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DIY Sleeping and Storage Platform for 2 Door 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL UPDATE



The response to the 2 Door Jeep Wrangler JL Sleep and Storage platform build has been incredible, thank you all for your support and love in my adventure in 2 door Jeep love and life.

 I have an updated plan for ya'll!  Getting the main pieces fitted is what took the majority of my time, so I disassembled all of it and took the old upholstery off in order to get what the final measurements were that I used so it might be easier for anyone else to create!

 With these plans, you should be able to cut all the main parts and then piece the rest of the job together quite easily and customize to however you like.

 As I discussed in the original video and post, the upholstery I worked with the first time around was VERY difficult to so I replaced it this winter with a lighter marine carpet, less waterproof but more pliable, and used construction adhesive under it to keep it all tight and in place.  I went with a more speckled and lighter color to hide the dust you get driving around topless all summer.

Final pieces:

 5 cuts of 3/8" ply for surfaces
2 2x4 stud walls
2 2x4 cross members
2 1x2 cross members
1 tube steel or support slide
2 2x4 side access block on the hatch
4 hinges, 2 for hatch, 2 for platform extention
2 large U bolts
2 medium U bolts
8' length of TrafficMaster 6' Marine Indoor/Outdoor Carpet

You'll need different sized U bolts for the front vs. rear when attaching the 2x4 verticles but otherwise whatever bolts you want to use for the rest are a preference.  I drilled the holes with everything in place so there are no set measurements for those.

I built a 1/4 to o1/2 gap between all the pieces for hinge movement and upholstery.  

I placed all ply and bolts/holes before upholstery so they are hidden from above.

Here are the final dimensions and drawings for parts and pieces to cut:


I'm sure everyone will have their own tweaks and fixes of their own and I'd love to see them!

I hope this helps those who want to tackle this job to have one of the most time-consuming parts I struggled with already done.

Here's the presentation of the original build (I promise to get out an updated video showing the new upholstery and a few build details by this next spring)

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 26, 2020 at 9:50 PM

    THIS IS AMAZING!!! How long did it take you to make? I'm planning a road trip for a month from now and am hoping to make this (or something like it) soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Port land of the lostJanuary 1, 2021 at 9:45 AM

      This took me about 40 hours of labor BUT that was figuring out all the sizes and all so I think having the measurements you could be able to bust it out in 20 to 30 depending on your tools and available time.

      Delete
  2. UnknownMarch 9, 2021 at 5:15 PM

    Great stuff here. One question I have is how do you hold the bar in place along the 2x4. I see it slides out to support the flip up extension but what keeps it there?

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Port land of the lostMarch 27, 2021 at 9:39 AM

      Great question!
      If you reference the full build original blog you can see it's just a U channel the same size as the bar. Not super clear but you can see where I attached it on the frame.

      https://lifenewandimproved.blogspot.com/2019/06/diy-sleeping-and-storage-platform-for-2.html

      Delete
  3. TevenMay 5, 2021 at 3:34 AM

    I was wondering if you know what causes this not to work with a softtop only, the only thing I noticed might be the back bar that is at the bottom of the rear window but besides that I can't tell.

    I would love to try to make this and wondered if I modify it a little i could make it work with my softtop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Port land of the lostJune 24, 2021 at 2:28 PM

      Hey Teven! I think when I wrote that I was assuming the JK and JL soft tops were more like my old LJ where the soft top dropped further into the bed than in the newer ones so if you're not seeing any catches where it wouldn't fit I would say go for it and report back!

      Delete
  4. ChadlyyMay 17, 2021 at 10:11 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ChadlyyMay 17, 2021 at 10:41 AM

    Hey Michael! I started on this project this weekend and making great progress due to your great info in this blog! One quick question I had for you, how did you mount the support bar for the foot rest? I'll be sure to send you some pictures when I'm done! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Port land of the lostJune 24, 2021 at 2:29 PM

    Hey Chadlyy, sorry for the delayed response. I just used a U channel metal piece that matched the size of the sliding bar. It's mounted to the side of the vertical 2x4 stud wall there is all.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AngelaJuly 23, 2021 at 4:54 PM

    Hi Michael! Angela here. I used these blueprints to make my platform in September 2020. I’ve just put the platform back in and I’m trying to stabilize it better as I didn’t use any cross member below 4 in the blueprint above. I actually used 6 U bolts in total and it still wobbles. Michael do you have any wobble even with that cross member?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Curt LAugust 10, 2021 at 6:29 AM

    Really like this build! Would these dimensions work for a 2 door Jeep JK?

    ReplyDelete
  9. John RocNovember 9, 2021 at 8:30 AM


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  10. John RocApril 14, 2022 at 2:06 AM


    Really i like the way of your blog post content, it's a good information..

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