Yeah, the floor is more air than metal so it's perfect for gear bags and similar items and it won't be very "slidy". I plan on filling it with marbles so I may have to install flooring.
🛠️ Member Build Victory 4x4 Molle Shelf/Panel System Installed
- Thread starter DCSanz GX550 OT+
- Start date
�Member Build
Finally got her put in today. Here’s a bunch of pics, they won’t be as nice as Bill’s. If you can’t quite follow what you’re looking at let me know. The rough dimensions were like 41 x 16 or something. 1 inch deep on the lip.
It’s pretty robust. I do not know what the weight rating is for the four bolts that are holding it up there underneath the hand grabs in the very back. But the rack itself won’t be an issue holding any weight that’s for sure.
It’s pretty robust. I do not know what the weight rating is for the four bolts that are holding it up there underneath the hand grabs in the very back. But the rack itself won’t be an issue holding any weight that’s for sure.
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Hey, great pics man, thank you!
Looks great; thanks for the pictures! Does appear to be a rear view mirror impact though. I ordered one and will use it when I go out camping - thinking of mounting the brackets onlly
Was in a bit of a hurry and left out a few details, comments. The picture you see is with back hatch open. With it closed the top most portion of the closed hatch is just about in line, or level with, the bottom of the shelf..so actually not much view lost.
In my normal driving position I’m pretty upright, and it wasn’t blocking really anything. However, I have not driven it yet but plan to tomorrow. It will depend on your personal seating position, your height, etc. I’m 6’ even.
In my normal driving position I’m pretty upright, and it wasn’t blocking really anything. However, I have not driven it yet but plan to tomorrow. It will depend on your personal seating position, your height, etc. I’m 6’ even.
A few more pics..
This rear view look is a bit more representative I think.
It can hold a lot of stuff. The Freddy Meyer bag has my Viair pump (recently converted so I can plug it direct into the trailer 7-pin receptacle for quick, easy power).
The detail of the slotted mount shows a bit more forward adjustment available, which would increase the gap available between the ceiling and shelf lip for loading. I may readjust mine this way.
This rear view look is a bit more representative I think.
It can hold a lot of stuff. The Freddy Meyer bag has my Viair pump (recently converted so I can plug it direct into the trailer 7-pin receptacle for quick, easy power).
The detail of the slotted mount shows a bit more forward adjustment available, which would increase the gap available between the ceiling and shelf lip for loading. I may readjust mine this way.
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Ok, I promise (kinda..
) these will be last of my amateur pics.
I drove downtown and back up home. I totally stopped noticing it was back there in the mirror; only a tiny loss of field of view. Takes like 15 mins to get used to.
A few more pics, this time artificially stuffed full of misc bags, containers, an expandable food prep tub.
One pic from underneath.
I will buy a flat style bungee to go across the back, hooked onto the grab handles for extra insurance.
) these will be last of my amateur pics.I drove downtown and back up home. I totally stopped noticing it was back there in the mirror; only a tiny loss of field of view. Takes like 15 mins to get used to.
A few more pics, this time artificially stuffed full of misc bags, containers, an expandable food prep tub.
One pic from underneath.
I will buy a flat style bungee to go across the back, hooked onto the grab handles for extra insurance.
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The more the merrier when it comes to photos - they let everyone really get a feel for the subject
What is this picture of?Ok, I promise (kinda..
I drove downtown and back up home. I totally stopped noticing it was back there in the mirror; only a tiny loss of field of view. Takes like 15 mins to get used to.
A few more pics, this time artificially stuffed full of misc bags, containers, an expandable food prep tub.
One pic from underneath.
I will buy a flat style bungee to go across the back, hooked onto the grab handles for extra insurance.
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My contest entry: pic of the collapsible wash bowl hanging over the back edge of the shelf.
Sorry for the goofy pic, but yes JC you are the contest winner!
I was only trying to demo the limited space available to squeeze cargo into the shelf.
I was only trying to demo the limited space available to squeeze cargo into the shelf.
Think these would work well:Sorry for the goofy pic, but yes JC you are the contest winner!
I was only trying to demo the limited space available to squeeze cargo into the shelf.
Packing cubes
You could pack small items into small bags and then pack them in those packing bags and pack away those packing bags into the upper shelf.
Right now I have some recovery gear under the rear cargo floor along with various other junk. I also have a recovery gear bag that I only bring when off roading. The problem is that I've had to get to some of that recovery gear under the cargo floor while off road with the cargo bay stacked full of crap. I plan on having recovery gear stashed up on this shelf along with a few things I always carry like an axe, folding shovel, tarp, giant rain fly for shelter, water purifier, lantern, etc. Everything but the recovery gear and axe currently fits in the little side storage area where I have that stupid-expensive Victory 4X4 side panel thing. That will pretty much fill the roof shelf and that is fine. Under the cargo floor will go misc. stuff like extra roll of TP, winter hat & gloves, the stock jack stuff, ratchet straps, blankets, and water. I'm going to open up the false plastic floor to access the rest of the wasted space down there. I'm also nearly ready to chop into the sides of the cargo bay plastic panels to access all that wasted space, which will negate the Victory 4X4 side panel.
