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Got most of the inspiration from Clint Russel's under floor storage. I didn't want the top open, I wanted it completely hidden. First I taped off the intended area up top. This will yield a compartment 22" X 17" X 6"
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Mock up the side walls in cardboard. At 22" wide there's still room to get the shocks off the upper studs, I made sure !
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Cleaning off 19 years of oil spray, road dirt, factory undercoating and treating the rust was part of the job. I treated the rust then painted the bottom of the floor, or the roof of the new storage compartment.
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I painted it white (I know bad photo) because I wanted it as bright as possible when you're digging around in the back seat (not the brightest area of a Bronco).
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You don't need much sheet metal for this project. The outside measurements needed are about 37" X 26". I used my 2'X4' metal brake and rubber mallet again.
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This was easy to whip up with the metal shears and a few bends.
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You can verify your measurements are correct before you start slicing by turning it upside down and laying it over the taped lines.
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Now just grab your favorite cutting tools, like this Sawzall with metal scrolling blade and grinder with cut off wheel, and cut out the opening.
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Once you remove the upright floor piece, keep it for patches later, a rust sets further in. I ran a sanding drum around the inside edges of the opening to clean up the burrs and sharp edges.
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I was going to try to feed this in from below and was just trying the fit this way, with it in backwards. After seeing how tight it was from underneath I came back up, turned it around and stuck it in from above.
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By not welding/riveting the box sides up yet, you can squeeze the tops in enough for the flanges to clear, allowing the box to slip in. Day is done, more coming tomorrow.
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Here's a shot of the clearance that exists between the oversized tailpipe and the back of the new under floor box.
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There's plenty of room to get the air shock off next time. Note the stud and nut are still lathered in anti-seize compound.
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By drilling holes in the floor you are able to button weld the box's flanges to the floor from above instead of having to weld upside down. Seal sealer makes sure none of the edges underneath leak.
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After the black paint dried on the underside of the box, it was time to undercoat the bottom for sound deadening and rust prevention.
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All finished caulking with seam seal and painting. I'll put some weatherstripping of some kind along the top edge of the opening so you don't slice yourself. By using gloss white I should be able to see fairly well under there.
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Here's the rubberized top coated insulation. It ought to kill some sound, insulate a bit and stop the amps from sliding around.
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This peel and stick 1/4" foam insulation has a ribbed felt top layer. I'm sticking this all round the three walls for more insulation and for it's bumper affect.
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Both amps fit in there and the carpet will still cover the front hole perfectly.
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Under floor what ? I don't see any under floor storage opening, do you ? All there is here is a bone stock 86 rear floor and carpets. Kidding aside, just lift the upper carpet flap and you have access to whatever you stored there, couldn't be easier or more concealed.
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Under Floor Storage
