# Custom car kennel build #2



## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

With the Mazda sold for quite some time, I think it's finally time to get something a bit nicer made for the Dodge Magnum. This project is essentially inspired by the Police K9 car inserts, and my unwillingness to pay the $2K for one. So here's some pics... It's obviously not done yet.

The kennel is three main sections. Here's the floor design:









Front wall design:









Rear wall design:









Car's rear seat was removed:









Floor section fabricated:









The floor is created to sit as low as possible. In fact, the car's drive shaft hump will support part of the kennel floor:









The floor section bolts into factory seat mounts:









Then I move on to the front wall:


















And then the rear wall:









The rear wall also mounts into factor seat mount points- both at the sides:









...And in the center:









Most all the welds are triple passed:









Tomorrow I will finish welding the rear wall, which I have mocked out:









The kennel will be plenty big for two dogs (which is the intention):


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## AngelaA6 (Jan 20, 2013)

Looking good  love seeing your projects


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## Mister C (Jan 14, 2014)

That is awesome and shows some great welding skills. Kudos and thanks for sharing.


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## Ozzieleuk (Mar 23, 2014)

Capital idea !

You gave me an idea to make something out of wood; because I am not a welder.
I have lots of hard maple on my property that I have milled into lumber.
So I will make this one of my winter projects...

Thanks for sharing such a great idea.
Your two dogs in the photo are in the good hands of a caring owner.


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## MyHans-someBoy (Feb 23, 2013)

Looks good!
My husband enjoys fabricating and welding projects. He just lacks the time right now. I will show this to him because it will definitely interest him.
Thanks for sharing your idea!


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Good job Willy, looking forward to seeing the finished product. Just a word of caution, I do welding /metal work at home and while it looks like you swept up nicely, the dogs can pick up splinters from grinding/cutting debris which finds its way into everything.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Ozzieleuk said:


> You gave me an idea to make something out of wood; because I am not a welder.
> I have lots of hard maple on my property that I have milled into lumber.
> So I will make this one of my winter projects...


Check out my first car kennel build here made of oak hardwood and plywood.. While it worked exceptionally well, and I never did have any problem with it, I wanted this build to be a bit more secure using steel instead of wood. But you should get some solid ideas from the pics in the first build thread.



Nigel said:


> Just a word of caution, I do welding /metal work at home and while it looks like you swept up nicely, the dogs can pick up splinters from grinding/cutting debris which finds its way into everything.


Yes- I real concern. Pimg being a senior (and decently trained) she stays in the backyard while I'm working in the garage. She really enjoys just hanging out outside looking around. Jinks on the other hand is admittedly a bit of a pest when I'm trying to get work done. He's constantly coming into the garage and trying to coax me to throw his disc. My concerns are not really metal splinters, but him watching the welding (damaging to eyes) and dropping his disc in the metal grindings (ingesting the metal shavings). I generally close him off in the backyard while actually welding, and wash his disc first when he drops it in the shavings. But yep... good safety advice there.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Yes, we have to shut our shop cat up at work (flash burn), otherwise she'll perch on the equipment and try to spectate. I do mostly repair work, seeing your project is motivating.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

I have a few more pieces to weld in, but the three main pieces are now 90% done. It's big enough now that it's hard to get an overall view in the car (though the lack of daylight doesn't help).


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## CroMacster (Oct 23, 2013)

I am in the process of designing and building a similar crate for my car. One issue that I have come accross is the side impact air bags. Does the magnum have side impact airbags? Or have you thought of a workaround? It might not be much of an issue with welded steel.

I am concerned of the airbag going off and damaging the crate in such a way that could make a crash even more dangerous for the passenger (dogs).

Edit: Thanks for posting your builds, I have been using your first build and now your second one in the design of my own. I plan on posting some pictures once I get the process started.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

CroMacster said:


> I am in the process of designing and building a similar crate for my car. One issue that I have come accross is the side impact air bags. Does the magnum have side impact airbags? Or have you thought of a workaround? It might not be much of an issue with welded steel.
> 
> I am concerned of the airbag going off and damaging the crate in such a way that could make a crash even more dangerous for the passenger (dogs).
> 
> Edit: Thanks for posting your builds, I have been using your first build and now your second one in the design of my own. I plan on posting some pictures once I get the process started.


Interesting thought. The Magnum came with side airbags as a factory option, not stock. Honestly, I'm not sure I have them- I haven't looked. Basic research online shows that only about 20% of the RT version were sold with the side airbags, so chances are low that I have them. 

