3rd Gen Cargo Shelf

[4x4mike]

It's cooling down here but the sun is still shining so I got to painting the shelf. The original shelf was designed to fit in a box. Second to that it was designed to be a hitch rack cargo carrier. I omitted the 2" receiver and decided to weld the two pieces together. This would keep it the width I needed (I actually lucked out on that) and welded would be better and nicer looking than bolted.

Because of the welding the factory paint/coating was removed or burned off. I used this opportunity to remove some more and weld on some tie down spots on the perimeter. Again I used nails, smaller ones than my roof rack, and tacked them on. These little nails were way harder to get prepped and held in place. As such I used more weld than I wanted which resulted in a lot of grinding. My neighbors must hate Saturday mornings when I have a project because that's when I make my noise.

Removing material to make it more pleasant to the eye started with a grinding wheel, flap disc, wire cup then Roloc. In the end it turned out nicer but damn it was a lot of work. I also grabbed some nicer hardware while out.






When I get some time I need to finish the legs. I'll probably bring down some gear from the attic and load it up in a configuration that requires the rack to be higher than it is now. I'm stare at it awhile then decide whether to make more holes in the legs or make a second set of legs. Once that is figured out I'll cap the ends of that c-channel.

[Kryptoroxx]

I like it! It definitely looks very nice and is simple too. Easy to remove and functional. Should make loading up the 4runner a lot easier or should I say getting that one thing out that you packed first easier. That's what always scares me. I try my best to compartmentalize or pack smarter on long road trips but somehow I always end up dragging half the cargo into the hotel...with the other half unpacked and then re-packed. This past trip to CO went much better than others though.

[4x4mike]

I got a chance to use the shelf this weekend on a trip to lake Tahoe then into Nevada. It rained and snowed the entire trip out so I packed some extra gear. It was nice having a separate spot for some of that gear. We didn't have an ice chest or any camping gear so there was a lot more space in the cargo area. When it's packed full it's easy to find a little cubby or spot to stuff something. When it's not so full stuff is jut kind of piled along with our other bags. I loaded up the shelf, sorry no pictures, got some props from the wife and had a good time.

Late last week I got the LEDs I ordered for the under side of the shelf. They aren't really needed but figured it's another spot to stick something so I ordered some COB strips. I'd say they are about 8" long and are the perfect width to stick under the side to side cross members of the shelf. The idea is to light the underside when the shelf is full and won't allow light from my 250+ lumen dome light to shine through.

i think I'll mount them side to side instead of front to back. I also think I'll put them farther away from the hatch as it's darker the more you go in. They have peel and stick and are already wired so it's going to be pretty easy. One bummer is that I'll have to pull the side panel again to tap into power for the lights.

[paddlenbike]

One bummer is that I'll have to pull the side panel again to tap into power for the lights.

Now that I've done it a couple of times I can have the side panels out in about 3 minutes per side. Just don't mess with the seatbelt. I pulled mine again and added some OEM tie down loops. I've always wanted some on the wheel archs to have a good securing point for my ice chest and kitchen box.



Nice job on the shelf.

[4x4mike]

I had some time to work on the legs. I welded some nuts on the legs to make installing and setting up the shelf a little quicker. For the most part the legs will thread on like big wing nuts and the shelf bolts in with the hex screws (hex wrench needed).



I also got the LED's installed. They are strip COB's from Amazon. I think they are 6000K and are marketed as DRLs for the tuner crowd. Having no desire to put these on the front of the 4Runner I stuck them to the bottom of the shelf.



I have very bright dome lights so these aren't totally necessary but I love me some LED's. Actually if the top of the shelf is occupied these will make looking for stuff under the shelf much easier. For the time being I just wired in a 12 cigarette socket. I need to figure out a way to hide as much wire as possible yet still make it work with two different shelf heights. I'm thinking a small port in the plastic that the shelf just plugs into. A cool switch will also be in order. I'm thinking a small in line push on/off.

Here is the light .


Then with my 2 Cree dome light.

[Kryptoroxx]

Looks great! I had actually considered those lights....and I suppose I still can. How flush would you suppose they are?

The lighting makes a big difference. Looks great!

[4x4mike]

I'd say they are 1/8". Half of that being the light and half being the adhesive. Since I re-purposed a cargo basket my shelf has a ridge down the bottom. It kind of protects the lights but I'll have to remember they are there when I go sliding stuff in or when I take it out and set it on my work bench or the ground.

The ribbon lights are probably lower profile if you like the starry look and but I doubt the adhesive is as strong as this stuff.

[Kryptoroxx]

I'd say they are 1/8". Half of that being the light and half being the adhesive. Since I re-purposed a cargo basket my shelf has a ridge down the bottom. It kind of protects the lights but I'll have to remember they are there when I go sliding stuff in or when I take it out and set it on my work bench or the ground.

The ribbon lights are probably lower profile if you like the starry look and but I doubt the adhesive is as strong as this stuff.

Thanks for the info. I was going to try and avoid wires out on the shelf itself so I was going to install the lights in the ceiling and walls. Right now a lot is on hold with holiday stuff going on and my welder on raincheck from tsc .

[Seanz0rz]

Mike, (or anyone else) do you have the measurements from panel to panel (nearest 1/4" would be fine). Since I don't have my interior in, it is impossible to measure.

[Kryptoroxx]

Mike, (or anyone else) do you have the measurements from panel to panel (nearest 1/4" would be fine). Since I don't have my interior in, it is impossible to measure.

53 1/4" is what I came up with but I didn't have a level.