FrontRunner Drawer

mitherial

Well-known member
As an overland enthusiast (like many of you), I ordered FrontRunner's fancy rear drawer set for my truck, which is a very nice (if excessively priced) piece of kit.

The issue that I am having in installing it is that the drawer is clearly designed to be used in the rear tub of a Defender which has carpeting installed. In my stripped 90, there is a "lip" at the rear door jam (see pictures), that the drawer catches on and prevents it from properly opening. I sourced some single-layer carpet, but that wasn't quite tall enough; adding the "official" LR rubber cargo mat on top of the carpet just barely made it clear, but I would like the setup to look a little "cleaner" before I permanently rivnut mount the drawer.

Any helpful suggestions?

I'd prefer not to have the extra weight of a plywood sheet unless that's the only option. Maybe carpet padding, like in a house? I suppose I could order an ExMoor trim carpet set, but I would only use the bottom section of the tub, as there are currently seats installed on the LH side.
 

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mitherial

Well-known member
Maybe Tractor Supply carries 1/4" thick rubber sheeting?

Incidentally, the nice people at Front Runner's California warehouse sent me the wrong Defender drawer (the too wide SSLD002 for the TDI instead of the slightly narrower SSLD001, which exactly matches the dimensions of the rear-tub on my 90). Given how much of a &%# hassle it was to receive freight-shipping at my house, much less, arrange for cross-country return shipping, I just "fixed" the issue with my Sawzall...
 

WreckITFrank

Technical Excellence Contributor
how about some 13/16 unistrut? not sure if it would be too tall or not but I think you can get it galvanized or just coat it yourself. grew up in a family of electricians, so always had plenty on hand for stuff.
 

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
Go for a little thicker than you think you need. Once you have added all the gear inside, it will probably weight a bunch more than it did empty and compress the matting.
 

mitherial

Well-known member
Go for a little thicker than you think you need. Once you have added all the gear inside, it will probably weight a bunch more than it did empty and compress the matting.

Very good point. The installation kit and instructions from FrontRunner actually use a stack of penny washers around each of the four rivet/rivnut to support the drawer above the carpet to avoid the compression issue--but it seems like the carpet would provide some useful additional support.
 

jymmiejamz

Founding Member
Callsign: KN4JHI
I would probably just get some spacers to put on top of the rivnuts when you bolt it down. That is assuming you can't remove the trim.
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
I'm not sure exactly where you are but you can probably get long strips of plastic cut at TAP plastics they have it in almost any thickness. It's lighter than wood and won't absorb water
 

mitherial

Well-known member
As suggested, I ended up removing the "lip" trim panel, which allows the drawer to slide open without impediment.

The hardware stores in my area did not really have the right kind of (non-compressible) rubber sheeting, and online options were expensive and heavy, so I went with some cheap vinyl flooring (available in exactly 36" wide) to provide some very minimum protection to the floor paint. In retrospect, I should have glued the vinyl sheet down as it was a major PITA to get the heavy drawer positioned correctly without clumping up the vinyl, even with three people helping.

The rear door seems to close slightly more harshly without the trim piece and bottom door-seal, but not excessively so. From looking at it, I think the weight of the rear-tire is carried by the locking mechanism clasps (yes I need to get a Mantec carryer) so I am not too worried for the moment. I have a piece of bar aluminum (pictured) that I hope that I will eventually be able to re-use to reattach the door trim.

I'm not sure exactly where you are but you can probably get long strips of plastic cut at TAP plastics they have it in almost any thickness. It's lighter than wood and won't absorb water

Unfortunately, there is no TAP plastics in my area, but that looks like a great resource.

Cut a sheet of Baltic birch.

Were I re-starting from scratch, I would definitely save the time and effort and go this route.



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Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
Callsign: delete
there are different rear door seal holders by various manufacturers, some have a more pronounced lip than others
 
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Adam

Well-known member
The tuffy box seems to be a much better fit. JimC added a svelte sheet of plywood to the top, and it sits nice and flush.
 

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