photoleif

i was getting tired of the standard console's lack of storage space and lack of cup holders, so a couple years back i made a nalgene-size cupholder that replaced the standard gray plastic junk-cup. that sufficed for a while, but without space for two nalgene bottles, that setup became frustrating for my passengers, so i pulled out the old console and built a new one using the 3/4" ply left over from my sleeping platform. i built it a bit taller than stock, and also expanded it back to the jumpseat support box to make room for the nalgene holders and more stuff.

the hardest part was getting the holes accurately bored in the wood so i could use the stock screw taps (i used a piece of paper pressed into the holes to create a template, and also drew on the underside of the wood through two of the holes from underneath the truck -- they are open to the outside). well, dealing with the vinyl was really challenging too...see below.

on with the pics!


it's covered with cloth vinyl that's both glued down and also held down by the screws and panels. the lid is padded underneath the vinyl with a few layers of felt that i had on hand, and additionally to gluing it, i nailed it down with a couple rows of tiny decorative brass brads so it can't peel back. the latch is a flush-mount, spring loaded ball-latch i got at a local hardware store (for those of you in the boulder area...mcguckin).


space for two 1-liter nalgenes. the first attempt to put cloth vinyl in the nalgene holders resulted in wholesale failure of the glue due to the friction of placing and removing the bottles, so i had home depot dye some white paint-on vinyl to match a medium-gray and used that instead to build up some thickness. the color isn't a perfect match, but it's good enough. if you're going to try this, be sure to cut out the holes so that with the liquid vinyl built-up layers, they match the size of your bottle, or you'll have to rip it all out, file the wood down a bit, and re-vinyl it. (don't ask me how i know...)


the interior space is cavernous. the rear half has room for about 35 topos. the front has enough room to put an entire shoebox full of random stuff in. i've got tubes of sunscreen, bug repellant, hand lotion and fast orange, a compact umbrella, a baggie of random bolts and screws, a roll of TP, the owner's manual and some random maps and forms, a bottle of IB, a bag of zip-ties, a seattle sombrero, a couple bandanas, the gps, a digital voltmeter... the list goes fricking on and on.

if you're going to try this mod, good luck with the cloth vinyl. getting it stuck to the wood isn't the hard part: it's dealing with the weird crimps and oddball angles, and it's really worth doing a dry run (w/o glue and much cutting) before you commit. after i finally got all that together, i actually got out needle and thread and sewed a couple seams tighter. if i were going to do this again, i would also paint the wood gray or black right where i expected every seam to be, so that when i put the vinyl on, the small gaps wouldn't look bad. i'm also going to put another screw further back -- right now it just uses the four standard bolt holes but it's a bit wobbly just like the stock console. grr.

finally, i used cardboard to map the curve of the body under the console, since it's not exactly straight due to how the body is molded. i drew the diagram below as if it were, but in reality my truck deviates from straight by about ¼ inch over the length of it, mostly near the aft, however it's easier to compensate for than i expected...so don't let that deter you.

Sonofmayhem

Nice, wanna make me one? or put up a schematic? im looking for the exact thing.

1985 4Runner

very innovative mod, I like it, great job

photoleif

thanks. i didn't diagram it out when i did it... i just designed as i went. however here are the dims and a quick drawing i just did.

rocket

iTrader: (1)

Nice console! Your innovative work always looks great.

reggie 00

very nice, going to bookmark for future ref. Already got the platform marked.

Do you have any prob with the bottles tipping side to side around a corner?

91SASRunner

Nice mod!! Wish I could do the same, but I have a heater core under mine (4Runner with rear heater).

photoleif

thanks guys. i appreciate your compliments.

reggie, i have no problem whatsoever with tipping, even when i'm pitching back and forth on an off-camber, rough trail. the holes are tight enough that for the nalgenes to come out you have to lift them straight up. before i screwed everything down, i wanted to see how they would do at extreme angles, so i put in a full drink and shook it at odd angles. even at 150° they didn't tip... and if you're at that angle you have bigger things to worry about ;-) the other part of the reason they're so grippy is the paint-on vinyl. so long as it's not horribly dusty, it's quite sticky. if you do make something like this, just cut the holes a bit bigger than you need, then line them with this paint-on vinyl, and nothing's going anywhere.

art

Great job!!! Someday I'll get time to build one of those.

photoleif

compared to the sleeping platform, this was cake. count on 5-6 hours of actual work, with a couple more of twiddling and planning.