The original under bench area had a tiny drawer and a rear-facing seat belt. The other side was full of slide stuff and a forward facing seat belt. We did not modify that side at all.
We dreamed of how to
easily access all that empty space under the one bench. After discarding several ideas we decided on a sliding plastic tub which filled the area and kept its lid for secure food storage. We kept the upholstered face plate but the .5 cu ft drawer and seat belt came out. The metal floor plate stayed in to protect the slider slot mechanism. Photos linked below in my Thor Forum Album
We needed very short height but long sliding rails which would be strong enough to hold the weight of a pantry bin off the floor when extended. Wheels would not work due to the height difference from the slider floor to the kitchen floor. After a few false starts we found the perfect pair of rails. We opted to get rails without any locking device. We could not envision how we could release the lock on the bottom rails under that big bin if the face plate was fully closed. The rails come in various lengths. That should grant a lot of custom tailoring to fit your under bench mod.
Next we found a Hefty 100 quart (25 gallon) bin which would completely fill the under bench space yet be able to slide out. Remember the goal was easily accessible. Rail link and bin info on photos linked below.
Then Jim engineered and fabricated a metal capture system (a nest) to hold a large plastic bin on the rails. The original upholstered face plate was attached to the new metal structure. Build photos are linked below.
The huge plastic bin with its lid nests in the metal structure. We made a cut on the first third of the lid and then taped the cut. This tape works as a hinge. It allowed that portion of the lid to open upward. This made easy access to frequently used pantry items stored in the front (anybody guess snacks?)
The slider rails are so good that the pantry will open (and close) on curvy mountain roads. It’s easily stopped with a folded towel wedge. But we might use a simple metal hook and eye or a plastic child-proof latch. That part is yet to be determined .
The interior plastic bin could hold anything - linens, clothes, shoes, etc. But I wanted an easily accessible pantry directly across from my kitchen.
There were so many photos that I made a Thor Forum Album. I couldn’t find a way to sort the photos chronologically. I tried to upload them so it made some sense.
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/me...albums430.html
I’m including a link to the rails
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08XN...b_b_asin_title
The bin size will need to be very specific to your measurements. But there’s a photo of the Hefty label and we got it at Lowe’s.
Great ideas in play!