T
terra
Guest
In my first post on this forum I mentioned the storage system and sleep platform in my vehicle. There were requests for more info so I put together this little spiel and added a few pics that I had. At the end of the article are a couple of photos of another Terrano II storage system for your reference. Although I know the owner of the other vehicle the two designs were made without knowledge of the other, so they show 2 different approaches.
The shots of the red Terrano II show my platform fitted, (missus insisted on the identity blank when she realized pics were being put on the www).
The two drawers under the platform are plastic roller tubs from a large hardware supply supermarket. There are 3 vertical supports here which run longitudinal. The middle one is cut short so that the tubs can move central a bit to roll out – this wouldn’t be necessary with narrower tubs. These tubs just clip the edges of the raised plastic trim along the bottom of the rear door. Slightly narrower ones (if available) would avoid this. The remaining space lateral to the draws is still usable and you can poke spares and rarely-used articles into these voids.
The rear platform section is one piece from the 2nd row seat back and is fairly permanent. It is held down at three points. They are the hold-down points for the original rear dickyseat (the 3rd row seat) - using the 4 bolts at the front and the centre rod at the back. The luggage hold down hooks could also be utilized (with nylon climbing tape etc) for extra hold-down security but I haven’t done that yet. The roller tubs don’t utilize the whole length of the rear platform section. This is due to the slight step down in the floor and also because I had to go with the tubs that were available. The remaining rear platform area to the front of the roller tubs is taken up by a storage volume with a hinged lid. This is used to carry the recovery gear and is even large enough to house a decent sized shovel and axe along with compressor, tow straps etc etc.
The side door photo shows the height of the platform relative to the rest of the car. It is just low enough for sitting room and a minimum of sleeping privacy but high enough for good storage. The height was governed by the rear wheel arches as I wanted a totally flat area but also had to suit the depth of plastic roller tubs that we could buy.
This front part of the platform is in two halves that replace the 2nd row seats and provides two big storage “bins” that go all the way to the floor. Each half has a big hinged top (that my missus arm is resting on). They come almost all the way to the front seats but leave enough room for a driver taller than me and also allow for the passenger to recline the seat slightly more if required.
These front platform “bins” are held down by each seat section’s standard hold-down bolts (4 bolts per box). The two “bins” and the rear platform’s vertical walls all bolt together for extra strength using 3/8” bolts and t-nuts. The 3 separate sections are needed for ease of fitting into the car. They are surprisingly rattle-free and once fitted look very ‘factory’ when looking into the vehicle… if I do say myself.
I purchased the ‘boat carpet’ from a rubber/plastic retailer called 'Clark Rubber' and fortunately it ended up a PERFECT match for the standard Nissan grey carpet.
Timber used for the structure is 6mm (¼ inch) b/c grade ply, with 20mm square for corner joins and stiffening. The timber is light, maybe too light for some but I wanted to save weight, and with care it’s OK. You may want to try 8mm. Alloy angle was used for brackets to bolt the rear platform into the car - the original seat bolts/washers are used where possible. Piano hinges were used on the lids. There are no latches on the lids yet as I haven’t found something to suit, but they will be fitted for safety’s sake soon. Also I want to fit an aluminium ‘trim’ angle along the rear edge of the platform. This will stiffen it and reduce carpet damage where articles are constantly loaded/unloaded in the back.
We fit ‘Shade-Sox’ shade covers to the rear door windows so we can lower the windows down a bit when sleeping at night for ventilation without mosquito problems. The sleeping length is about 1800mm+/-.
The over-the-front-seat photo shows the whole platform. I have outlined the joins (yellow and green) so you can see how the rear platform and two front halves fit together. The red arrow indicates where all three parts intersect. The green line is between the two front ‘bins’, and the yellow line shows where the rear platform starts. The ever so classy plastic camping tumbler of wine is sitting on the hinged lid of the recovery gear compartment. As mentioned this compartment is part of the permanent rear platform section and sits behind the 2nd row seats. My only suggestion would be to move the front bin lids slightly more rearward so they better clear the front seat headrests when fully opened up.
The whole structure is much lighter than the seats it replaces, the rear suspension sits higher with the platform fitted. Even though the rear sits higher I don’t think the actual centre of gravity is raised as much because the high-up mass of the seats is replaced by the light low-mounted platform (and low stored luggage). Either way, when I load it up with luggage the height comes down to standard again so it’s a moot point really, but the reduced mass and lower luggage location does allow better load capacity without eating into the ground clearance or vehicle handling as much.
