Replacement storage tray/shelf

[bsevans5]

Sounds like a short barrel AR15.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a secret storage space for one? Crew cab trucks have those storage thigs and secure locking boxes you can mount under the back seat. The expedition doesnt have anything like that, so i dreamed up an idea to hollow out the storage tray in the back or if there was a clean way to make a hatch for access at the back to behind that plastic on the sides on the cargo area...oh the fun one could have...

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Console vault makes these for the console: http://www.consolevault.com/ford-expedition-with-sync-system-2009-2011.html

The 17 has this space that could be removed and a customized tray installed with a locking cover that the tray /shelf could cover.

 

[bsevans5]

Console vault makes these for the console: http://www.consolevault.com/ford-expedition-with-sync-system-2009-2011.html

The 17 has this space that could be removed and a customized tray installed with a locking cover that the tray /shelf could cover.

View attachment 21486 View attachment 21487 View attachment 21488

That picture is what i was referring to in the title of the thread. Im wondering if anyone know where i could find a spare one of those so i can work a mock-up before i just chop up the one currently in my vehicle.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

3rd row cup holders have a lot of space underneath when you remove the cup holder makes a great place to stash important items.

lol. Is this for the drive back from Colorado?

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

I honestly think you are going to have a hard time finding one if you can't find one in a junk yard.

New the are $731.97 from here: http://www.fordparts.com/Commerce/CatalogResults.aspx?y=2010&m=Ford&mo=Expedition#Search

Here's my suggestion for what it's worth. Remove the tray underneath the cargo cover and have someone build a 1/8" thick steel box with a locking cover that fits that space and have it customized for what ever you want to carry and bolt it to the floor so it can't be easily removed and leave the cargo cover alone to hide what's underneath.

 

[Adieu]

Console vault makes these for the console: http://www.consolevault.com/ford-expedition-with-sync-system-2009-2011.html

The 17 has this space that could be removed and a customized tray installed with a locking cover that the tray /shelf could cover.

View attachment 21486 View attachment 21487 View attachment 21488

Im pretty sure they all have em, my '09 has the cavity as well (missing the plastic tray inside though, just bare painted metal down there

 

[taatt2girl]

Did you try carpart? That's all the inventory the salvage yards have. Or local junkyard also , maybe you can piece something together!

 

[taatt2girl]

Did you try carpart? That's all the inventory the salvage yards have. Or local junkyard also , maybe you can piece something together!

 

[Plati]

Slightly off topic but related. I pulled most of the seats out and built a platform in my 2014 EL. A bit crude but functional. Strong metal brackets bolt into original seat threaded holes to fasten down. Use platform as bed and have removable panels to get to storage areas for long duration camping trips. Carpet makes it look stock from outside windows looking in. Raised that platform up about 4" up from stock, so ton of storage for emergency supplies/tools in the jack area & still easy to get to from rear hatch. Eleven inches height storage underneath platform behind driver seat - just right for 3 milk crates side by side that I can slide in or out. When you take all that crap out like the storage tray mentioned there is a lot more useable space. A few discreet locations for secure storage of valuables. I like sleeping in my truck better than a tent in Grizzly country and can also coyote camp anywhere even on a city street if exhausted. One handy "hiding place" is under the jump seat in back. Use motor to pivot seat down forward and place <un-named possession> there then pivot back up. If some scumbag does a smash&grab at a trailhead, probably not going to take time to get down there ... don't think motor will operate unless truck legitimately unlocked & I can unplug motor also for another layer of security. Like that console vault a LOT, going to get one of those! Want to add solar panels on roof/batteries and DC powered cooler ... if anyone can point me to plans for that PLEASE DO

 

[bsevans5]

When i got my expedition we discovered it had a bug infestation (long story...lots of drama). Due all the stuff that went down, i l3arned a lot about all the space because i had to pull panels and all the seats out up to the driver and front passenger. If i didnt need all the seats, a lot could be done there...but if i didnt need 7 seatbelts, I'd still have my f-150...

 

[USMCBuckWild]

You are trying WAY too hard bro.

