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New Cargo Project- Revised

8157 Views 25 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  milehifireguy
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I have been thinking of making my own false floor storage compartment. While I would love the idea of putting my sub and audio equipment completely under the floor, I realistically don't have any issues with my sub and sub box in the rear cargo area. Currently everything for wiring and amps are already tucked away underneath. The one thing I hate is that the plastic "tub" is a HUGE waste of space as a false floor. It is literally an elevated plastic spacer that has a small compartment for the jack hardware. I love the "wet trunk" replacement tub, but that really does not utilize the cargo space to its' fullest. Plus it is stupid expensive from the dealer.

I am pretty handy and admittedly a bit neurotic and anal retentive. I like things a certain way and I like to do them myself. I figured this winter i will start building a false floor (I will call it FF-1). I want to accomplish 3 things:

1. A space to house my current audio electronics. They are currently in the "tub" underneath the false floor. I want to access it easily.
2. A space to house the jack. I like it there and want easy access.
3. Storage compartment.

I want to have easy access to all 3 spaces. I don't adjust the amps very much but I do want access. Currently if i have to adjust anything, i have to unbolt the plastic floor (4 bolts) and remove. I want to easily flip open a cover. I also want to be able to access the rear compartment area without having to move the sub. Since the sub is against the seat, I do have room. I also want to make it secure, rattle free and as light as possible. For securing, I will utilize the stock bolt location that the plastic floor utilizes. They are there so why not. For rattle free, I will use proper materials in between the covers and frame.

That led me to work my MS Paint magic at lunch today:

This is a mock-up of the idea.


This is a mock-up of the wood frame sections.


Similar to 4thmeal with the angled centerpiece as shown:


For the amp compartment, I already have my electronics layed out on a board. Here is what the current set-up looks like:


I wil still keep the MLV and CCF as it is and lay the floor down over that. The frame work for the amp and jack compartments will really just be frame and floor - no sides. Only the storage compartment will be an enclosed area.

The jack hardware will be moved to the center. The large cargo area I may do something fancy like a carbon fiber compartment. My father in law is a CF wizard and builds stuff. he has a ton of CF sheets and rolls including all of the CF resins. I may do a CF box and then underlay it into the frame and really clean up the look with nice carpeting. I would only do this in the cargo area so I can have an enclosed rectangle tub as opposed to making a square section out of wood.

Here is a theoretical area of the compartment door.


So that is the plan. I need to start figuring out the materials and run some CF costs around. It will be a winter project so I will update progress as it happens.[*]
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So I had some time today and I started looking at getting the materials needed for the project. I had planned to go back to the dealer today (day off) to get new wipers installed. While I was there I ran into the sales person that sold me the vehicle. For the hell of it, I asked him to look up the Wet Trunk tub that comes in the Cargo package. I REALLY wanted it but could never find the part # or price. This replaces the black "tub" that is bolted under the floor. Actually it is the floor…

In any case we walked over to the parts window. The guy looked it up and he verified the part numbers. He then printed out the cost. Now keep in mind that the base square, cargo cover/handle and the jack cover all come separate.

Ready?....

$590 for everything retail cost. :censor:

My man blinked, asked if it was correct and shook his head. Astonished. We were both dumbfounded. He then tells me that if I order the base, he will "get me the rest" from a returned vehicle next week. My sales always guy always hooks me up.

So I ordered it. Less than $150 (his cost) all said and done for just the base. I am picking up the base Friday. He will "acquire" the covers and pieces.

The awesome thing about the cargo trunk is that the thing bolts right in, is factory, looks great as the plastic is molded to look like leather (as opposed to flat plastic), is lockable and the jack compartment has a solid plastic cover - not the cheapo cardboard.

