Underneath you say, hmmmm now everyone knows

Are you going to put a pad on the top. Otherwise in the summer you'll have a BBQ everytime you rest your arm. Sweet build ill pobably end up doing the samething

 

Doesn't matter. You will have to completly unbolt the console to remove it. Which will only be accessable from the inside, which will have a lock.

I plan on having the truck open during the summer(doors and top off) so I am slowly building things to be safe from thieves.

Definatly will have a pad. Although, I don't know where I will get one. Probably just make one from scratch.

I bent the metal with clamps and a staight edge along a grove I cut with a grinder. It took a lot of guess/check to get the right angles.



My biggest challenge now is making the linkage to get both doors locked and figuring out what I want to do about the hinge on the flip door to the radio. The rest is cake.

I wanted the seam to the radio door to be totally hidden so no one would even know it was a door. But I can't think of any way to have it flip all the way around and keep the hinge hidden. I will probably have to go with the big dumb looking hinge on the front. Any ideas?

 

the cupholder is designed to hold a can in a coozie.

 

nice project You might be able to find some hidden/reversible/double hinges at a local metal supplier or scrap yard. Aerocatch mfg's some nice flush mounting locking mechanisms too. www.aerocatch.com Are you going to vent the console for the radio?

 

Those latches are pretty nice. A little overkill for this project though IMHO.
I hadn't thought about venting the console. It won't be very air tight. I suppose I could keep it in mind.







Here are some more pics of how it sits now. I made the back plate for the face of the radio.


Someone wanted to see a close up of the bracket. The nuts are welded on for easy install/uninstall.



Got the diamond plate cleaned up and the back plate tacked in.



The diamond plate is just resting on the console right now. Which explains the red thing up front.



DON'T WORRY! The plates aren't crooked, its just a weird angle and the fact that they are just sitting on there.



It's turning out pretty cool.



I am still trying to think of something original/cool to do about the hinge thing. Kinda hard to get an invisible 270 degree hinge. Especially in the amount of space I have to work with. Please post your thoughts!

 

hey chris,

if your goal is to hide the stereo from prying eyes, why not casually throw a random shirt or small hand towel on it? that would solve *that* problem but not the actual theft/security problem

or totally thinking out of the box, but increasing the "nah, too much work" factor: why not make a fascade cupholder that just fits right on top with 1/2 a soda can sticking out? meaning, it looks like a cupholder and the 1/2 can of soda makes it appear that it is a deep cupholder

bob

 

I like the coke idea but I don't think it would flow with my design very well.

 

i like the design of the box, but i have one concern, i had the tuffy box that is similar to your box and one time during a quick turn i smacked my elbow on the corner of the box ... god it hurt hairline fractured my elbow so i would definately think padding!!!

 

hey getitdone -- cool project. I'm not a fabricator, just enjoy reading about what ppl build.

For the hinge: would an ammo can lid work? Not sure of the dimensions of your console, but eyeballing it, 7.62 or .50 cal? In my head, you'd cut the hinge off the main part of the box, weld it to your console, then slap the lid back on...

For the armrest/pad, how bout getting one from the junkyard and just bolting it up to the aforementioned ammo can lid (or whatever lid you come up with)?

Just trowin' it out there... cheers,
ryan

 

Alright! I have finally done some more work on the console. Things I got done to day include:

-Making the base for the armrest
-Hinging the armrest
-Cutting out door for the radio
-Install lock
-Fab locking mechanism
-... man is that all I did today?!
Here is how it looks so far, enjoy.




Picture an armrest pad on top.



I'm thinking I'll use the same hinges for the radio door, probably 3 instead of 2



Notice the lock at the bottom? It will be out of sight and reach untill you move the seat forward.



To get the lock to work as a dead-bolt in the small space I have to work in and only use one lock for two doors, I have chosen to use some brake cable(think bicycle) I had laying around, and of course, I only had enough for one of the doors.

Here is the basic movement of the lock....



....transformed to the dead-bolt style lock.(3/8" rod inside some tube)



This is where the dead-bolt goes through on the armrest.



Opinions?

 

i like it! i was just about to ask if you'd made anymore progress. the bike cable lock is a good idea! how firm is it when you try to open the top when locked?

 

Like a rock.

 

I want one.

Good job .

 

very cool man that lock is great i think most thieves wil be confused by that

 

Looks awesome == I will take one for a bench seat> can you put me on the list?

 

Thanks to all for the props. I really can't get enough of the "thats cool" and "I dig it." Really makes me want to get out and work some more!

The next move I will make will be to mount it to the truck for a 50% completed trail test.
I will be taking it to the Lone Star Jamboree so I can have some tunes.
I will post some pics when I make progress.

 

Looks good I was thinking a piano hinge for the stereo area mounted on the inside.

 

If the hinge is mounted on the inside than it is impossible for the door to fold all the way over(a little less than 270 degrees). If it is mounted on the inside, there wouldn't be much more than 90 degrees of rotation.

Thanks for the props.

I have had the radio in for the last two days. I am happy to report that:

---I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE RADIO MOUNTED AT AN 80 DEGREE ANGLE AS OF YET.

Of course I will keep you posted if anything does go wrong.
As for the pics I have been holding off untill I get some kind of armrest pad.
Hopefully I will pick something up tommorrow after work.

 

I went to a local fabric place and a wall mart and can't find the stupid foam for the arm rest.

Where the heck can I get some?!

 

i thought you had a whole lot of foam? did you use it all?