These last pics show another more heavy duty approach to rear storage draws (not sleeping platform). These were also home made also but with a lot more work and by someone with a high level of ability and access to a comprehensive workshop. They more closely resemble the professional systems sold in Australia.
I hope this info helps.
The shots of the red Terrano II show my platform fitted, (missus insisted on the identity blank when she realized pics were being put on the www).
The two drawers under the platform are plastic roller tubs from a large hardware supply supermarket. There are 3 vertical supports here which run longitudinal. The middle one is cut short so that the tubs can move central a bit to roll out – this wouldn’t be necessary with narrower tubs. These tubs just clip the edges of the raised plastic trim along the bottom of the rear door. Slightly narrower ones (if available) would avoid this. The remaining space lateral to the draws is still usable and you can poke spares and rarely-used articles into these voids.
The rear platform section is one piece from the 2nd row seat back and is fairly permanent. It is held down at three points. They are the hold-down points for the original rear dickyseat (the 3rd row seat) - using the 4 bolts at the front and the centre rod at the back. The luggage hold down hooks could also be utilized (with nylon climbing tape etc) for extra hold-down security but I haven’t done that yet. The roller tubs don’t utilize the whole length of the rear platform section. This is due to the slight step down in the floor and also because I had to go with the tubs that were available. The remaining rear platform area to the front of the roller tubs is taken up by a storage volume with a hinged lid. This is used to carry the recovery gear and is even large enough to house a decent sized shovel and axe along with compressor, tow straps etc etc.
The side door photo shows the height of the platform relative to the rest of the car. It is just low enough for sitting room and a minimum of sleeping privacy but high enough for good storage. The height was governed by the rear wheel arches as I wanted a totally flat area but also had to suit the depth of plastic roller tubs that we could buy.
This front part of the platform is in two halves that replace the 2nd row seats and provides two big storage “bins” that go all the way to the floor. Each half has a big hinged top (that my missus arm is resting on). They come almost all the way to the front seats but leave enough room for a driver taller than me and also allow for the passenger to recline the seat slightly more if required.
These front platform “bins” are held down by each seat section’s standard hold-down bolts (4 bolts per box). The two “bins” and the rear platform’s vertical walls all bolt together for extra strength using 3/8” bolts and t-nuts. The 3 separate sections are needed for ease of fitting into the car. They are surprisingly rattle-free and once fitted look very ‘factory’ when looking into the vehicle… if I do say myself.
I purchased the ‘boat carpet’ from a rubber/plastic retailer called 'Clark Rubber' and fortunately it ended up a PERFECT match for the standard Nissan grey carpet.
Timber used for the structure is 6mm (¼ inch) b/c grade ply, with 20mm square for corner joins and stiffening. The timber is light, maybe too light for some but I wanted to save weight, and with care it’s OK. You may want to try 8mm. Alloy angle was used for brackets to bolt the rear platform into the car - the original seat bolts/washers are used where possible. Piano hinges were used on the lids. There are no latches on the lids yet as I haven’t found something to suit, but they will be fitted for safety’s sake soon. Also I want to fit an aluminium ‘trim’ angle along the rear edge of the platform. This will stiffen it and reduce carpet damage where articles are constantly loaded/unloaded in the back.
We fit ‘Shade-Sox’ shade covers to the rear door windows so we can lower the windows down a bit when sleeping at night for ventilation without mosquito problems. The sleeping length is about 1800mm+/-.
The over-the-front-seat photo shows the whole platform. I have outlined the joins (yellow and green) so you can see how the rear platform and two front halves fit together. The red arrow indicates where all three parts intersect. The green line is between the two front ‘bins’, and the yellow line shows where the rear platform starts. The ever so classy plastic camping tumbler of wine is sitting on the hinged lid of the recovery gear compartment. As mentioned this compartment is part of the permanent rear platform section and sits behind the 2nd row seats. My only suggestion would be to move the front bin lids slightly more rearward so they better clear the front seat headrests when fully opened up.
The whole structure is much lighter than the seats it replaces, the rear suspension sits higher with the platform fitted. Even though the rear sits higher I don’t think the actual centre of gravity is raised as much because the high-up mass of the seats is replaced by the light low-mounted platform (and low stored luggage). Either way, when I load it up with luggage the height comes down to standard again so it’s a moot point really, but the reduced mass and lower luggage location does allow better load capacity without eating into the ground clearance or vehicle handling as much.
These last pics show another more heavy duty approach to rear storage draws (not sleeping platform). These were also home made also but with a lot more work and by someone with a high level of ability and access to a comprehensive workshop. They more closely resemble the professional systems sold in Australia.
I hope this info helps.