Even so- I'm interested in how you think the airbags would damage your crate? Are you thinking that it would blow the crate apart on impact? While I'm aware that you can really launch stuff high in the air with an old airbag, I would think you're fairly safe with it hitting the side of your crate in a car. Honestly, I don't really know- haven't put much thought into it. I'll tell you one thing- if the fabric airbag can move 1" steel tubing- I'll be shocked! 

I'm glad you enjoy the build threads!


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Neat!


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## CroMacster (Oct 23, 2013)

wildo said:


> Even so- I'm interested in how you think the airbags would damage your crate? Are you thinking that it would blow the crate apart on impact? While I'm aware that you can really launch stuff high in the air with an old airbag, I would think you're fairly safe with it hitting the side of your crate in a car. Honestly, I don't really know- haven't put much thought into it. I'll tell you one thing- if the fabric airbag can move 1" steel tubing- I'll be shocked!
> 
> I'm glad you enjoy the build threads!


I guess, in my head I picture the airbag going off damaging the crate which could cause harm to the dog or passengers in the car. Maybe I am just over thinking it.

And you seem to know what you are doing, but I pulled a lot of inspiration from this thread. Overland truck/car campers get pretty serious about the storage modifications they do in their cars. None dog crate specific, but I thought you might find it interesting.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/9034-Post-up-your-drawer-storage-system?highlight=storage


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

CroMacster said:


> None dog crate specific, but I thought you might find it interesting.
> Post up your drawer/storage system - Expedition Portal


Wow! Cool thread!


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Today was a mad dash to get this thing in working shape for the Thanksgiving holiday. I didn't plan on finishing it (and I haven't) just needed to get it operational for travel.

Here I am bending the 1/8" sheet aluminum to the angle I need:









Except, it was VERY difficult to bend being 52" wide. I decided to over bend it with the jacks, and then heat the aluminum so the metal would relax. This worked pretty well:









And I bent the rear section as well. So the whole floor is one piece:









I zip tied a piece of plywood onto the back wall for temp use. And you can see the flyball matting cut to size on the floor:


















I also got the top piece of aluminum cut to size:


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## awmp (Feb 20, 2013)

Make sure you keep us up to date, would love to see the finished product.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

So will this one be much shorter height wise? Since your wood one followed the car ceiling?


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Lin said:


> So will this one be much shorter height wise? Since your wood one followed the car ceiling?


I'm not entirely sure, Lin. I think this one is maybe a bit taller. Yes, the kennel in the Mazda went to the ceiling, however- it was also on a raised platform. This one is low, sitting on the car's floor. I have 29" of vertical clearance in this kennel.


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## CroMacster (Oct 23, 2013)

Any updates?


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## 2Kool4SkoolKiid (Jun 29, 2015)

How much did you spend on the metal fames ?


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

2Kool4SkoolKiid said:


> How much did you spend on the metal fames ?


About $110 in steel, if memory serves.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

wildo said:


> About $110 in steel, if memory serves.


The aluminum was another $150 or so.


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## 2Kool4SkoolKiid (Jun 29, 2015)

wildo said:


> About $110 in steel, if memory serves.


$260 is really good, compared to 2k for a k9 crate


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

2Kool4SkoolKiid said:


> $260 is really good, compared to 2k for a k9 crate


That's why I DIY.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

CroMacster said:


> Any updates?


Sure.

I added a front gate to the front wall









It can open too









Everything got painted









I had the idea to put down some sound insulation to buffer road noise









...I did do that, but I wrapped the insulation in plastic first to protect from moisture. Notice I also added 1/8" thick weather stripping to the floor section in order to give the aluminum kennel floor at least a semblance of shock isolation.









Installed:




































At some point in time I'll probably add doors. But for now, the car doors work perfectly well. This project is basically considered complete.


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## charger (Jan 29, 2008)

Noticed the shaved patches on your pups legs, hope everything is okay.
Nice job on the cage!


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## sweetGSD (Sep 19, 2011)

That's really nice!


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## CroMacster (Oct 23, 2013)

Looking good. I just started on my own last night. Will be a similar backseat replacement.

I like your sliding gate. What did you use for the sliding mechanism?


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

CroMacster said:


> Looking good. I just started on my own last night. Will be a similar backseat replacement.
> 
> I like your sliding gate. What did you use for the sliding mechanism?


Just drawer slides. They work fine, but in the open position they rattle a bit. At first the detent of the drawer slides (closed position) held the gate closed, but with time and use it loosened up and turning a corner would allow the gate to slide open (or closed). Therefore, I've recently added a latch.



















Post pics of your build...


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