Dog Deck

Our dogs spend more time than any backseat passengers in the H3, as they did when we had the Montero. I did a rear-seat mod on it to make dog travel easier on all of us.
Having made a great improvement in traveling with the Goldens, as well as increasing storage capacity, I decided to do the same on the H3.

Rear-seat removal is straight forward, remove the bottoms from their easily accessible mounts, and then the backs. The 60/40 seat back is mounted on a sub-frame that keeps the backs aligned and rigid. With everything out, this is what's left.
I removed the seat-backs from the sub-frame and reinstalled it. There are two spring loaded doors integrated into the transition that kept debris from falling in between the seats and the cargo area. I though these might be nice to maintain an access to the underside of the platform.
I then made stanchions out of off-the-shelf fencing hardware from Lowe's, four of which were shaped to measure from the floor to just above the six-gallon water tanks that I'll be stowing beneath the deck.
Once I hammered them into the shape and length needed, I fastened them to the floor using the H3 hardware that held the seat-bottoms in place. I also determined to rotate the front stanchions 90 degrees to decrease forward flexing of the brace. 
I dog-eared a 2'X4' piece of 3/4 plywood and did a test fit once I had the rear set of stanchions installed.
With everything lined up, I marked the mounting holes on the plywood and drilled them out. 

I rounded the opposite edges on the deck and then covered it in gray interior carpeting, using Gorilla glue and a staple gun. I then installed the deck, bolting it onto the stanchions. 
 We did a test run with the girls, and they appeared to be very happy with the mod. But, they appear to be very happy with just about anything.
I'm going to add one additional stanchion at the front of the deck in the middle for more rigidity. 

Popular posts from this blog

PCM of NC

Image
PCM Reprogram - July 19, 2014 Even though the H3's I5 produces a bit more power than the Montero's V6, it's sluggish at best with low RPM shifts with flat torque curves. I researched a number of mechanical mods to improve this (within my budget) and found that the most common - air intake upgrades, headers - yielded little change in performance and better fuel efficiency.  From various H3 user forums I heard about  PCM of North Carolina  and researched their service; they flash and reprogram the factory PCM (power-train control module) promising better throttle response and fuel efficiency, better shift points making better use of the torque curve, and more horsepower.  Sounds too good to be true, but having lived in North Carolina, it's been my experience to have never been disappointed with anything that comes from that state. So I made the order. I opted for their loaner program where they send a unit to replace the factory PCM while it's sent ...
Read more

Rear Door Mod

Image
While the above modification worked well to keep essentials handy, it encroached too far into the cargo space, since the overland gear packs in filling the space completely while securing the load.  The Fiskars ax has been relocated across the driver-side cargo area storage compartment and the MOLLE panel has been moved up above the rear-door utility shelf.  Now the packs clear the load when the door is closed, yet they're still accessible. Rear Door Utility Shelf Mod  One of our favorite interior modifications on the Montero was the addition of a utility shelf that provided a place for food prep. The H3's rear door stows the jack and hardware assembly behind a removable plastic panel, a perfect place to adapt a shelf to the rear door access cover versus adding one like what was done on the Montero . Looking at clearances and how the panel is engineered to fit into the plastic surround I decided to use one-quarter inch oak veneer for the shel...
Read more

Garvin Roof Rack

Image
I considered two roof racks, a Gobi Stealth and the Garvin Sport roof rack, the latter being a third the the cost. While the Stealth would offer storage the length of the H3's greenhouse with a different construction, I'd be using a rack to stow recovery items and serve as a mount for an awning. While one of the laws of overlanding is the stuff you carry expands by 1.5 times to the available space, I won't be using the square footage of the Stealth and want to resist overloading the top of the rig. That's why I went with the Garvin. I researched to no avail to find how it mounts to an H3's existing rack system, so I thought I'd provide that illustration here. The front of the H3's rails have a plastic cap that clips into place, finishing the line of the rail to the front of the cab. This has a tab that when compressed and lifted, can be removed to access the rail. With this removed the cleats to which the feet of the Garvin rack mounts to can b...
Read more