Rear Door
The rear door storage on the '03 Gen III Montero doesn't serve much purpose save for a poorly designed way to stash headrests from the third row seat and a narrow but deep pocket for stowage of small items.
I have a few Pelican cases no longer being used, so I thought to adapt a small case, the Pelican 1400, using it for a first aid supplies container, installing it onto the door replacing the pocket. While at it I picked up some Quick Fists to mount an ax, using the door pull hardware, where it'd be readily accessible.
I completed the door modification by adding two more QuickFists to hold a collapsable shovel, along with an ARB flat repair kit that fit well into the space with more velcro to prevent rattling around. A Maglight and a fire extinguisher round out the job.
A year after this mod, we've been for want of a work surface, a place to make lunch and such while on the road without much set-up when we stop. After the above mod, I saw that there's room to attach a shelf onto the steel reinforced pocket that once held the headrests for the third row seat when stowed.
I removed the panel and replaced the remnants of the straps that held the headrests in place with ones that I salvaged from an old day-bag back pack that have plastic quick release couplings. The straps were cut to length long enough to suspend the shelf at a right angle to the door and be adjustable. I fed the straps through the existing slits in the panel.
From Lowe's I picked up a 1"X12"X2' oak plank, sanded and finished it the same way I did the roof rack, and glued a black felt backing onto it. Installed hardware and riveted it to the pocket.
The plank is stowed with a gray elastic strap from an old cooler.
From Lowe's I picked up a 1"X12"X2' oak plank, sanded and finished it the same way I did the roof rack, and glued a black felt backing onto it. Installed hardware and riveted it to the pocket.
The plank is stowed with a gray elastic strap from an old cooler.
