Now that I have the FJ Cruiser, the next step is to fit it out for long distance travel.  Because I’ll be carrying everything I need with me, and I intend to camp or sleep in the truck most nights, it has to be both comfortable and have adequate storage.  The way I’ve decided to accomplish this is to build a raised platform in the back, with drawers for storage underneath.  I’ll be able to sleep on top while still having easy access to all of my gear.

I started the design as soon as I was fairly sure that I would be getting the FJ, and although I took some inspiration from pictures I had seen on the internet, this design was all my own, to suit my needs.  The FJ has very good head room — 39 inches in the center — which is more than any other comparable vehicle, so even with a raised platform in back, I should still be able to sit upright inside.  The design is relatively simple.  The two drawers will draw out of the rear door, and will extend back the length of the cargo area to where the back seats are folded down.  The Sleeping platform will cover them, and will also extend forward to the back of the front seats via a hinged panel.  In the short term, until I get to NY where I have a friend’s shed for storage, I’ll be leaving the back seats in, folded down, and the hinged section will rest on the folded seats.  When I eventually remove the seats, I’ll build an additional storage box to fill that space, which will span the width of the cab and be accessible via the hinged lid.  There will be some additional open storage directly behind the front seats.  Hopefully that makes sense, but I’ll include pictures as I go along to make it clearer.

After getting my design done, and getting all the measurements from the FJ, I paid a long visit to Lowes to find suitable materials and hardware.  I decided to go with 3/4 inch MDF for the platform and frame, in order to give it strength and structural rigidity, and 1/2 inch MDF for the storage drawers, to save a bit on weight.  Hinges, handles, drawer runners, and other hardware were all easily available.  Saturday morning I was at Lowes early and bought all my materials.  Luckily they have a cutting service there, so I could have the MDF sheets cut into several pieces for easier transport, and of course, I brought it all back to home base in the FJ.

My brother gave me access to his excellent workshop, so I had all the tools I needed at hand.  The first step was to cut up the 3/4 in MDF to the right sizes to make the frame and platform.  By lunch time on Saturday I had the pieces cut and ready to assemble.

I dry fitted it into the FJ first, as shown in the picture below, to make sure that I was on the right track and everything looked good.  I then screwed the frame together, and added a piece across the back to keep it all square.  The top of the platform is even with the tops of the wheel wells, so that I have a level space that spans the entire width of the cargo area.

I then cut up the 1/2 in MDF into the pieces required to make the drawers themselves.  I left half an inch on each side to accommodate the runners, and since I’m not using a base for the structure, I also left 1/4 in at the bottom so that the drawers wouldn’t rub on the carpet.  Here are the drawer carcasses put together.

To minimise dust getting into the drawers and runners, and for a cleaner look, I made the front drawer panels an inch wider to fit snugly in the carcass, covering the gap left for the runners.  Here are the drawers all assembled, and then inserted into the frame (standing upright on it’s back).  Hopefully this will give a clearer view of where I’m heading with this!

By the time I got this far, it was 4pm and 98F (37C) outside, so I was very hot and tired.  Even the dogs had given up on me and were sleeping through the afternoon heat!

I had gotten farther than I expected, so downed tools for the day.  Time for a root beer and American TV!!