It sounds complicated, but believe me it is not:

Take that entire plastic tray out. Once out, take some of the drawer liner that you use in kitchen drawers or toolbox drawers (1/16-1/8" thick foamy-rubber stuff). Lay that in the bottom and around the sides. Now use some heavy duty aluminum foil and line the area you want to be your "storage area" ensuring you use the foil to hold the drawer liner in place. If you want to put a lock or hasp, you need to add a reinforcement for it to lock to. I have used a piece of metal plate, others have used wood; whatever floats your boat. Wrap whatever it is in 2 layers of the drawer liner and put it in place. Ensure this goes UNDER the aluminum foil so it makes room for it to be mounted in the fiberglass. Now use some newspaper and masking tape to mask off the surrounding area really well. There is a spray on fiberglass resin (can't remember the name of it) and spray the aluminum foil with it. Let it dry and apply 3 coats. You just made a mold.

Now, remove the masking and then the mold. You can now use the resin reinforced aluminum foil to make an insert. BE CAREFUL! The foil/resin mold is a bit brittle without fiberglass matting to reinforce it.

Get enough fiberglass matting and 2 part resin to cover the entire mold with 2 layers. Do some dry fitting of your matting pieces so you are prepared. Spray the aluminum foil with some Pam or other cooking spray (enough to coat it, but not too much! Too little and the product may stick to the aluminum foil), prep your matting with the epoxy resin, and lay it over the mold. While the matting and resin is still wet, place your lock/hasp support in place and wrap the wet matting in it. This will ensure it is encompassed inside the fiberglass and will be stronger. Let it dry. Apply a 2nd coating of fiberglass matting and resin covering the entire outside of the first layer. Let it dry.

I recommend letting it dry at least 24 hrs. Then, flip it over and and peel out the foil mold. Now you can apply another coat or 2 of matting and resin to the i side if you so choose for more strength. Once its all dry you start fitting it. This requires some patience as you will need to trim and fit and trim and sand and fit and sand until it fits in snugly and how you want it. Once it is fitted, you can line it with automotive/marine carpeting, foam, etc and prep it for your "projectile emitting device(s)". Some people use bondo or wood filler to smooth it out. Up to you.

You can make a lid and attach it with a piano hinge, or use the package tray as a lid. Up to you as to how to do the lock/hasp.

In all honesty, allot yourself a week to get this done. Maybe longer. I would make some smaller molds of simple stuff to boost your confidence and ablilities. Smaller projects are actually more difficult, so don't get discouraged. Plenty of youtube vids out there to provide better instruction. Probably should have just linked one, but since I already wrota all this; you can suffer through reading it!

 

[bsevans5]

You are trying WAY too hard bro.

It sounds complicated, but believe me it is not:

Take that entire plastic tray out. Once out, take some of the drawer liner that you use in kitchen drawers or toolbox drawers (1/16-1/8" thick foamy-rubber stuff). Lay that in the bottom and around the sides. Now use some heavy duty aluminum foil and line the area you want to be your "storage area" ensuring you use the foil to hold the drawer liner in place. If you want to put a lock or hasp, you need to add a reinforcement for it to lock to. I have used a piece of metal plate, others have used wood; whatever floats your boat. Wrap whatever it is in 2 layers of the drawer liner and put it in place. Ensure this goes UNDER the aluminum foil so it makes room for it to be mounted in the fiberglass. Now use some newspaper and masking tape to mask off the surrounding area really well. There is a spray on fiberglass resin (can't remember the name of it) and spray the aluminum foil with it. Let it dry and apply 3 coats. You just made a mold.

Now, remove the masking and then the mold. You can now use the resin reinforced aluminum foil to make an insert. BE CAREFUL! The foil/resin mold is a bit brittle without fiberglass matting to reinforce it.

Get enough fiberglass matting and 2 part resin to cover the entire mold with 2 layers. Do some dry fitting of your matting pieces so you are prepared. Spray the aluminum foil with some Pam or other cooking spray (enough to coat it, but not too much! Too little and the product may stick to the aluminum foil), prep your matting with the epoxy resin, and lay it over the mold. While the matting and resin is still wet, place your lock/hasp support in place and wrap the wet matting in it. This will ensure it is encompassed inside the fiberglass and will be stronger. Let it dry. Apply a 2nd coating of fiberglass matting and resin covering the entire outside of the first layer. Let it dry.

