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Security lock-box for the trunk....

9K views 32 replies 15 participants last post by  bluefront 
#1 ·
I've been looking for something like this for a while....a lock-box that I can secure in the trunk, and take along with me to a motel or someplace. This one does it...from Best Buy, a Honeywell Digital #3040D, $60.

This one holds my Thinkpad, my .357 in it's case, a camera, radar detector, and still has some room left. I had to construct the custom interior (foam panels, Velcro, felt, and duct tape). This interior pulls out if you need more room. It came with one sheet of egg-crate foam (I used that on the top panel).

It also comes with a cable you can use to secure it......It will loop around one of the metal loops on the back of my seats (ZX5). Or you could permanently secure it to the back of a seat with a bunch of sheet metal screws. This is going to work good.....You open it with a few buttons, or a key. Has AA batteries for the Digital programmable lock. I like it.







 
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#3 ·
carl, your trunk is WIRED! you have it hooked up with everything possible. I think the next thing you put in is a grill so you can make burgers on the go.
 
#5 ·
Heh.....you'd be quite surprised what you can find that just plugs into a 12V outlet. I'll bet you could find a hamburger grill even. But I made a pledge when I got this Focus. NO EATING IN THE CAR......not even food. [:p]

Seriously, not having to deal with stupid amps and monster speakers, my trunk is big enough for useful stuff. This lock-box will only be in there occasionally. The only thing I carry full-time that takes up trunk-space is a tool pouch.....an absolute necessity for me, being the paranoid person I am.
 
#7 ·
Is there any way possible to bolt it down? A simple pair of bolt cutters will cut the cable and then the lock-box and everything in it will be gone.

I need to do this myself. I carry a gun and when I arrive some place I can't wear it I'm forced to leave it in my car. These "no gun zones" are the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. They only inconvenience law abiding citizens; like some psycho with a gun is going to read a sign and say "oh damn, I guess I can't go on my killing spree here". No, instead it leaves me inside, unarmed and unable to protect myself or those around me when that psycho walks in and starts shooting.

Oops sorry, way off topic but it just pisses me off to no end.

I had a lock-box in my Stealth and I did manage to get it bolted down so they couldn't walk away with the box and my gun.
 
#8 ·
Yeah it could be solidly mounted using bolts or screws to the back of the seat. Of course you'd have to drill holes, and it wouldn't be removable any longer. You could make a quick release setup I guess.

I found another box I might permanently mount.....
 
#10 ·
Yeah, we bought two new cars this year and I have to get off my butt and get a lock-box installed in both. I'm also going to look at possible places to simply conceal something behind an interior panel or what not. So many of the panels just pop off and on and there's an amazing amount of space behind some of them.
 
#12 ·
LOL - me or bluefront? But yeah, I can be dangerous when I'm bored. At least I haven't tried to incorporate any of my pyrotechnics into my car (yet).
 
#13 ·
I wouldn't sacrifice the spare for a lock box.....I know exactly what would happen the next day. [:(!]

There are plenty of places in the Focus you could install a hidden compartment....like to hide a gun for instance. That's a project in the planning stages. I have a .25 Baretta that can be hidden easily enough, and that's the one I usually carry around. But the idea would be to have the compartment easily accessible from the driver seat.

I think the place to use would be inside the passenger seat-back. Not to give away secrets.....but. Remove the pass seat-back cover, have an upholstery place install a hidden opening in a back seam, closeable with a velcro flap. At that point you could cut out an opening in the foam.....plenty big to hide a Baretta, and instantly accessible to the driver.
 
#14 ·
Hmmm.... make a great hiding spot. My Kimber .45 is a little bigger but I don't need to worry about getting to it when I'm driving, it's always in it's holster (I'm licensed to carry concealed). I just need some place to hide/secure it in the car when I find myself some place that I can't legally take it in with me.
 
#16 ·
As far as that lock box in the photos is concerned......the sides are double-layered steel. You could drill two holes in the side and install a steel loop held by lock nuts that only would come loose from the inside. Then you could use a heavy chain and padlock to secure the thing.....rather than the light steel cable it comes with. It would still be easily removable for carrying around.

Speculation.....car thieves are usually after things that are quickly removable. I doubt many of them carry bolt cutters. I'd bet your audio stuff would be gone, and that lock-box and it's contents still there after a break-in.

