Bigreen505's Trooper Mod tread

ZooJunkie said:

I hope this gives some ideas. :costumed-smiley-007

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It does, it also makes me rethink drawers vs. cases concept for my needs. I think if I go with drawers, they need to be completely removable. As a DD, I need the space under the platform, not tools and such. Being able to load skis on top and gear underneath is a huge deal.

How tall is the top of the platform from the carpet, and if you don't mind, please send a picture of someone sleeping in the back -- I'm still not quite getting it.

Bill, great idea. Can't wait to see it finished. And yes, I agree with ZooJunkie about being able to sleep in the back of the Trooper with rear seat backs folded only, and the platform going over the rear seat-backs it can be done. That is my plan anyway. I am 6' tall and with the rear seats completely folded I do have to sleep on the diagonal, but if only the rear seat backs are folded you gain an extra 18" or so of space. Also, in terms of your cargo I think you are right on the money with what you want to store. Now, I would not recommend storing your Hi-Lift back there for ease of getting to it, that and those suckers are a bit on the heavy side, and should probably be stored on the outside of the vehicle somewhere, or at least secured in an easy to access area inside the cabin of the truck. Also, don't forget to add to your list of gear extra fluids (oil, tranny, gear oil, etc) and some spare parts (belts, hoses, etc.). Just my $.02.

I have been following your post for a while. A lot of your ideas are similar to mine. My last, last, last, vehicle (79 K5) I had built a wooden deck out of 3/4 ply. Used a large Rubber made container. Then it has two other cubbies for tool box and other gear. It worked well enough. It was swapped into K5 2 for a short wile but that truck ran no roof so the wood wasn't working. Went back in the 79 till we sold it and now it resides in our Suburban.

My problem is 2 dogs. I acquired a Drawer from a service vehicle and made a box for it out of aluminum trying to be miserly on weight and make it just tall enough to handle the drawer.. What I am finding is I can't easily brace the top to support the weight in the center. I have a couple pieces of aluminum angle under there and it just isn't going to cut it with my 200lb frame and another 90'b if the wife is with me. So I will be building a new top out of 1/2 inch ply (unless I can find water proof material that doesn't weigh a metric ton) that will bolt to the existing top. That will give the strength I need. Then put a extension leaf over the folded rear seats like they did in the link you provided.
There is a trick on 4Runners of sinking a storage box into the floor right behind the back seat. With the 2 inch body lift I plan to put on it works out to be quite a large box t 13x30x8 http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=291387&highlight=floor+box+4runner With a flip up lid on the deck and the drawer open I could gain access to a floor box. Store fluids and axle shafts down there low for CG and mess issue. Also it would be pretty well hidden for stuff like cameras and laptops.

datrupr said:

Bill, great idea. Can't wait to see it finished.

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Thanks, ZooJunkie certainly accelerated the process with those pictures, and the two of you convincing me that is is possible sleep in it. I had never really thought about the way you are doing it. What do you use for a mattress?

I think I will go ahead and build it out of wood, at least as a prototype, and probably use some sort of cases or bins in the short term. I will figure out drawers (how many, what size) when I have a better feel for what and how I want to carry. I can worry about dealing with composite panels to keep the weight down after the design is finalized and has a year or so of testing and refinement. Or the next time we start to experiment with resin infusion. :hehe:

And yes, I agree with ZooJunkie about being able to sleep in the back of the Trooper with rear seat backs folded only, and the platform going over the rear seat-backs it can be done. That is my plan anyway.

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What, if anything, do you do about the gap between the platform and the rear seats. I toyed with the ideal of having a second part of the platform that would go in place of the rear seats, but taking them out is not really practical for shorter trips and for longer trips at least the small side will be used.

