Bestop Flexatrunk - almost crap.
 

I finally got this finished yesterday. The install sounds really easy, and it is, once you have the right tools. There are 4 self-tapping screws in the kit, and I can't see how someone could screw them in with a regular ratchet. You need a drill, and a 10mm (I think) socket for the drill. They say you can drill a pilot hole, but it's not really necessary. You just need to pull the self-taping screw out and clean the carpet from it, and after that it works well. :-) What they don't tell you is those screws will go through your fenders! Real nice. So I had to pull them out, cut the screws, and put 'em back. It took a few times to get the right length. Then I patched the holes in the fenders with some black silicone. The sides stayed _very_ flexible until everything -- including the little nuts on the back of two screws -- was tight.

In the end, it's not too bad, except the piece over the sub-woofer stayed very flexible. Sure, those plastic sides have little slides to allow various configs, but I could have done without if it meant getting tougher metal sides instead. Oh, and another nice one... There are 4 carriage bolts to screw the metal separator to the sides. Since the sides are plastic, two of those carriage bolts are already spinning in their sockets, making them useless. In the end, I'll have to replace them with regular bolts.

I sent Tuffy an e-mail asking for a decent alternative, so we'll see. If they ever come out with something like this, you can bet I'll replace mine. For the amount Bestop is charging for this thing, they could have done a lot better...

js.

Is that thing stong enough to put stuff on top of it?

had the one from mopar now that was a pc of crap blow molded plastic very disappointing and get half way done only to find out that it does not work w/t the sub:naw:


we can make a better one w/t some sheet metal

You mean like a towel? Sure. :-)

I probably wouldn't put much more than 20-30 lbs on it. Anyway, it's plastic, so it'll slide around. :-) It's purpose is to keep stuff from getting stolen when using the soft-top, and to that end it looks like it'll do a decent job. I'm not going to leave anything too expensive under there though. :-)

js.

I knew that. We really ought to talk more about our builds. :-)

Steve came over for dinner this week-end. His mods are coming along nicely, although he left his truck at work, so didn't get to see it. He mentioned something about 37s... <grin>

I'm hoping Tuffy will come through with something, _eventually_. For this summer, the Bestop will do. We'll see how long that plastic holds up with the dog. :-D

js.

The Mopar one was total crap.. Not only did it not work with the sub but it was flimsy. I relocated my sub so I could use it... Then the damn add-a-truck bowed under the weight of the soft top when the top was folded down.

I was afraid of that. Thanks to you guys I think I'll build a cover myself out of particle board and marine vinyl.

Wow that sucks, but part of the reason I didnt buy either of those, PLASTIC...

I got the Tuffy security drawer, unfortunately after they raises the price to 580, but I have to say I think its definately worth it, great to have a lockable trunk made of HEAVY metal(weighs 116lbs). I got it for 2 good reasons, with the top off all summer I wanted to be able to goto more then one store and lock stuff in my jeep and someplace to keep things from blowing out of my jeep lol. Its very heavy duty and you can easily put a good amount of weight on top, I also mounted it 4inchs up to have some storage underneath too. If you want you can see some pics in this link.

http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/tkob1060/

tuffy has some on their site
 

am I missing something? looks like TUffy has some on their site.

tuffyproducts.com/s-53-2007-current.aspx

The lockbox and/or drawer aren't the same. The flexatrunk allows you to have a completely open area, and close it off only when you need it. The Tuffy products wouldn't allow you to put a dog in the back, for example. :-)

js.