Another place for a hidden gun compartment.....inside the driver door panel. There's a big piece of crash foam in there. Remove it and you'd have plenty of room for a large gun. This mod would require a hole cut in the panel, and a custom cover that looked like part of the panel. Could be done.....but I'd worry about moisture there for any long-term storage.
 
#17 ·
Yeah, I saw the location in the manual and will look at it myself. I'm not worried about "long term" storage.
 
#18 ·
good idear,

in my ZX3's trunk area i have the top part of my tool box. im at a tech college and we fix our own cars and freinds here. also makes my car a low rider :p 200LB+- tools.

like the idear of being able to bolt down a lock box for the... safty issues of personal protection.. any one know where it can be done? under the seat or something??
 
#20 ·
Well....on my ZX5, the lower rear seat section hinges upward. There's plenty of space along the edges to hide a small gun. Would be difficult to get to in a pinch, however.

Here's another idea for a small gun....totally stealth mod. The driver door pocket on my car has a cup holder at the rear edge. Without a cup in there, I could slip my Beretta .25 between the cup holder edge and the outside edge of the pocket. To stealth the setup..get a plastic soda bottle, and cut the middle section out on one side.....but leave the bottom of the bottle un-cut. That way when you pull up the fake bottle, it would pull the gun out also. It would take a few mods to make the bottle strong enough....but doable I think.[deviltail]
 
#21 ·
Now we're having some fun!! Just remember to check and know your state laws BEFORE you start playing with guns.

For instance; Washington State is an "open carry" state, meaning you can legally carry a holstered handgun as long as it's NOT concealed, no permit/license required. Whatever you do though, don't put your coat on and accidentally conceal that weapon, then a valid concealed weapons permit is required.

The trick is that you CAN NOT have a loaded handgun (concealed or not) in your car without a valid concealed weapons permit.

WA. State Law:

(a) A person shall not carry or place a loaded pistol in any
vehicle unless the person has a license to carry a
concealed pistol and: (i) The pistol is on the licensee's
person, (ii) the licensee is within the vehicle at all times
that the pistol is there, or (iii) the licensee is away from
the vehicle and the pistol is locked within the vehicle and
concealed from view from outside the vehicle.
(b) A violation of this subsection is a misdemeanor.

So I legally can't just find a good spot to hide the gun; it has to be hidden and locked up when I'm not in the car.

And the way our courts work nowadays, some prick breaks into my car, steals my gun and uses it to rob a bank, and somehow it's my fault if the gun was only hidden and not locked up.
 
#24 ·
And in fact in MO you DO NOT need a permit to carry your LOADED pistol in your car!

From the website above:

Do I need a CCW to carry in my automobile? - No. Anyone age 21 or over, and otherwise legally able to own a handgun may carry that handgun concealed or not concealed in the passenger compartment of their automobile, loaded. . It only applies when the person is inside the vehicle. If you step out of the vehicle for any reason with the firearm concealed on your person and do not have a concealed carry endorsement, you may be at risk of being charged with a felony.
 
#25 ·
Disclaimer.....I would suggest you get a carry permit for this setup. Depending on the circumstances, and where you're driving, this mod could cause some legal troubles, if uncovered. So do it at your own risk.

A loaded gun in your car is worthless, unless you can get to it quickly in an emergency. Car-jackings are a frequent occurrence in St Louis. Let him have the car you say? In St Louis, after you give up your car at gun-point, you are often shot to death anyway. This mod gives you a chance to live....if you find yourself a victim.

You need a small gun to be totally stealth.....my Baretta .25 is a good choice. It fits in my pocket, or in this Pepsi bottle. If you're left-handed, learn to shoot as a right-hander. As you exit the car, pull up the Pepsi bottle about 4-5" with your left hand. The handle of the Baretta is exposed, and you're ready to defend yourself in a flash.

I used a round foam disk covered with black felt, and glued it inside the bottle. The thing looks like an opened bottle of soda.....and the gun is completely hidden from a casual observer. I lined the bottom inside of the bottle with felt, and covered the edges with black duct tape....to keep from scratching the gun finish. This project took about 1/2 hr.....and might save my life.







 
#28 ·
We've had some recent changes in the law concerning carrying guns in your car......in Missouri. It is now legal to carry a gun loaded or unloaded, concealed or not, anywhere in your car, in this state (Missouri).

You do not need a carry permit.....just a legal/registered hand-gun. So this Pepsi-mod is perfectly OK.....just don't cross the state line with stupid Illinois. [thumbd]
 
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