Another DIY Rear Platform(2Door)

[Garrett19]

Hey everyone, just wanted to share my current platform setup in my 2-door and get some feedback or ideas from anyone who’s tried something similar.

The goal from the start was to build a rear cargo platform that could stay in place while still allowing the rear seat to be installed and locked in. In my first version, the seat can latch in when folded up, but there isn’t quite enough clearance for the rear latches to engage when the seat is down. I think a bit more material needs to be trimmed, but I figured I'd post where I’m at in case others have run into the same thing — or are thinking about trying this.

Platform Overview:

• The platform is made from two identical halves, bolted into the factory tie-down points.
• On the 2-door model, I had to drill out the forward hole to access the nut behind it (same spot as 4-door model).
• I used a 3D scan of the rear cargo area, imported it into SolidWorks, and then had the parts cut by SendCutSend. I wanted more precision than I’d get by hand, since woodworking isn’t my strong suit.
• The two halves are joined together with four T-slot tracks, each secured with nine 6-32 bolts and T-nuts underneath.
• I sprayed it with rattle-can bed liner for a bit of durability and grip.
• I also made a sliding tray so my DeWalt drawer clears the fridge when it’s in the Jeep.

Next Steps:
I’m still working on getting the rear seat to fully lock in with the platform installed — that’s my main hurdle. If anyone’s tackled this or has ideas, I’d love to hear them.

I think the setup looks good overall, and it’s been a fun project. Happy to share the CAD files and a parts list if anyone wants to try something similar. Open to constructive feedback or suggestions — even if it’s just, “Here’s how I would’ve done it.”

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[Renrap]

I honestly never thought about this and I haven’t seen it done. I really like the idea of the seats being able to be put back with the platform in place. Maybe thinner wood as an attached base with a secondary piece that attaches after the seats are out? That way you won’t have those gaps in between your current pieces of wood. I’m interested in following this build!

 

[JPAloha]

Looks decent. If the rear seat latch has an interference issue, I’d try running a router bit over the edges surrounding the latch - it may provide enough room for it to fully lock into position, if not you need to figure out if the size of the opening or the thickness of the wood is the issue (is it only an issue of clearance for the latch or is the seat bottom not able to go low enough to allow the latch to lock?

 

[Garrett19]

Hey again, I haven't been ignoring this thread but I wanted to try the suggestions before coming back.

I’d try running a router bit over the edges surrounding the latch

I thought this was a great idea so I went and got a 45 degree router bit and still did not have enough clearance so I decided to just cut out small chunks of wood until the latch fit. This ended up being a lot more cut out than I thought. I cut all the way to the second T-Track circled in the picture.

Maybe thinner wood as an attached base with a secondary piece that attaches after the seats are out?

This may be needed as well. After I got the latch to clear, the bottom of the seat pushes against the boards with a not insignificant amount of force. This is even after I moved the 2nd and 3rd T-Track rails out of the way. I have been considering doing this again with 1/8in aluminum but I am worried about deflection in the middle of the plate. Using aluminum as the base and adding wood in between the rails to maintain stiffness could work to solve this if needed.

I have now also done some deflection calculations on the original setup with a "Max Load" (250lb with extended drawer slide) giving about 375lb of force down into the front of the board and 125lb of force pulling the back up. Trying to see how little I could get away with adding to keep everything small. With this, I decided to add 3/4"x3/4"x1/8" angle aluminum to each end of the platform to further stiffen the middle. This shouldn't deflect more than 1/8" but I may have overestimated the properties of the aluminum I got so time will tell.

 

[3TV]

Hey everyone, just wanted to share my current platform setup in my 2-door and get some feedback or ideas from anyone who’s tried something similar.

The goal from the start was to build a rear cargo platform that could stay in place while still allowing the rear seat to be installed and locked in. In my first version, the seat can latch in when folded up, but there isn’t quite enough clearance for the rear latches to engage when the seat is down. I think a bit more material needs to be trimmed, but I figured I'd post where I’m at in case others have run into the same thing — or are thinking about trying this.

Platform Overview:

• The platform is made from two identical halves, bolted into the factory tie-down points.
• On the 2-door model, I had to drill out the forward hole to access the nut behind it (same spot as 4-door model).
• I used a 3D scan of the rear cargo area, imported it into SolidWorks, and then had the parts cut by SendCutSend. I wanted more precision than I’d get by hand, since woodworking isn’t my strong suit.
• The two halves are joined together with four T-slot tracks, each secured with nine 6-32 bolts and T-nuts underneath.
• I sprayed it with rattle-can bed liner for a bit of durability and grip.
• I also made a sliding tray so my DeWalt drawer clears the fridge when it’s in the Jeep.

Next Steps:
I’m still working on getting the rear seat to fully lock in with the platform installed — that’s my main hurdle. If anyone’s tackled this or has ideas, I’d love to hear them.

