Shark "Tank"

Ok, I have some extra wood and carpet left over from the last project. Not enough material to make a continued platform for when the seats are down but, in reality, I don't know how often I would drive with the rear seats down anyway.

So I got to thinking, there is definitely some usable storage space under the rear seats but it obviously isn't secure. Has anyone tried to frame in the space under the rear seats in a JKUR to create some lockable storage space? Ideally, it would be nice to make the panels removable without too much effort in case folding the seats was necessary. Just a thought. I may mess around with the idea tonight.
 
Sharkey said:
Ok, I have some extra wood and carpet left over from the last project. Not enough material to make a continued platform for when the seats are down but, in reality, I don't know how often I would drive with the rear seats down anyway.

So I got to thinking, there is definitely some usable storage space under the rear seats but it obviously isn't secure. Has anyone tried to frame in the space under the rear seats in a JKUR to create some lockable storage space? Ideally, it would be nice to make the panels removable without too much effort in case folding the seats was necessary. Just a thought. I may mess around with the idea tonight.
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I reckon you could put some hinges and wood "doors" on the floorboard and have them latch to the seat. That way you could fold them don to fold seats down without removing them. Just a thought.
 
Hobolobo said:
I reckon you could put some hinges and wood "doors" on the floorboard and have them latch to the seat. That way you could fold them don to fold seats down without removing them. Just a thought.
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That's not a bad idea at all. The side panels could just be pulled and placed on the ground too. I'm going to have to get a better look at the mechanism of the seats and see how far the frames go down, but I think there are some possibilities to be explored.
 
I have the ARB 47L plugged into my rear 12v and it runs great. Just saying. I also have a 2015 JKUR.
I love your build, I'm excited to see how you mount the fridge when that time comes.
 
I love the idea of secured under seat storage in the back, probably stemming from my F150, but I have yet to find anything that is a good fit for the Jeep.

Problems I have encountered:

1. How do you make something secure, while still being able to easily access it?
- A folding mechanism with a lock to the frame might work, but its not like the pickup where the seat folds up. Its pretty inconvenient to get in and out of, and the easier you make it, the less secure it would be.

2. Space - unless you simply go hinge to tub, and lock to seat frame, you give up a lot of space with a folding door setup.

3. Removal/use with seat down.
- for me this is a bigger issue, as I rarely have people with me, and at least one side seat is down regularly, so moving or removing the storage would be a pain. If it is a family vehicle with seats up all the time, this may be less of an issue.



My question would be, what do you need to store under the seat all the time, that wont fit in the back, but that can be removed if you need to keep the seat down? For me, the idea of covered storage was great, but I just couldnt get the practical aspect working.

Would love to see how you move forward with the idea though. I keep thinking about a deck like you finished, but my dog already has a hard time jumping in, I dont know if another 9" higher will work...
 
el_chupo_ said:
I love the idea of secured under seat storage in the back, probably stemming from my F150, but I have yet to find anything that is a good fit for the Jeep....
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All good points. The more I look at it, the more unlikely it seems that I can make something that is functional but that does not completely get rid of the functionality of the folding seats. At that point, it would almost be worth it to install the seats directly onto a metal box like some of the old Jeeps and Cruisers.

I will keep thinking it through, but at this point I am leaning toward more pelican cases. They are waterproof, can be independently locked, and could be cable locked to the seat frame if necessary.

For things like clothes that I don't care as much about getting stolen, inexpensive dry bags would work fine. As for your pooch...since you keep one seat down you could always load him/her through the door and back onto the deck. (Although I know my retriever prefers a seat to the back, even without a deck.)
 
Sharkey how hard was it to cut the deck to fit the sides. This is the direction I'm leaning towards on mine.
 
Your underseat idea got me thinking.

What about doors from say 1/8" aluminum? Hinged at the bottom with a key lock to the seat frame at the top. This should be thin enough to not need to be removed. 1/8" side wings with some fashion of removeable via inside latches. These should be able to be stored under the seat when folded.

Now I have to add that to my list.

And congrats on the new jeep.
 
Sharkey said:
All good points. The more I look at it, the more unlikely it seems that I can make something that is functional but that does not completely get rid of the functionality of the folding seats. At that point, it would almost be worth it to install the seats directly onto a metal box like some of the old Jeeps and Cruisers.

I will keep thinking it through, but at this point I am leaning toward more pelican cases. They are waterproof, can be independently locked, and could be cable locked to the seat frame if necessary.

For things like clothes that I don't care as much about getting stolen, inexpensive dry bags would work fine. As for your pooch...since you keep one seat down you could always load him/her through the door and back onto the deck. (Although I know my retriever prefers a seat to the back, even without a deck.)
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Dont let me shut down the plan, it may still work! I am kind of leaning towards water resistant bags and cases as well, but it might work!

And I am not sure if the dog will be willing to jump in on the sides. He was good with it on the F150, but it had a much wider area for him to jump to, where the back seat of the Jeep only leaves a small gap between seats. Will have to give it a try though, that would be a great solution.
 
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