So now I decided that since my amps are currently located where the "wet trunk" jack compartment is, I will remove the compartment and use the cover as my access panel for the amps. That meant that I needed to relocate my jack.. Out came the dremel…

I hacked up the stock tub and removed the molded section that houses the jack - with the buckle. I mounted it to the right cargo bin in the rear:



Now I am ready to cut a few holes in the new "wet tub" for wiring and bolt it down. All for less than $150. Not a bad deal. It would have cost me about $50 in materials to make something plus a ridiculous amount of time. Pics as I go….
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Nope nothing tricky. I took some time to dremel out the jack "tub" from the false floor. Smoothed out all of the edges and cut one end off completely. I rested the cut end down on the floor so that the weight of the assembly would not need to be supported by screws. Then fitted the whole assembly in the compartment and tinkered with the fit. Then drilled and installed screws in select locations to actually grab metal. It actually fit perfect in there. I can get the jack in and out with ease.

Once I get the new wet trunk false floor, I will dremel out the jack tub to make it completely open under that cargo hatch cover. That will allow all the access to my wiring, amps, fuses etc.
Just called and the base is in. Pics tomorrow..
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The wet trunk base is in!. I picked it up Friday night.

Here is the unit. One cool thing about it is that it is textured to look like leather. Not the smooth cheap looking plastic like the stock one:


Here is the current look of the cargo. The plan is to store all of the items underneath (except the sub).


Here is the stock false floor bolted in. Look at all that wasted space! Easily removable with the 4 bolts.


Here is some in-process cutting of the new floor. Since I relocated the jack to the side compartment, I cut out the jack bin and smoothed everything out. These were just rough cuts that I later cleaned up.


One opening on each side for RCA. Again rough cut before cleaning up:


Another picture of the power set-up. This was not touched and was perfect as is.


Here is the floor all set-up nice and tight. Easy access to everything.




A quick view of the sub wiring opening and ground area. Note the texture of the plastic.


That was it. A very easy install and I can fit everything in the bin. It took a couple of hours to do and fits perfectly. On Monday I will get the 2 covers and this will be completed.
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I seriously thought about moving the amps and other stuff and not hacking up the bin. But it would be a weekend project to do that. So cutting out the jack area and making it look clean was a better option. Plus once the cover goes on, it looks complete.

The wet trunk area and the jack compartment is seperated by the cross section. Probably to maintain some strength. The entire floor is literally compartments so a center cross section is needed. The wet trunk compartment itself is angled from shallow to deep to fit into the battery area and does not have a cross section. Think of an inground pool with a slope from shallow to deep.

It is the exact same height as the stock one. The floor cargo covers are recessed into the floor so everything will sit flush. Even the lock are is recessed. Pretty cool. Can't wait to get the covers.
I do have a cooling fan located in between the 2 units (see green arrow). Mostly to circulate air into and out of the area. I do have a couple of cut-outs on the sides and in the back to create air flow. There is a good amount of area around the units for air movement. The 2 amps really don't get more than warm while playing full on.



I also just installed a 12V DC power plug (cigarette lighter plug) into the rear cargo area. Pretty simple but just wanted the ability to have usable power in the cargo area. Tied it in nicely to the Ground d-block and +12v fuse box. I'll post up a pic once I install the covers later today.
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Here are some pics of the additional power installation. Just put in the new fuse and tested. Works perfectly.





I am still waiting for the 2 covers from my hook-up at the dealer.
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Yep $550 sounds the same as what I was quoted. I finally talked to my sales guy at the dealer. He said this Thursday he has them coming in. I will be picking up the two covers finally. I took a few weeks for him to get them in, but for free I am not complaining one bit.
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I finally got the 2 covers tonight. My man came through! Now it is finally done:



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I am totally stoked to finally have it done. Plus only shelling out $150 for a $600 item makes me feel even better. Now everything is done and my dog is no longer "sinking" with the open hole. She sits in the back and was sinking into the area. The rug and cargo mat would eventually sag into that spot. Now she has a complete floor again.

The best thing is all of my crap is housed in the storage unit and I can get to all of the amps/wiring/fuses without having to remove the entire tub. Makes life easy.
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