Yay, no more wasted space where the spare tire used to be!
Like many I've updated the wheel/tire package on my car such that the space saver spare is just dead weight, and have therefore removed it along with the bracket from the car. This leaves a large, but inconveniently-shaped and not-weather-tight area between the battery, the radiator fan shroud, the ABS bracket bumper bar, and some coolant hoses.
After the last XPO trip I decided I would attempt to spare my wife the discomfort of having her footwell full of stuff because there was only so much room in the trunk and behind the seats. I thought about going all out and trying to mold something into the space, but ran out of time between moving cross country (again) and buying a new house, so I went shopping.
lo and behold, I found a nearly perfect solution for super-cheap at Lowes.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-Zerust-15-75-in-Black-Plastic-Lockable-Tool-Box/50396626
This thing fits perfectly in the space, resting fully on the battery/spare tire tray, holds pretty well all the tools that I need to fix 90% of what I'd expect to encounter on a road trip/track weekend, is legit-o-ringed at the top, and can even be opened in situ if needed.
The only changes I've made from pictured were to turn it the opposite way so I can get to the latch easier without needing to remove it, and I added some adhesive-backed heat sheilding to the ends where they will be in close proximity to the coolant pipes. 'Not sure how thermally resistant the plastic is, so I figured it would be cheap insurance. I'll probably bungee it down as well, to keep it "jumping" on bad roads.
Hoping it'll help free up some trunk space and also balance the car a little better vs. having a tool-box in the trunk along with everything else.
Like many I've updated the wheel/tire package on my car such that the space saver spare is just dead weight, and have therefore removed it along with the bracket from the car. This leaves a large, but inconveniently-shaped and not-weather-tight area between the battery, the radiator fan shroud, the ABS bracket bumper bar, and some coolant hoses.
After the last XPO trip I decided I would attempt to spare my wife the discomfort of having her footwell full of stuff because there was only so much room in the trunk and behind the seats. I thought about going all out and trying to mold something into the space, but ran out of time between moving cross country (again) and buying a new house, so I went shopping.
lo and behold, I found a nearly perfect solution for super-cheap at Lowes.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-Zerust-15-75-in-Black-Plastic-Lockable-Tool-Box/50396626
This thing fits perfectly in the space, resting fully on the battery/spare tire tray, holds pretty well all the tools that I need to fix 90% of what I'd expect to encounter on a road trip/track weekend, is legit-o-ringed at the top, and can even be opened in situ if needed.
The only changes I've made from pictured were to turn it the opposite way so I can get to the latch easier without needing to remove it, and I added some adhesive-backed heat sheilding to the ends where they will be in close proximity to the coolant pipes. 'Not sure how thermally resistant the plastic is, so I figured it would be cheap insurance. I'll probably bungee it down as well, to keep it "jumping" on bad roads.
Hoping it'll help free up some trunk space and also balance the car a little better vs. having a tool-box in the trunk along with everything else.
