4a642330fae0b162.jpg

Got the shelf pretty straight imo. This is what I was worried about.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/09/269eb5d156d95151f010fc9ae5e4da84.jpg

One of the sides completely welded. Lots of short welds. Neighbors were lookin at me funny.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/09/952eab32eded10fafa03518ec9da0b73.jpg

Got too dark for me to measure and make square. I gotta get me some lights...oh well its almost 9 pm anyway.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/09/e8d5843938f8fbe8a555c677d26e99d0.jpg

I also have decided to install some old equipment I had in boxes. Gotta do some painting on the amps to clean them up and it looks like some glasswork on the door panels to fit the 4" mids but it will be worth it. The stock speakers are eating it pretty hard.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/09/783a151e59c7421dd19b420c5bc36acc.jpg

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

[Kryptoroxx]

Bah kind of a set back but I'm glad I noticed it now rather than later. The holes where the roll bar attaches are not in ideal locations. I was thinking about cutting and welding it up so the holes were on the inside but that is a ton of work for convienence. I doubt I will remove this shelf much honestly.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/25/45e43091e9d759df3452bb3df66e3de7.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/25/43272a9c69b809acbf01b7ad14745a1a.jpg

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[Kryptoroxx]

Forgot to post the pics of the finished project in here. I love it however I do wish it was more removeable. It takes about 30 minutes to put in and remove.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160102/7502f932cdbc177cd1de5ab3c94d37ca.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160102/4821f8a5c6bd9fcb480f1433cba9cde5.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160102/87d447fc175ffdcfb7908c286fbdf7af.jpg

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