Isuzu Dmax build - now adding aux battery behind rear seat
- Thread starter Specky
- Start date
Have sent some queries off to local aluminium fabricators to get quotes to make the wings for the drawers in aluminium, waiting on a reply for days now!! Downside of living in a remote-ish part of Australia!
In the mean time, removed the rear seat to start making up the new tray for the aux battery. All 47kg of it. Measurements taken, will be using 20mmx3mm steel for the cradle and utilise the existing mounting bolts for the seats, which are solidly reinforced underneath.
Ordered some new LED strip lights for the canopy and the annex off the side, and some dynamat soundproofing to cover the rear wall as I'll have to cut some of the plastic paneling to re-install it - amazing how much noise is transmitted through there!
On the passenger side rear wall i'm going to mount a Redarc DC-DC charger that has a MPPT solar regulator built in, fuse boxes for main and auxiliary feeds, relays for work lights on the sides and rear of the vehicle, and if i can shoe-horn an air compressor in there, that'll go there too!
Finally checked if my big esky fits in too. It’s tight, but it fits! I usually run an Engel fridge camping, but if its a hunting trip we put whatever meat we've harvested in the esky to keep the fridge clean and lower current draw.
In the mean time, removed the rear seat to start making up the new tray for the aux battery. All 47kg of it. Measurements taken, will be using 20mmx3mm steel for the cradle and utilise the existing mounting bolts for the seats, which are solidly reinforced underneath.
Ordered some new LED strip lights for the canopy and the annex off the side, and some dynamat soundproofing to cover the rear wall as I'll have to cut some of the plastic paneling to re-install it - amazing how much noise is transmitted through there!
On the passenger side rear wall i'm going to mount a Redarc DC-DC charger that has a MPPT solar regulator built in, fuse boxes for main and auxiliary feeds, relays for work lights on the sides and rear of the vehicle, and if i can shoe-horn an air compressor in there, that'll go there too!
Finally checked if my big esky fits in too. It’s tight, but it fits! I usually run an Engel fridge camping, but if its a hunting trip we put whatever meat we've harvested in the esky to keep the fridge clean and lower current draw.
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Last edited:
Bit more on the battery tray
mounts are made from 40x40x3mm right angle cut to a flat bar, etched with the grinder then bent to 45 degrees and welded
mounts are made from 40x40x3mm right angle cut to a flat bar, etched with the grinder then bent to 45 degrees and welded
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Met up with an awesome aluminium fabricator today who made up the side wings for the front of the drawer system, and bent up a sheet of 3mm marine ally for the rear panel - mounting a DC-DC charger, 4 relays, 2 fuse boxes, 6 midi fuses and 2 circuit breakers on it so I wanted something stronger than the plastic trim.
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Progress pics. Battery tray is in, rear seat re-installed. Wings are on the drawers and water tap installed. New switch panel for driving lights and electric brake controller wired up
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Installed the electrics panel behind the seat, and ran the cabling from the main battery to the charger but haven’t connected the fuse yet so it’s not powered. Yet!
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Thon
New member
Great work - thanks for detailing it so well. I've recently bought a 2018 Utah over here in the UK and am intending to do something similar in the pick-up bed (also have a canopy fitted). One question I have is how did you secure the drawer unit - maybe I missed it but I couldn't see how they were fastened down. I'm anticipating that it'll need bolting down through the floor, although I have been considering picking-up on the existing tie-down positions with some additional steel fabrication.
Hey mate, i've built some M8 timber nuts into the carcass of the drawer system, two on each side, at the front and rear of the drawers. The Dmax has M8 threaded holes in the tray, so ive used them and installed some eye bolts, with turnbuckles holding the system in place. It doesnt move far due to the weight of the drawers anyway, but in 5,000km including on very rough tracks it hasnt moved at all.
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Thon
New member
Thanks for the photos - mine came with a bedliner so I haven't yet checked underneath. I made the assumption that the existing tie-down brackets were the only ones available but they're not really in particularly handy locations. Once the filthy weather has finished here i'll get underneath it and have a proper look. Many thanks and keep up the mods !