no metal work involved yet, but hopefully this still qualifies..

so looking for rear storage ideas for my xj, I stumbled across the expedition portal website.. holy crap did they have a lot of cool builds over there! feeling inspired, I immediately started drawing out plans for my own expo style build. inside will be plenty of storage, as well as a sleeping platform. eventually i'll move the build outside to include a custom roofrack with provisions for more storage and my own version of an RTT (roof top tent)

if anybody has any questions, or wants some measurements, please feel free to ask.. i'd be more than happy to share any info here. for the most part tho, the pictures should speak for themselves. I hope you guys like it

so on with the build!

first up, window vents.. sleeping in the back of the jeep is nice, but you have to have a window down or it gets super muggy. problem with that is that you've now invited every insect around to an all you can eat buffet. well in your face bugs!!





it's two pieces of 1/16th abs with a chunk of window screen sandwiched in between. the thickness combined is damn near identical to the thickness of the window. i then glued thin strips of the same abs across the bottom to create a c channel that the window itself rests in. install is super easy.. roll down window, put vent in tracks, roll window up into the bottom of it. for as thin as it is, it's plenty sturdy. wouldn't rely on it for security purposes, but for camping out it should be perfect. now I just have to finish the one for the other side.

next I started on the rear cargo area..







started with a sheet of 3/4 red oak plywood from home depot.. spendy stuff, but very sturdy. since I eventually intend on sleeping on it, that's a big deal. the bottom will have 4 drawers in it for misc items, and will be installed with full extension slides (as shown in the second pic) I made them 22" deep so I can be left with the extra compartment behind the rear seat. plans for that will be covered later

dividers will go up tomorrow, when I get a chance to make the measurements for how big the drawers need to be to house the gear that will be in them. so stay tuned for more!

Looks pretty cool, but how do you plan on sleeping on the box? Id love to see how this turns out so I can finally get started on mine. How much do you think the rear box is going to set you back?

Subed,

What's to time frame for finishing build?
And your budget?

Looking good

Nice work. Where do you get the abs for the door vent?

Very cool! I went camping this past weekend and I have always thought about a roof top tent but, they are way pricey for me. Keep us posted on the rest of the install and especially the roof top tent.

My only issue is that my jeep is lifted 6.5" and I weigh 305lbs. so she would have to be heavy duty for my big butt to be climbing and sleeping atop the jeep!

like it so far, sub'd

Sub'd as well. Looking forward to this one!

Really cool idea on the window vents!

I was just trying to figure out a way to get some vents for the windows for when we wheel and the bugs are bad...

My poor wife and bugs don't get a long too well.

I am interested in your plans for sleeping in the back as well. You could probably build some type of removable front half for the platform. Only if you don't carry 3 plus people often. The bug screens look very well done. I like that idea a ton.

The few nights I have spent in the XJ have been very uncomfortable and I am only 5'10". If the bottom part of the back seat was removed, I would have had enough space. Curious how you build this. It looks great so far.

ExPo is an incredible site.

I love ExpiditionPortal! And I really love those vents!
Sub'd , and would love the measurements for the vents!

Those vents are nice! Anyone looking for a cheap route, just use screen and a roll of magnet tape. You cut screens to fit and glue magnet tape to edges. It allows for the entire window to be open and covered. Plus, they roll up nicely for storage!

thanks guys, appreciate the comments.. i'll answer the questions in a minute, but first I wanna get an update up.

so I didn't get as much free time today as I was hoping for.. managed to get most of the drawer components cut out, and the dados cut for the bottom piece. the dado cuts make the drawers a lot stronger, as the wood is resting on a wood lip instead of just nails. makes the build a little more complicated, but well worth it. the real crappy part is that we don't have a true dado set at work, so they had to be done with multiple passes over the table saw.. talk about time consuming. once that was done, I had enough time left over to get one assembled and mounted up. sucks, but progress is progress right? anyways, here's the next batch of pics!

i'll be making a removable platform that will fit over the seat when it's folded down.. the height of the platform will make it so the the seat bottom itself will be perfect pillow height for me. haven't decided how i'll go about storing the platform when not in use, but i'll cross that bridge when I get there.

hoping to have the interior stuff wrapped up before the end of the year. exterior stuff i'm hoping to have done by next summer, but we'll see. as for budget, all in all i'll probably have somewhere between $4-500 into the interior stuff.

I work at a car stereo shop, and we keep a few different sizes on hand for various projects. i've got 1/16, 1/8, and 1/4 .. every once in a while we'll have some 1/2 as well.

same here, but I found a way cheaper alternative.. cot tents! cabelas carries a nice full size one for $350. way better than $1k plus for your traditional RTT

i'll have to get some tomorrow. was actually considering making a jig so I can crank them out for anyone that's interested.