Console Gun Safes

[Trainmaster]

Photo, please, of how your coin holder can be used.

The '08 console and the '17 console wells may be different. The '08 safe has a notch in the right side of the top that fits around the coin wells, allowing about 3/4 of them to be exposed above the top. The right side of the safe is also bent to fit around the coin wells.

There were no instructions included, so I watched a video. You have to take the thing apart to install it, putting the top in first and then the sides and the bottom. To fit, I removed the carpet pad on the bottom of the well. The bottoms of the sides had to be coaxed into place, so the bottom plate would fit.

Ten minute job, and most of the time was spent taking the napkins, broken pens, burnt signal bulbs and stale Twizzlers out of the console.

 

[Trainmaster]

I know people who would be into that safe in a flash one way or another. Failing a quick grab they would take the whole vehicle. This whole deal is dumb!

Yes, a big pry-bar or Sawzall would open it in 30 seconds. New York State knows this, but they thrive on and derive their power from mayhem.

I'm actually surprised these "vaults" are this flimsy, considering their cost. Ingenious design, quick installation and neat appearance. Some visual deterrence too.

 

[Mark Buckner]

Sorry I am late to this topic. I have a fair bit of experience with this, both good and what I will be generous to myself and call "educational."

I have a vertical safe from a company called Aegis, long since out of business. Finally (maybe the patents ran out??) another company is making a very similar design. Not inexpensive, but neither are the guns I carry, and you can't put a price on the life of an innocent person - especially a police officer - who might get killed with MY stolen gun.

Here is an Amazon link:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0037AK9HO/?coliid=I1RR1BAJNNI4ZK&colid=1MRAW6QCGB3I3&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Quick, simple access and removable to swap between vehicles by purchasing an additional mounting bracket. Also leaves room for other things in the console. Best thing is the system that pulls the firearm up out of the safe when it is opened. This allows the safe to be very narrow, leaving that additional room in the console.

Now for the "educational" part...

I initially had this on my 2003 Super Duty, in which I simply screwed the mounting bracket through the bottom of the console and into the floor pan. Totaled the SD and bought my 2012 Expy and attempted the same thing. Doh! The bottom of the console is well above the floor pan, leaving plenty of room for several electronic modules, including the Bluetooth/SYNC module and the module that controls the rear heated seats. Mounted the safe with the same screws and both my phone and rear heated seats suddenly stopped working!!

Several hundred dollars worth of online-junkyard parts later, things were working again but not 100%. Discovered those modules (SYNC anyhow) are VIN-matched to the vehicle, requiring a trip to the dealer for reprogramming.

CAVEAT: This is in a 2012 EL Limited, which has plenty of depth to accommodate the vertical design. Not sure if newer models are similar in that regard.

Hope this is helpful to someone.

 

[Trainmaster]

Thanks for sharing, Mark. I've long loved the Simplex locks. American-made, completely mechanical and opens in an instant with one or two fingers. All gun safes should have them.

 

[ScottyHill]

Gun Safes that fit inside the console are a great way to keep things secure while still having quick access. I added one to my Expedition, and it was an easy install. The fit is snug, and having a combo lock makes it convenient. The build quality is solid, which gives me peace of mind when leaving valuables in the truck. Definitely worth considering if security is a priority.

 

[aptroxel]

I just lucked out on EBay and found a nice used Console vault for my 2014 Expedition EL King Ranch. Is this a no-brainer install? If not, can someone please post the manual for this item?

Thanks in advance!

 

[chuck s]

Nothing on their website?

-- Chuck