DIY Aluminum Underfloor Storage

[daveb]

If I'm not mistaken, that is an installed price. But you still might have a product there...lots of DYO folks out there.

[WVvan]

Beautiful welds. Nice write up all around.

[billwilson]

Originally Posted by daveb

If I'm not mistaken, that is an installed price. But you still might have a product there...lots of DYO folks out there.

Dave i think you are right about $1,000 installed

however you gotta get there.......

a light weight box shipped and a locally sourced retainer ring and hatch
would be a doable deal...if priced correctly
...and you dont have a bunch of whiners

maybe ask pecs tanks on how he feels

[northleftcoast]

Moving on towards completion!

A box needs a lid, right? Well without a brake at home I had to resort to welding the lid together out of some diamond plate and 1" flat stock.



I'd normally just bend a pan and weld the corners but this gave me a little more practice mixing different thicknesses of metal. Turned out OK, but my tolerance for mediocre welds is waning and I was wishing for a brake in my shop.



With the lid sorted, I set about hacking up some angle on the table saw. For those that have spent time mitering crown molding you'd appreciate the head scratching that it took me to get all the angles and lengths cut properly. With only one do-over I was able to get the hatch-side flange buttoned up.



A few rivets and a length of piano hinge and cello! A hatch that opens 180 degrees.




With the completed hatch mocked up in position, four more lengths of flat bar were fitted underneath it to be welded in place on the box top. The hatch flange sits inside the box flange, with just a slight gap that will be easily filled by polyurethane sealant.



With the majority of the fabrication complete all that remains is to fillet weld the box flange, source a small hatch pull, get some weatherstripping for the hatch and weld a boss onto a lower corner of the box so that I can tap a hole for a drain plug.




If I don't get a hole cut in the van floor tomorrow, it'll probably be Friday. I'd like to get a couple of 12v led lights and a switch so I check this project off the list entirely.

[saline]

Wow! Nice job! Ever think about making Dry Boxes for rafting?

[BroncoHauler]

Are you going to hardwire the LED lighting, or are you also considering battery powered LED lighting? You clearly don't shy away from a challenge, but there are some nice, self contained, battery powered units out there.


Herb

[northleftcoast]

Originally Posted by saline

Wow! Nice job! Ever think about making Dry Boxes for rafting?

It's definitely on my short list! I'd like to make an aluminum cat frame too but I'll have to buy one of these benders first: http://www.jd2.com/p-67-model-32-bender-manual.aspx

A few of my co-workers are dreaming up several rivertripping accessories like fire pans, tables, etc that I hope to be able to produce in the next few months.

With a proper bender, brake, shear (or plasma cutter) accessories like roof racks, bumper boxes, bumpers and lightweight indestructible cabinetry is within reach.

[northleftcoast]

Originally Posted by BroncoHauler

Are you going to hardwire the LED lighting,


Herb

I'm in the process of a general cabin relighting project, so I'll be adding a hardwired 12v switched light. superbrightleds have a whole bunch of options. I'm leaning towards either a few of the little accent lights or just welding a little bracket inside for one of these: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/ ... %2Frdl.htm

Most of the options are weatherproof and rated for exterior use.

[BroncoHauler]

I've spent a few small fortunes at SuperBrightLEDs. Great selection.

You may also want to look at the LED rope lights for inside the living space and inside the storage compartment. I've always thought they would be a great source of general lighting. Couldn't find them at SuperBrightLEDs, but they're eaasy to find.


Herb

[northleftcoast]

Aluminum Underfloor Box Production

Since I've finished my prototype, a couple of other locals have asked me to build them one.

If there is enough interest from members I would be willing to test out a small (maybe 10) production run with the following costs and options:

Standard subfloor box only: $300

Includes:

* 15"x15"x32" aluminum box made out of 5052, .125" sheetmetal. All corners either bent or tig welded.

*hole opening cut to your size requirements and rimmed in black vinyl trim

*box top flange of 6061, ~5/32" bar stock of your choice of height (1", 1.25", 1.5") based on your flooring+subfloor dimension needs.

*bung with tapped hole for drainage on an outside corner.

Available for pickup in Portland, OR or shipped (your actual cost) via UPS. I did a quick UPS search and it was around $50 for shipping from PDX to SF via ground for a 35# parcel with the box dimensions.

Options

*subtract depth to make shallower (you choose any final depth dimension) $25

*cutaway lower trailing edge for better departure angle (your choice of angle) $50

*diamond plate hatch with interior 6061 1" angle flange and aluminum piano hinge $125 (your choice of dimension). No latch but I can drill a hole for your choice of latch. Latches can be sourced from West Marine, Gander Mountain, etc. A simple rope pull through grommets could also be an elegant and inexpensive solution.

*at this point, I'm open to trying to make one of these boxes work for you if you have specific needs that aren't met by any of the above. Feel free to ask.