Now, I would not recommend storing your Hi-Lift back there for ease of getting to it, that and those suckers are a bit on the heavy side, and should probably be stored on the outside of the vehicle somewhere, or at least secured in an easy to access area inside the cabin of the truck. Also, don't forget to add to your list of gear extra fluids (oil, tranny, gear oil, etc) and some spare parts (belts, hoses, etc.). Just my $.02.

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Long term the jack will be outside on a rack or bumper. Short term it will be somehow attached to the platform across the cargo area near the door; hence the 48" jack instead of the 60". I also am not sure if quick fists are strong enough, but I assume they are.

I meant to add a serpentine belt and probably a quart of motor oil. Tranny oil and gear oil I had not thought about about. How much of each would you recommend? What hoses do you recommend? Upper and lower radiator? What about a shovel and axe, are these really necessary, and if so, could they be clipped under the platform?

Thanks guys, you are a huge help!

bigreen505 said:

What do you use for a mattress?

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Right now I do not have a platform, it is in the design phases at teh moment, so I am not sure what I am going to use as a mattress. Any ideas will be welcome though.

bigreen505 said:

What, if anything, do you do about the gap between the platform and the rear seats. I toyed with the ideal of having a second part of the platform that would go in place of the rear seats, but taking them out is not really practical for shorter trips and for longer trips at least the small side will be used.

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My plan is to have a hinged section that will fold over the platform when I need to use the rear seats, and fold over the seat-backs when I need a sleeping area. Does that make any sense?

bigreen505 said:

Long term the jack will be outside on a rack or bumper. Short term it will be somehow attached to the platform across the cargo area near the door; hence the 48" jack instead of the 60". I also am not sure if quick fists are strong enough, but I assume they are.

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Gotcha. I think you will be ok with this plan. Also, I think the quick fists will work just fine, but incase of a roll over they may not hold and you could have a Hi-Lift flying around inside your truck.

bigreen505 said:

I meant to add a serpentine belt and probably a quart of motor oil. Tranny oil and gear oil I had not thought about about. How much of each would you recommend? What hoses do you recommend? Upper and lower radiator? What about a shovel and axe, are these really necessary, and if so, could they be clipped under the platform?

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I would take more than just one quart of oil. Have enough on hand to perform an oil change if needed, along with a spare filter. Same for the tranny fluid and gear/diff oil. Carry a couple spare rad. hoses. A shovel and axe can come in very handy when you really need em. Now, they may not get used often, but good to have when you do need one. Also, consider taking along a spare air filter and a set of plugs. If stored right this stuff should not take up too much space. I hope some of this helps Bill.

Bigreen505 said:

Thanks, ZooJunkie certainly accelerated the process with those pictures, and the two of you convincing me that is is possible sleep in it. I had never really thought about the way you are doing it. What do you use for a mattress?

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I've been using two mattresses, a cheap high density blue foam pad and a newly aquired Thermarest Basecamp regular and a large. Both will fit nicely in side the Zoo. the blue foam is on the bottom and the Thermarest is on top. The overall system is compact and light.

bigreen505 said:

What, if anything, do you do about the gap between the platform and the rear seats. I toyed with the ideal of having a second part of the platform that would go in place of the rear seats, but taking them out is not really practical for shorter trips and for longer trips at least the small side will be used.

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The gap between the front seats and the folded rear seats is spanned by a really easy system. I use a bed sheet draped over the head rests and tucked underneath the head rest on the other side. This only supports the weight of your feet and partial leg, and holds up quite nicely. I'll show some pics when the Trooper comes back. The wife took it!

The reaso I chose a drawer system vs. using pre-made plastic tubs is that I want to utilize every inch of space. With the plastic tubes, you're not maximizing the use of space as effectively as building a drawer into your sleeping platform. If you look closer, the left side of the box the drawer is larger than the right side. This was done to provide a larger space for other items that would not fit in the smaller compartment, and also will allow me to pull the left drawer completely out w/o having to open the small ambulance door on the right.