I think the setup looks good overall, and it’s been a fun project. Happy to share the CAD files and a parts list if anyone wants to try something similar. Open to constructive feedback or suggestions — even if it’s just, “Here’s how I would’ve done it.”

Very well done; I'm impressed. Make two and tell us a price.

Who makes those storage bags you have on the back of the front seats?

 

[Garrett19]

Very well done; I'm impressed. Make two and tell us a price.

Who makes those storage bags you have on the back of the front seats?

The storage bags are just an amazon find. I think I was just got lucky with the fitment but here is the link (not available at this time) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TTVHB75?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Working on the next version so i will try to keep up with posting here but here is the send cut send invoice with the updated design and revision to aluminum over wood.

 

[MntGoat]

Planning on using rivnuts?

 

[Garrett19]

Planning on using rivnuts?

I was planning on just nuts and washers from behind to hold the rails on. For 2 of the rails I have 0.5"x0.5" steel square tube to help with rigidity and I was going to attempt to tap into those to see if that is easier to deal with.

rivnuts are nice but getting them to be flush with the surface involves more tools than I have. With that said, if I have challenges with how I'm planning to assemble then I will look into getting a set.

 

[MntGoat]

1 good thing about the rivnuts being proud about .030 is that at final assembly you can run a small bead of silicone between them ,about 1/8 inch diameter. Let it "skin over" and when you tighten panels down they won't vibrate or rattle and it will stiffen the panel up as an added benefit.

For my build the bolt heads protruding ,doesn't bother me.

Looking forward to build progress

 

[Garrett19]

V2 is done and works great. This can be made cheaper for sure but since I wasn't sure what was going to be the winning combination I had plenty of extra. Below is a parts list and cost brake down for everything that went into the latest iteration. The only thing missing is the spacers that go below the platform but I 3d printed those myself so it doesn't make sense to add them to that list (4x 3/4" and 2x 5/8"). Total comes out just a little less than 320$, this is definitely on the more expensive side of things but I am happy with the functionality.

item	source	pack_qty	pack_unit	qty_used	pack_cost_usd
Main plates (SendCutSend)	SendCutSend	1​	set	1​	207.9​
Front reinforcement - Everbilt 1" x 1/2" x 3 ft C-Channel, 1/8" thick	Home Depot	1​	piece	1​	13.93​
Rear reinforcement - Everbilt 1/2" x 3 ft Plain Steel Square Tube	Home Depot	1​	piece	1​	15.47​
#6-32 x 1/2" flat head socket cap screws (304 SS, black zinc)	Amazon	100​	pcs	36​	7.88​
6-32 nylon insert lock nuts (304 SS)	Amazon	190​	pcs	18​	9.99​
#6 flat washers, 0.375" OD (304 SS)	Amazon	100​	pcs	18​	7.49​
M8-1.25 x 40 mm flat head hex socket cap screws (304 SS, black zinc)	Amazon	20​	pcs	6​	9.99​
M8 flat washers (23.7mm OD, 304 SS, black)	Amazon	50​	pcs	6​	9.99​
Aluminum 36" T-Track, double-cut, 4-pack	Amazon	4​	rails	4​	33.99​

Picture 1: Seat installed showing the space while it it folded up.

Picture 2: Seat functions as normal and locks into place with the platform installed.

Picture 3: This is without the seat and with my drawer setup.

Picture 4: Drawer setup fully extended with next to no deflection.

Now for future improvements I am throwing around the idea of just vinyl wrapping the aluminum for protection instead of paint or bedliner but for now it will stay raw aluminum for a bit. Let me know what you think and feel free to tell me what you would do differently.

 

[Muel_In_MN]

Looks great, your project is motivating.

A couple questions if you don't mind
Is it 3 pieces?
Also curious why you kept the carpet.
Did you consider something like hdpe?

 

[Garrett19]

Looks great, your project is motivating.

A couple questions if you don't mind
Is it 3 pieces?
Also curious why you kept the carpet.
Did you consider something like hdpe?

Thank you, it's made up of two identical main plates and two cross bars underneath the first and third T-Track. The material selection came down to the limited space for support beams. Aluminum let me make the platform thin enough to keep it in while mounting the seat and it is rigid enough to not flex with weight in the back. HDPE is a nice material for its durability but would need to be a lot thicker or have more support like the American Adventure Lab setup in the picture to be rigid enough.

As far as keeping the carpet in, it keeps the inside looking nicer and isn't in the way of anything I was doing. I did take out the factory cargo hooks and the door over the speaker similar to the AAL picture but all other carpet stayed.

I built it since there isn't a platform out there that accommodates the rear seat and I understand that may not be most peoples needs. For the cost of how I built mine, it was not so much cheaper than what American Adventure Lab, Pareto Offroad, and WheelsFeels make.

When you do start your storage build, make sure to share it. Always nice to see what others come up with.

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