The limited cargo space on these trucks makes me really miss my 2004 Discovery. It had 2 giant cargo boxes with lids on each side of the cargo bay where the GX has inaccessible wasted space around & behind the rear wheel arches.
Right now I have some recovery gear under the rear cargo floor along with various other junk. I also have a recovery gear bag that I only bring when off roading. The problem is that I've had to get to some of that recovery gear under the cargo floor while off road with the cargo bay stacked full of crap. I plan on having recovery gear stashed up on this shelf along with a few things I always carry like an axe, folding shovel, tarp, giant rain fly for shelter, water purifier, lantern, etc. Everything but the recovery gear and axe currently fits in the little side storage area where I have that stupid-expensive Victory 4X4 side panel thing. That will pretty much fill the roof shelf and that is fine. Under the cargo floor will go misc. stuff like extra roll of TP, winter hat & gloves, the stock jack stuff, ratchet straps, blankets, and water. I'm going to open up the false plastic floor to access the rest of the wasted space down there. I'm also nearly ready to chop into the sides of the cargo bay plastic panels to access all that wasted space, which will negate the Victory 4X4 side panel.
The limited cargo space on these trucks makes me really miss my 2004 Discovery. It had 2 giant cargo boxes with lids on each side of the cargo bay where the GX has inaccessible wasted space around & behind the rear wheel arches.
Bill, you are 100% on the money!! I would easily have paid a $1000 more for the truck had Lexus included storage in most of the identified, wasted spaces (thus far). In a trim level marketed as ‘overlanding’ it’s just ridiculous what they left out. Especially coming from an oversized beast like the Sequoia - which always had extra space when I needed it.
Very, very low priority - but if you have a checklist or such of all repair or emergency items you (situationally) carry, I’d love to see that.
I’d love to see, and eagerly await, the steps you’ll take to chop into those wasted spaces!
For everyone, to be clear..yes I really like this overhead shelf. Very functional, well built and looks great.
What I really need is to find a wrecked GX550 and buy the rear side cargo panels so I can experiment. A 3D scanner and printer would help too. I can probably find someone local to whom I can sub that work, though.
There is also a ton of space under the cargo floor beyond the little plastic-lined cubbies that hold the jack tools and spare tire tools. I plan on ripping out that plastic floor and so you can access that lost space. Will have to make sure sufficient support remains so the carpeted cargo floor remains rigid - can also add a couple more in-floor anchors. You could easily stash a few gallons of water up there for emergencies - change it out every few months. I carried a gallon of water in one of my old Land Rover cubbies and I needed it once out in the desert. It was probably over 6 months old and tasted like hot crap but its water.
I'll bet the majority of our recovery gear could be completely swallowed up in the empty space around the rear wheel wells. For recovery I have the winch controller (currently stored inside a beer bottle coozie in the front passenger door panel bottle holder), a recovery bag with a 20-foot synthetic winch line extension, an old and well used 30-foot recovery strap, a tree saver strap, snatch block, various 3/4" D shackles, and a small hatchet. I keep a nice and nearly new 30-foot recovery strap under the driver's seat, and under the cargo floor I have a first aid kit, TP, winter gloves & hat, baseball cap, bungee cords, ratchet straps, hitch receiver recovery point, D shackles, soft shackles, original jack & spare tire tools. It will be nice to be able to keep all the recovery gear together in the recovery bag that will be accessible at all times. I also have a headlamp, some small tools, and 3 pairs of gloves (heavy duty work gloves plus 2 pairs of thinner driving/tactical type gloves) jammed in the door pockets. The glove box has a big Mag Lite, spare mag, 50-box of .45 ammo, and the usual owner's manuals and insurance & registration documents. My center console with the fancy 3D printed cool box organizer has a Leatherman, Brunton compass, tire gauge, various charging cords, pens, markers, etc. The little side panel on the driver's side of the cargo bay has a folding shovel, ground tarp, giant rain fly for shelter, a water purifier tumbler cup, and a lantern. I keep an axe in the lower forward part of the cargo bay - this really needs to be secured. I've basically stuffed crap all over the place like a squirrel because the storage situation in the GX550 sucks.
There is also a ton of space under the cargo floor beyond the little plastic-lined cubbies that hold the jack tools and spare tire tools. I plan on ripping out that plastic floor and so you can access that lost space. Will have to make sure sufficient support remains so the carpeted cargo floor remains rigid - can also add a couple more in-floor anchors. You could easily stash a few gallons of water up there for emergencies - change it out every few months. I carried a gallon of water in one of my old Land Rover cubbies and I needed it once out in the desert. It was probably over 6 months old and tasted like hot crap but its water.