So as promised, my sleeping system in my Zoo. It's not complete, please pardon the dust! I wanted a cheap and quick sleeping system to entice my wife to go camping with me. So having this in the Zoo is incentive for her to join me on my next trip. My next purchase will probably be a Thule box for the roof.

This system works better in tandem with a Thule/Yakima sports box to carry all your clothes and gear within easy reach.
Here's the gap with the front seats fully forward and the back support as upright as possible. Again, with the front seats fully forward, you can fit a 6'-6'2 person in there.


Here are the seats fully covered with my bed sheet.


Tucked on the other side under the head rest.


Full length


From the head rest


And here's the sleeping position, with my legs in the pic


Finally, the front of the car as seen from the outside.


Next on my list will be carpet, drawer, and waterproofing.

The dimensions of my box:
top sleeping platform: 37 x 52 1/2 inches
height of the 2 side and middle support walls: 10 7/8 inches
left side box: 37 x 21 1/8 x 10 7/8
right side box: 37 x 17 x 10 7/8

Thanks! Great pictures and great information! Is everything 3/4" ply?

No, 3/4 ply is too heavy. I only used 5/8 sheets, I was considering 1/2 sheets but that was a bit too flimsy for me.

ZooJunkie - I've got a Thule box, and it is great for road trips - it would probably work well for general camping, too.

BigGreen - I've been contemplating the storage problem, too. With a big dog, I want to have a lot of floor space in the back. I've been trying to figure out a way to divide up part of the cargo area for the dog, and part for equipment/storage - likea way to do it vertically, instead of horizontally.

The only thing I am worried about doing an elevated floor is the height issue - if the dog could get in (I already have to lift her most of the time), and making sure that she isn't on a platform high enough that she would go flying if I had to hit the brakes hard.

I am curious to see what you settle on. Right now, I carry my recovery gear and a small tool bag in a soft-sided container in the cargo area, but something that is more secure and organized would be great.

bootzilla said:

The only thing I am worried about doing an elevated floor is the height issue - if the dog could get in (I already have to lift her most of the time), and making sure that she isn't on a platform high enough that she would go flying if I had to hit the brakes hard.

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I'm not too worried. Like I mentioned, my dogs are pretty small at 55-60 lb. each. The older one will be eight this November and after two torn ACL's, and two TTA surgeries to repair the damage), I don't really expect her to bounce up to a cargo platform. If she was a 110 lb. dog that would indeed change my plans.

Going by ZooJunkie's numbers, the platform is not too tall since the roof is so high. You could always put in some sort of dog barrier. I plan to have ample cargo tie downs on the platform and will just attach a doggie seatbelt.

bigreen505 said:

I plan to have ample cargo tie downs on the platform and will just attach a doggie seatbelt.

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Ah - now you're thinking.:jumping: I had to hit the brakes hard on vacation taking the dog to the beach - with nothing to hold her, she slid around - fortunately she was leaning agains the folded seatbacks, so she didn't really hit anything.

We were trying to figure out how to incorporate a doggie seatbelt with the seats folded - and that is a great idea (that solves the storage problem, too). It would make the project go over well with the Chairman of the Board, as well.

My dog sounds about the same size as yours - in the 60lb range. She is old and has had joint surgery, so I lift her into the car, although somedays she is pretty spry and will try to jump up if I don't catch her in time

I finally got the Trooper out for a short day trip today and have a few impressions, thoughts and photos.

First, the mod I mentioned earlier that I couldn't discuss at the time was a new engine. Had some initial issues, but it seems to be working now.

The trip was supposed to be a weekend long trip (Friday-Sunday) as a birthday getaway for me, but several issues got in the way. The only one that would be of any real amusement to the group is this: I replaced the battery, which was in my opinion substandard, with an older battery I had that still has plenty of life left (or so I thought before I put a meter on it) and the truck would not start. I was quite surprised, but shrugged it off and put the original battery back in. Still no go. Only after scratching my head for 20 minutes did I realize the battery contacts were too corroded to allow enough current to start the truck. They worked before I took out the old battery because they were corroded to the battery. A little sand paper and it fired right up, but the contacts are shot and will need to be replaced as soon as possible.

