Mattk11
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I looked at all the options for a rear cargo cover and decided to make my own.
I had a Tuffy Security enclosure on my JKU for about a week before the rattling drove me nuts, not to mention the reduced storage space. I had a local metal shop make my enclosure out of steel diamond plate. It was awesome, secure and didn't give up any space, but it was heavy as hell. When I traded in my JK, I sold it locally for $450 so I had some money to spend on a new one more my JLU.
I looked at all the ones I could find online. Obviously the Tuffy was out right away...but there were some really nice ones that fit perfectly and seem like they addressed the possibility of rattles. Only drawback was that they are steel, and they are pricey.
So, I decided to fabricate one out of fiberglass. I had no need for one that hinges open so the design is simple...three pieces that screw together and use the factory hard top locations to fasten to the Jeep.
First thing was to make a template which I did using 1/8" fiberboard. I used pieces of cardboard to make templates around the sport cage and took my time to measure, cut little, measure and cut until I had the exact shape I was looking for. From there, I transferred the template to 3/4" white melamine. I used the melamine as a perfectly smooth base so when I laid the fiberglass shapes. I also used square aluminum tubing and L shaped aluminum stock as reinforcement and edges so I had something to screw the pieces together.
(Sorry, garage is a disaster during this build)
Once I had it all shaped, sanded and fitting well, I took it to Line-X to have them coat it. That added some extra rigidity and sound deadening so I won't get any rattles or vibration from my sound system. I'm really please with the final results:
Here is a view of the inside. It is not completely water proof, but it does provide a level of security so I can leave gym bags, tools, golf clubs etc in the back and lock the tailgate using the key fob. I wanted some air flow because my audio amplifiers are mounded in the rear cubby.
One added level of security are the Torx bolts (M8 - 1.25 x 20mm)...while these aren't completely secure, the would be their would need a pretty specific tool to remove the screws. You can see that I embedded washers into the fiberglass so when I cranked the screws down, it wouldn't splinter.
I had a Tuffy Security enclosure on my JKU for about a week before the rattling drove me nuts, not to mention the reduced storage space. I had a local metal shop make my enclosure out of steel diamond plate. It was awesome, secure and didn't give up any space, but it was heavy as hell. When I traded in my JK, I sold it locally for $450 so I had some money to spend on a new one more my JLU.
I looked at all the ones I could find online. Obviously the Tuffy was out right away...but there were some really nice ones that fit perfectly and seem like they addressed the possibility of rattles. Only drawback was that they are steel, and they are pricey.
So, I decided to fabricate one out of fiberglass. I had no need for one that hinges open so the design is simple...three pieces that screw together and use the factory hard top locations to fasten to the Jeep.
First thing was to make a template which I did using 1/8" fiberboard. I used pieces of cardboard to make templates around the sport cage and took my time to measure, cut little, measure and cut until I had the exact shape I was looking for. From there, I transferred the template to 3/4" white melamine. I used the melamine as a perfectly smooth base so when I laid the fiberglass shapes. I also used square aluminum tubing and L shaped aluminum stock as reinforcement and edges so I had something to screw the pieces together.
Once I had it all shaped, sanded and fitting well, I took it to Line-X to have them coat it. That added some extra rigidity and sound deadening so I won't get any rattles or vibration from my sound system. I'm really please with the final results:
Here is a view of the inside. It is not completely water proof, but it does provide a level of security so I can leave gym bags, tools, golf clubs etc in the back and lock the tailgate using the key fob. I wanted some air flow because my audio amplifiers are mounded in the rear cubby.
One added level of security are the Torx bolts (M8 - 1.25 x 20mm)...while these aren't completely secure, the would be their would need a pretty specific tool to remove the screws. You can see that I embedded washers into the fiberglass so when I cranked the screws down, it wouldn't splinter.
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