-=KR=-

Greetings all,
This is my first "project" for my truck that didn't involve simple bolt-on's so I thought I'd share if anyone else was interested in doing something similar. I know Ford offers a console safe for $329 but it looks like it takes up the entire console. I found cheaper solution that provides a biometric safe and still gives you room for other things in your console.
I was shopping at Sam's Club and found a Stack-On Biometric Drawer Safe for $69 and thought, hmm, that might just work in the truck.



So i bought it, got home to see if it would fit and wouldn't you know, it's about 1/4 inch too wide to fit flat on the bottom of the console. This is because there are two raised edges on either side of the console at the bottom. I wasn't about to cut/trim those edges with a dremmel but the thought did cross my mind.
I was about to return it to the store when I had an idea. What if I put a piece of wood under the safe and between the two edges to level it out? Out of the box, there's a styrofoam cover that is the exact size of the safe.



Using this as a template, you'll need to cut about 1/4 inch along the long edge of one side, then test fit it in the console to make sure it fits.



Once you have it cut to fit, you now have a template to cut a piece of wood. ONE THING TO NOTE: you'll need the wood to be about 3/4 inches longer than the styrofoam, the reason is, if you test fit the safe in the console, you'll notice if you put it flush with the rear of the console, the lid will not fully open due to hitting the console lid. Moving it out 3/4 of an inch clears the lid. The other nice thing about the styrofoam is the thickness of it is almost perfect for the thickness of wood you need.

I took my styrofoam template to Home Depot and found that a 1 ft X 4 ft board was the right width and thickness. Cost $10 and Home Depot will even cut it for you at no cost, they'll just mark it based on your template and cut. When I left the store, I test fit the board before leaving the parking lot and found there was one long edge that had not been cut straight (and wouldn't fit on one end in the console) so I went right back in, re-cut it and then it fit fine.




Next was how to attach the wood to the bottom of the console, I tossed around a couple of ideas and you may have your own preference but I eventually decided to use 1 1/4 inch wood screws. They were just long enough to go through the wood and console but not too far. And YES I was concerned about hitting something important UNDER the console so I was your guinea pig in this case. I seemed to recall seeing a wiring diagram from a previous post that the wires went along the sides under the console. So I used four screws to secure the wood to the bottom (don't forget to take out the rubber mat first, save it for later, if you decide to take the safe out, you can replace the mat and no one will see the screw holes.) i put the screws in each corner about 1 1/2 inches in from the edges and it seemed to work fine. Make sure the screws are flush or slightly indented into the wood so the safe will sit flat on top. If you don't want to use screws, you could probably use velcro, 3M adhesive, or whatever your preference is for how secure you want it or if you don't want "holes".

The safe comes with two bolts (for two inside holes on the bottom), I tossed those and used two more wood screws to secure it to the board.

And voila! An inexpensive option to have a secure safe in your console. As you can see in the photo, you can't even see the wood. AND there is still plenty of room for my magnum flashlight, Garmin navigation, etc. The safe has the ability to store up to 20 fingerprints so I scanned mine and my wife's so she can access too. It also comes with two keys for manual opening if needed (behind the square plastic piece between the scanner and the bolt ****). I decided to keep one key "hidden" somewhere in the cab that only my wife and I know about. Batteries are supposed to last about a year and a yellow light tells you when they need to be replaced.






Lastly, using the original rubber mat, I bought some similar material and used the mat as a template to cut a piece to put in the front part of the console just forward of the safe so things don't slip and slide around.

Let me know what you think?
Cheers, -=KR=-

BlackBoost

So, since your fingerprints are all over your buttons and touchscreen in your truck, it shouldn't be that hard to open the safe considering it only cost $69... And now someone has your gun


Or you can use the easy way with a straw or paper clips


http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/201...ack-gun-safes/


https://www.wired.com/2012/07/gun-safes/

dbeck23

Considering BlackBoost's physical location, I feel it's safe to *assume* his is not in favor of freely armed citizens.


Unless you are carrying around finger print removing film, I find it hard to believe you can open the safe by using left over prints from your screen. That being said, the real goal, in my opinion, of this safe option is not permanent storage. It's a BUG weapon, not a primary, so ease of access has to be factored. Nice project, works well, looks good, and seems to serve your goal.


Good work.

BlackBoost

You can use paperclips to open it, read the articles. And what I'm not in favor of is freely armed criminals, which apparently is a big problem in case you haven't kept up with the news. And most are stolen guns. So why not just leave it on your dash with the windows down and doors unlocked then. I'm sure the kids are all safe right?

-=KR=-

Yeah, all true, but i generally never leave my gun in the truck overnight. It provides a place to keep it when it's not on my person, for long trips and helps to satisfy some of our laws here in Florida. The gun (loaded, of course) must be securely encased or otherwise not readily accessible for immediate use. The center console or glove box is fine as long as it can latch shut. They don’t need to lock, just latch. Now if kids are somehow involved, that gun MUST be kept locked.

I realized before putting this in it would not stop someone who is determined to get it out.

TenacG15

Any lock only keeps honest people out. Nothing is secure!!!

ab46501

So basically what you are saying is that we don't need more gun control we just need to ban paperclips.


Good job =KR=. I like the set up a lot.

dbeck23

Who is freely arming criminals? I was unaware there was a gun issue in the US right now, appreciate the update though. But since we're discussing, and most being stolen guns of course, which is against that law, we should have more laws restricting citizens? Since the laws are so effective, make them illegal, that will keep them out of the hands of criminals.

All Hat No Cattle

Well, I watched the video testing all the safes. Some conclusions.

A trained locksmith can easily defeat a relatively inexpensive personal safe.

If you live in an area that is having an epidemic of trained locksmiths breaking into vehicles, don't buy one of those safes.

If you live in an area where the smash and grab thieves carry paper clips and brass shims, don't buy the safes. And the thieves should also have X-ray vision, to see if you have a gun safe in the console, and it actually has a gun in it.

OP, if you should become nervous about the security of the safe, then fitting a strong hasp and this lock on the box will make it much more secure. Unless, of course, the thief has a battery powered cutoff/grinder.

http://www.1st-in-padlocks.com/buffo...dlock-p-4.html

https://www.zoro.com/dewalt-cordless...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

RichardCheese

Yes! That's the answer...ban the paperclips. I mean after all it's the paperclips fault that locks can be picked and items stolen...

I second the install =KR= looks good and serves your purpose well. Keep these kind of posts coming as they help build a wealth of knowledge on the forum.