Varg In Jeep's Clothing

or

 

I started on the drawer that’s going under the rear seat.



I got the drawer box tacked together. I was going to put these stiffeners underneath the drawer, but I figured putting them inside might help keep stuff from sliding around. The cabinet is up next.



I dug the seat out of storage and threw it in to check fitment with the drawer in place. I found something I was fearing. I’m not happy with the 1” spreader bars in the back half of the cage. The passengers’ heads would get scalped on them in an impact. I’m going to cut them out and come up with some different bracing in the corners.

 

Here’s the not-fun, behind the scenes side of metalwork. Two hours of cutting and dressing 1” wide strips to bend as stiffeners. I’ll bend these in my brake to the tightest angle I can (120°) and weld them under the top of the drawer cabinet to stiffen it up.



Drawer cabinet is tacked together.

 

just the thought of that...

 

Everything is temporary until topcoat...

 

Dude, if that were my build everything would be permanent, because I'm only doing it once. You're crazy

 

I’ve been trying all morning to combine these videos into one, but YouTube changed their platform and QuickTime won’t recognize them. I give up.










I have some side-mount slides in my shopping cart at my cabinet parts supplier. I’ll wait till I need to make a run to Spokane for more than just that before picking them up. Here it is with the drawer in place.

2484 cubic inches of storage! (Sounds more impressive than 1.5 cubic feet.)



With those stiffeners in place, it can hold my body weight in the rear/center with minimal deflection. Knowing that, I think I’m going to mount the seat bottom directly to the box. Eliminating that seat framework will retract some height I gained from the drawer. I’ll make a framework for the seat back and seat belts and mount that separately to the tailgate opening frame.

 

You up at 5am?

 

I usually am.

 

You work fast, hahaha!!! Good work!

 

I don’t have time for that.

 

5 am.....

Yea I sleep in once and awhile my own self......

 

Day #562 of the quarantine. Society has completely broken down. Resources are down to what you have left in your supplies, or what you can grow yourself or steal from others. I had just enough gasoline left in my generator to run the last weld on this Jeep. IT’S FINALLY DONE!
But now there’s no gasoline left to drive it.


Hopefully that’s not prophetic.




Back to today’s reality, I got the rear seat back and seat belt mounts done.

Started with a bar I made out of the rear lower control arms from the Isuzu Rodeo axle donor.



I cut some seat belt mounting tabs and made the seat frame fit...

 

I was thinking that gas cap would be a fun place to hide candy wrappers and used bubble gum if I was 10 years old again.