kerryp

I have been looking at the tuffy security drawers and their other security boxes for a long time and would have loved to buy one. But frankly, they are too proud of their boxes and I couldn't afford $600 plus dollers for one.

My main concern was being able to secure items in a place that was safe. I don't like a bunch of stuff in the back that can bouce around and become dangerous when bouncing down a trail

So I decided to look around and use something that was off the shelf, that was durable and locked.

I went to Tractor Supply and they had a couple of good options. The under the bed boxes that are used for flat bed trucks was my first choice, but for various reasons, I decided to go with a general utility type box.

The box is 32" X !3" X 15", rugged, and fits in the JK pretty well.



The next thing I had to do, was decide how to mount the box and due to the cubby, there are not a lot of options.

I decided to bite the bullet and remove my sub-woofer (hopefully to be re-installed at a later date in some fashion).

My intent was to use uni-strut. For those of you that are not familiar with it, it is used in construction to fab up mounting points for stuff like large conduits, water pipe, ducts, etc. and comes with a multitude of neat little adapters, etc.

Painted it black to blend in a little better.


I was hoping to cut two small pieces the same length as the depth of the box and place them on either side of the cubby and then cut two lengths the same as the length of the box and mount those on top of the two shorter pieces.

Basically the two shorter pieces would have been mounted length wise front of vehicle to back and the longer pieces would have been mounted on top of those left to right. The reason for this was to keep me clear of the cubby lid, give me a mounting base, and to raise the box enough to still utilize the cubby by being able to slide the lid off to gain access.

Well the mod gods were not friendly to me because there is a body channel just to the outside of each side of the cubby so no way to drill through the tub and get access to your bolt.

Plan two - Move the uni-strut in toward the cubby....well in order to do that, you end up right on top of the cubby lid. I decided to take off the lid and do without it. I mounted the unistrut where i could gain access to the nuts and got them mounted firmly. I did have to put the bolts closer together than I had hoped, but the body channel curves inwards so I had to put them close together, but believe me, its not going anywhere.



Right Side


Left Side



That was the hardest part. Once the uni-strut was mounted, it was just a matter of placing the box on top, drilling four holes in it and using spring nuts in the uni-strut (one of the neat little gadgets that you can get for uni-strut) and tighten her down.



I mounted the box back, just far enough to be able to get my hand into the cubby to have access and still store stuff under there. I'll probably just keep my tow strap and tree saver strap under there for easy access and because they are not dangerous when bouncing down a trail.





I still need to rip off the tractor supply decal and take the box back off and paint it black (which I am still thinking about, because here in texas, having a black metal object in your vehicle radiates a lot of heat in the summer.



Also need to determine how and where I want to mount my CO2 Tank Bracket, considering a couple different options.








UPDATED 4-15-08
Well finally picked out a paint. I decided to go with Rustoleum Hammered Gray. It offers a slightly textured finish with little to no glare.

Took off the tractor supply emblem and sanded the box so it would accept paint better. Let it sit in the sun for a little while to warm up so the paint would dry better..



Here is a shot of the box after being painted



Installed, you can see that it matches the gray interior pretty good.



Nuther shot showing a view of the top of the box and the back of the seat to show how close it is in color.

GadgetPhreak

Great job, it looks good and useful. Maybe you could go grey (or Khaki, depending on the color of your interior) which would cause it to blend in a bit better without going black if you're concerned about the heat in summer.

Cheers,
Gadget

kerryp

Thanks, Yeah I was thinking of maybe a crinkle style gray or something, to give it a little texture too so it wouldn't glare...

BYU JK

Nice work. As for the Co2, I thought I read that it needed to be mounted vertically for safety reason. I'm by no means an expert with Co2 just remember seeing that somewhere.

kerryp

I'll have to research that on the CO2.

I have seen the tanks mounted horizontally before and know you can't use them that way, you can only use them in a vertical position since it is a liquid.

Eugene the jeep

That is exactly what I want to do. Perfect soft-top solution, nice work.

Thanks for the Uni-strut idea, makes it easy to pull out when you need to.

MikeyLikesIt

Nice mod...I may have to see if that box will fit in my TJ. I like the secure way it's mounted.

Will the CO2 tank fit in the box? Also, I'd forgo the black paint...the white box will get hot enough here in Texas...maybe grey or even some carpet on top.

Let us see what you end up doing.
Mikey

kerryp

Yes the CO2 would fit in the box, but I don't want to take up that much space iin the box unless I determine that the rest of my stuff will only take up a small portion.

I actually thought about mounting the CO2 to the underside to the lid, we'll see.

My intention is to design a quick release system so I can take the box in and out easily. I have a few ideas already.

Duke

The tanks can be mounted in any orientation, but as you said can only be used in the verticle orientation, otherwise you run a risk of the the liquid CO2 clogging the regulator.

MikeyLikesIt

You've got me thinking now... I'd definately want a quick release.