Hey guys Ive had some questions on it so i figured id share. Long story short my jeep is a 2005 Turbocharged 2.4L Overland rig that my girlfriend and i travel with and actually sleep inside. I'll do a separate post on all that. As many of you know, storage is a premium in our TJs so here is a quick write up on a cool compartment i built.
About 6 years ago i had a teenage girl pull out in front of my jeep off a side street and i ended up pushing the back corner of the trunk almost through her back window with my front bumper. Luckily nobody was hurt (besides her car). My jeep was unscathed besides a bent fair-lead on my winch (my bumper saved me). Unfortunately both my airbags deployed. I decided it wasn't worth replacing the whole system and i'll never sell my jeep so the only one at "risk" is me.
Before anyone says something safety related.. save it. This is a great build for anyone whose jeep is an off road rig or is willing to die like a man...
I purchased a driver airbag to restore the steering wheel / horn (airbag not hooked up). When the pass airbag deploys it breaks the bottom mount clean and folds the cover up out of the way. To replace the cover even if your not putting the airbag back is almost $300 from mopar. I re-used it as youll see below.
Heres the finished product. It allows me to store any extra items or my firearm. Very handy.
To remove the airbag its a pain. I actually had to remove the dash to access the rear facing nut on the top of the airbag as well as the two side mounts. I did this when i had the dash out to replace my heater core / evaporator. This leaves a HUGE space behind the dash. I simply used some 1/2" plywood to box out the compartment floor and back wall. It fit perfectly between the sheet steel frame of the dash. i drilled holes in the metal to put small wood screws into the wood. I build sides to the box as well and used a marine grade black carpet and a sealant to seal the wood.
I also painted the dash support metal black.. For the cover, There are 5 screws that hold the top of the cover to the dash. I replaced those and marked out a location to drill a hole for the latch. I used a hood/ bumper pin latch for a clean look and easy function. I put the hole in the center near the bottom and made a bracket to hold the pin. Works great and keeps a nice clean look.
Let me know if you have any questions.
About 6 years ago i had a teenage girl pull out in front of my jeep off a side street and i ended up pushing the back corner of the trunk almost through her back window with my front bumper. Luckily nobody was hurt (besides her car). My jeep was unscathed besides a bent fair-lead on my winch (my bumper saved me). Unfortunately both my airbags deployed. I decided it wasn't worth replacing the whole system and i'll never sell my jeep so the only one at "risk" is me.
Before anyone says something safety related.. save it. This is a great build for anyone whose jeep is an off road rig or is willing to die like a man...
I purchased a driver airbag to restore the steering wheel / horn (airbag not hooked up). When the pass airbag deploys it breaks the bottom mount clean and folds the cover up out of the way. To replace the cover even if your not putting the airbag back is almost $300 from mopar. I re-used it as youll see below.
Heres the finished product. It allows me to store any extra items or my firearm. Very handy.
To remove the airbag its a pain. I actually had to remove the dash to access the rear facing nut on the top of the airbag as well as the two side mounts. I did this when i had the dash out to replace my heater core / evaporator. This leaves a HUGE space behind the dash. I simply used some 1/2" plywood to box out the compartment floor and back wall. It fit perfectly between the sheet steel frame of the dash. i drilled holes in the metal to put small wood screws into the wood. I build sides to the box as well and used a marine grade black carpet and a sealant to seal the wood.
I also painted the dash support metal black.. For the cover, There are 5 screws that hold the top of the cover to the dash. I replaced those and marked out a location to drill a hole for the latch. I used a hood/ bumper pin latch for a clean look and easy function. I put the hole in the center near the bottom and made a bracket to hold the pin. Works great and keeps a nice clean look.
Let me know if you have any questions.
