Ice chest / Cooler tech

[philofab]

I am thinking about putting suspension seats in the back of my Bronco in place of the bench. I was thinking a cooler would be nice as a rear center console. It would free space up in the cargo area and be easier to access. Who makes the toughest cooler? I wouldn't mind paying 100-200 dollars since it will be permanently installed (bolted down). What is everyone's thoughts? Should I just build one out of aluminum?

[Nick]

I think that's a "Cool" idea! Coleman ice chests have never let me down, and they come in many different sizes.

[ChaseTruck754]

I have been thinking about building a dual layered one (outer skin then styrofoam then inner skin) out of 18ga or so stainless and mounting it in the ex-cab portion of the supercab. I would have a drain tube in the bottom that would exit through the cab floor. I am undecided on whether I would leave this open at all times or put a valve on it.

[Rednek Renegade]

I have been eyeballin this lil 12 pack electric cooler, no ice needed, 12v, and only $25. But how the hell would'ya mount it?

[philofab]

I get about 6 months out of a Coleman from Walmart. The lid rips off or it starts cracking everywhere.

[Broncodawg]

ARB electric fridge would be sweet, but hard to fit. Cheap elctrics are a waste of money. If you bolt it down, it'll become a moldy science project the first time you forget to clean and dry it out. Been there.....
Rig up some good straps for it and call it good.

[Dezertbronco]

Cabellas sells a stainless cooler.they are sweet.

[MOSS2]

So how much faster will this make the truck in the whoops? Should we put one in the race car? Okay you can ban me now and send me to FSB!

[magic carpet XLT]

mount the drain over your rear shock resis so you can have real time shock cooling.

[Nick]

So how much faster will this make the truck in the whoops? Should we put one in the race car? Okay you can ban me now and send me to FSB!

Hahaha! Hey, are you saying that the mods aren't doing their jobs?

[PaulW]

I used to put my 5 day cooler on the rear floor but it get so hot the ice goes way to fast. I put 2" of styrafoam under the removable carpet and that helped. Now I just strap the thing on the stock bench seat for longer trips. More than doubled the ice life. For one day trips I use the floor and a smaller cooler and the ice is gone when I get home.
PW

[philofab]

Maybe I should have put this in general tech. I'm just trying to figure out how to keep some drinks cold and still have room for my spare and a spare for a race car. Right now with the cooler strapped down over the top (handles rip off it you strap to them) it's a pain to get to and uses a lot of space up.

[SteveG]

So how much faster will this make the truck in the whoops? Should we put one in the race car? Okay you can ban me now and send me to FSB!

Ken, it's all about placement. A filled ice chest position can make or break the balance of a whoop-eating machine. Also, the contents can make or break the hours of downtime post-carnage.

[T-Hawk]

So how much faster will this make the truck in the whoops? Should we put one in the race car? Okay you can ban me now and send me to FSB!

Ken, it's all about placement. A filled ice chest position can make or break the balance of a whoop-eating machine. Also, the contents can make or break the hours of downtime post-carnage.

We're talking weight distribution, more mass in the center of the truck keeps it stable, and if properly placed, the sloshing of the ice/water/cans in the cooler can shift the weight dynamically and counter-act the tendency for the nose and tail of the truck to get off sync and try to swap places (We might be onto something here, I forsee a thread discussing the size and placement of a cooler for better whoop stability in the future)