I recommend letting it dry at least 24 hrs. Then, flip it over and and peel out the foil mold. Now you can apply another coat or 2 of matting and resin to the i side if you so choose for more strength. Once its all dry you start fitting it. This requires some patience as you will need to trim and fit and trim and sand and fit and sand until it fits in snugly and how you want it. Once it is fitted, you can line it with automotive/marine carpeting, foam, etc and prep it for your "projectile emitting device(s)". Some people use bondo or wood filler to smooth it out. Up to you.

You can make a lid and attach it with a piano hinge, or use the package tray as a lid. Up to you as to how to do the lock/hasp.

In all honesty, allot yourself a week to get this done. Maybe longer. I would make some smaller molds of simple stuff to boost your confidence and ablilities. Smaller projects are actually more difficult, so don't get discouraged. Plenty of youtube vids out there to provide better instruction. Probably should have just linked one, but since I already wrota all this; you can suffer through reading it!

Cool idea. Thanks for offering the suggestion! Sounds like quite the project, but pretty neat

 

[USMCBuckWild]

Cool idea. Thanks for offering the suggestion! Sounds like quite the project, but pretty neat

It is a time consuming project, but really not all that difficult. 90% of it is done OUTSIDE the vehicle, which means you can drive it while working on it. It sounds intimidating, but isn't a very hard project. If you have the mechanical ability to change your own brakes, you can do this. Plus, over all investment (besides time) is around $100 (spray resin, drawer mat, aluminum foil, resin and mat) if you have a razor knife and some sandpaper at the house. No power tools required.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Personally, I'd have a steel box made out of heavy gauge steel with a locking cover. Bolt it to the floor, put a foam insert in it and cut it to fit your personal protection device and a couple of projectile carriers and maybe a couple of extra boxes of projectiles. Let the existing shelf cover it and it would be both secure and hidden, and probably somebody already makes one.

 

[bobmbx]

My first advice is to get a plan for the whole job, then do pencil drawings. Otherwise.....you'll end up with:


Ugly as hell, but functional as all-get-out. Complete with gun ports. Just in case, right?

This would be perfect for me, but its a custom build. I have the sads.



This is my next toy purchase for the Exp.



pssst....a tool you can't reach when you need it is useless.

 

[bsevans5]

My first advice is to get a plan for the whole job, then do pencil drawings. Otherwise.....you'll end up with:
View attachment 21564

Ugly as hell, but functional as all-get-out. Complete with gun ports. Just in case, right?

This would be perfect for me, but its a custom build. I have the sads.

View attachment 21565

This is my next toy purchase for the Exp.

View attachment 21566

pssst....a tool you can't reach when you need it is useless.

That guy in the first picture looks to have a lot of diamond plate experience now...maybe i should commission him to build me a box

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

@bsevans5 this company might have something that will work or they can build something custom even in the side panel area. Check out their website.

http://www.truckvault.com/index.php

 

[bsevans5]

@bsevans5 this company might have something that will work or they can build something custom even in the side panel area. Check out their website.

http://www.truckvault.com/index.php

Ive seen their stuff before. Those are the guys i was referring to early in the thread that make stuff but a lot of it sits above what is alreadt there and takes up precious cargo area. They are also cost prohibitive. With all the suvs out there i am surprised there isnt an affordable product out there like the duha storage thing that goes under the back seat in crew cab trucks

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Ive seen their stuff before. Those are the guys i was referring to early in the thread that make stuff but a lot of it sits above what is alreadt there and takes up precious cargo area. They are also cost prohibitive. With all the suvs out there i am surprised there isnt an affordable product out there like the duha storage thing that goes under the back seat in crew cab trucks

I'd be they could make a top opening box that would fit in that space and be covered by the shelf making it all but invisible. You have to contact them for pricing so I didn't have an idea of the of the cost. I'll keep looking around there has to be something. There might be one of those hard side rifle cases that could fit in that spot. I know the blue soft side one that I have for my AR15 would fit the opening if I removed the black tray.

 

[USMCBuckWild]

Well, maybe i'll take some measurements and see if I can mock something up. That plastic tray isn't big enough for the stuff I typically keep in it.