I'll bet the majority of our recovery gear could be completely swallowed up in the empty space around the rear wheel wells. For recovery I have the winch controller (currently stored inside a beer bottle coozie in the front passenger door panel bottle holder), a recovery bag with a 20-foot synthetic winch line extension, an old and well used 30-foot recovery strap, a tree saver strap, snatch block, various 3/4" D shackles, and a small hatchet. I keep a nice and nearly new 30-foot recovery strap under the driver's seat, and under the cargo floor I have a first aid kit, TP, winter gloves & hat, baseball cap, bungee cords, ratchet straps, hitch receiver recovery point, D shackles, soft shackles, original jack & spare tire tools. It will be nice to be able to keep all the recovery gear together in the recovery bag that will be accessible at all times. I also have a headlamp, some small tools, and 3 pairs of gloves (heavy duty work gloves plus 2 pairs of thinner driving/tactical type gloves) jammed in the door pockets. The glove box has a big Mag Lite, spare mag, 50-box of .45 ammo, and the usual owner's manuals and insurance & registration documents. My center console with the fancy 3D printed cool box organizer has a Leatherman, Brunton compass, tire gauge, various charging cords, pens, markers, etc. The little side panel on the driver's side of the cargo bay has a folding shovel, ground tarp, giant rain fly for shelter, a water purifier tumbler cup, and a lantern. I keep an axe in the lower forward part of the cargo bay - this really needs to be secured. I've basically stuffed crap all over the place like a squirrel because the storage situation in the GX550 sucks.
Hey folks, piling on with some details of my cargo shelf/panel setup that I hope some of ya'll may find useful.
I added integrated lighting below the shelf as it was hard to see the cargo space at night (even with the liftgate light additions as that light tends to get blocked by your body when you approach the cargo space)
Shelf/Panels:
-I ended up going w/ the Bison Gear Shelf/Panel . Overall fit/finish was great - Con: it came w/ chrome flanged nuts that I've since replaced with black nylon lock nuts to keep things tight and looking uniform.
Lighting:
-I didn't like fact that the cargo space dome light was blocked once the shelf is filled so I piggy backed off of the mini diode spot lights that reside in the rear driver side pillar.
-Using pigtail connectors (Toyota Connector #: 90980-11918) to make a piggyback harness using this wire (to avoid splicing into any factory wiring). Routing to the cargo bay was a very easy fishing job, no prying or panel removal required. I like the wire linked above as its flat and not round makes things neater.
Sidebar FYI: The 10 ga version of that wire slides under our windshield side cowling so you don’t have to use bulky line hide for lightbar etc. looks a lot cleaner.
-Light pods: I used these Rock lights because the mounting hole footprint matched my shelf molle holes perfectly -alternatively these KC ones are a more expensive option and easier to mount as they'd only require a single screw to mount.
-Cable control: Looms & magnetic stays to keep the underside of the shelf clean and organized. Splicing was done with marine grade connectors and 4:1 black shrink.
If there is interest - I can detail out the bins used and their contents as well as the side panel storage (but I mainly just used quick fists of various sizes for those).
Cheers!
I added integrated lighting below the shelf as it was hard to see the cargo space at night (even with the liftgate light additions as that light tends to get blocked by your body when you approach the cargo space)
Shelf/Panels:
-I ended up going w/ the Bison Gear Shelf/Panel . Overall fit/finish was great - Con: it came w/ chrome flanged nuts that I've since replaced with black nylon lock nuts to keep things tight and looking uniform.
Lighting:
-I didn't like fact that the cargo space dome light was blocked once the shelf is filled so I piggy backed off of the mini diode spot lights that reside in the rear driver side pillar.
-Using pigtail connectors (Toyota Connector #: 90980-11918) to make a piggyback harness using this wire (to avoid splicing into any factory wiring). Routing to the cargo bay was a very easy fishing job, no prying or panel removal required. I like the wire linked above as its flat and not round makes things neater.
Sidebar FYI: The 10 ga version of that wire slides under our windshield side cowling so you don’t have to use bulky line hide for lightbar etc. looks a lot cleaner.
-Light pods: I used these Rock lights because the mounting hole footprint matched my shelf molle holes perfectly -alternatively these KC ones are a more expensive option and easier to mount as they'd only require a single screw to mount.
-Cable control: Looms & magnetic stays to keep the underside of the shelf clean and organized. Splicing was done with marine grade connectors and 4:1 black shrink.
If there is interest - I can detail out the bins used and their contents as well as the side panel storage (but I mainly just used quick fists of various sizes for those).
Cheers!
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That is an impressive instal - really like the light focus as that was a concern as I am awaiting the arrival of my shelf. Not sure if I will leave the shelf installed or not and if I make it a drop in will need to play with the light connection via connectors so I can easily remove it.
For what it’s worth - I’m not planing on adding the side panels - do not want to close things that much back there.
Great pictures as well! How did we survive without Amazon - seems once we order X there are 3 times as many orders over there to finish things….
Very cool
Thanks man - for your setup - I bet there is something slick you can do with a quick connect fitting tapped off the dome light maybe? “Low profile bulkhead” or “panel dc connector” search may yield some viable candidates for your use case.
Re: Amazon- I know it, and imo it’s no longer a matter of them beating the competition in terms of shipping convenience but also for variety of stuff. Where I can and when time isn’t of the essence - I do order from independent retailers or McM - Id prefer not to give MORE money to daddy bezos for him to rent out basically all of Venice, ha.
But Frankenstein’s new bride needs more plastic surgery!
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