Thoughts in no particular order:

• 285/65-16 tires are way too big for the truck with stock gearing if any mountain highway travel is part of your life. Power, and resulting lack of gas mileage, is simply unacceptable for me. Even though I have enough tread to get through the winter, they will be replaced as soon as possible with 265's. If mountain highway travel is not a regular occurance for you, the combination of 285's and the OME lift is not all bad and the additional clearance is a real bonus.
  
• On road handling is truly awful.
  
• General off road performance is pretty darn good, even with the front stabilizer bar connected. I am running Rancho 9000x shocks with OME 919 springs rear and stock torsion bars. I wish the low-range was lower, but the smaller tires may help.
  
• The truck is pretty small, but you can cram in a lot of gear with some creative packing. I definitely need a cargo platform, but I think my plans have changed somewhat. I am going to go with drawers, but they need to be removable. That way I can keep necessary trip equipment in the drawers and then remove them when I need additional storage space, not expedition equipment. I think the refrigerator will go on the cargo deck as you see in a lot of 80 series Cruisers.
  
• It is important to introduce a baby to a tent slowly at home before going on a trip. If the little one is afraid of the tent and refuses to go in it, life can get a little difficult. Additionally, trying to convince said child that a hat and gloves will keep her warm when it is cold and snowing can be an impossible undertaking since children are generally immune to reason.
  
• Colorado is always beautiful, even if the weather throws you a major curve ball.
  
• Subalpine tundra may be more resilient than I thought. There were no signs of the damage caused by the historical vandals I mentioned in another thread, but I did find another camp fire circle in another part of the valley with partially burned boards from a mine building. :violent-smiley-031:
  
• It is amazing how many genuinely friendly people you can meet in a single day.
  
• Torsion bars may settle after you adjust them, and they may not settle the same amount. I mention this because one of mine settled nearly and inch while the other did not settle at all. On my Trooper I have 18.75" from the top of the stock "hub cap" to the bottom of the wheel flare on all wheels with an average load in the back. I think the front could go a little higher with the 285's as I got some rubbing in only slightly crossed axle driving, but is probably fine for 265's.
  
• As I have lamented before, the stock Isuzu headlights leave a lot to be desired. I replaced the bulbs with GE Nighthawks per Daniel Stern, and the improvement was minimal. I will be tackling wiring next as that will serve the dual purpose of more light now and getting the truck ready for e-code lights when I can find some at a reasonable price.
  
• There is little that watching goats can't cure, at least temporarily. I had the pleasure of watch a mother and her kid grazing away from a herd for several minutes before we had to go back. They were enjoying the snow and gobbling up the vegetation despite some people a couple hundred vertical feet below who were far more interesed in their shotguns. :gunt:
  
• In my case the line about a beautiful bouncing baby girl really applies. She enjoyed running around the valley for a while, but ultimately decided that being in the truck was far more fun and the more it bounced the more she laughed. She danced to the tunes courtesy of my iPod adding her own bounce to the trip.
  

Photos from the trip

The truck




Anyone know why I am looking into storage options? Anyone? Bueller? What you don't see here is the back seat, which contained

• my other dog, Mackenzie
• my sister
• my daughter with requsite gear (car seat, blanket, doll, two sippee cups, snack cup, diaper bag with clothes, toys, books and diapers)
• camera gear (which never saw daylight)
• tool box
• books (we expected plenty of lounging by the water)

And why we went there

Coolness! Your dog is adorable.

If you do not want a raised floor in the cargo area, perhaps a verticle storage system? Build a verticle storage system with the same width as the small ambulance door and all the way up to the roof of the truck? You'll have ample space to store most of your camp gear, and the other side for Mac and his toys.

something like this.