$10 locking glove box | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

$10 locking glove box

Mustangman66

Active Member
Joined
December 14, 2010
Messages
64
Reaction score
0
City, State
Tolland CT
Year, Model & Trim Level
2003 4dr Explorer, v6
So, as some of you may know, this is not a perfect world, there is crime and there are bad people in this world… that being said, im sick and tired of stuff going “missing” from my car. and lets be honest here, when i get pulled over by a cop, i want to be able to put my "stuff" somewhere where he/she cant get to it... eg. a locking glove box

The solution: a simple and cheap locking glove box
Tools:
Socket set
Adjustable wrench
Drill+ drillbit
Drawer lock, the longer the better,
Screws(optional) I didn’t use em, but I bought them anyways
Other items
Carpet/towel
Vacuum (to clean up the mess)
Beer


first things first, empty and remove the glove box…
if you squeeze the sides of the glove box in, it will drop down far enough to undo the three blots that hold it on.

20110131145907.jpg


After removing these bolts you can take the glovebox to a better work area…

Now the first thing you need to do Is guesstimate how far from the top of the glove box you want your hole… it should be low enough to clear the lip of the dashboard, but not so low that it wont have anything to catch on…
Just behind that bit of yellow stuff is where the lock should latch, i spent about 15 min guessing where the lock should be placed until i found a location i thought would be optimal

20110131151149.jpg


Now that you have decided the position of the lock, its time to drill, you never want to drill on a hard surface, it may scratch the finish on the glovebox… instead put down a piece of carpet, or a towel and work on that…
Now drill your hole,

20110131154933.jpg


Now this part is a little tedious… the lock kit I bought came with several different spacers and flanges… it was a matter of trial and error until I found the optimum fit, I ended up using a flange on the outside with a locking bar that had a ¼ inch offset,
20110131161957.jpg


Once you get the right fit, you need to secure the lock so it won’t turn with the part included with your lock. you can either use screws to hold it (BE VERY CAREFULL NOT TO USE SCREWS THAT WILL GO ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE BOX), or just make it tight enough so the piece it came with to keep it from turning digs into the plastic, mine had 4 little raised spikes, I used a exacto knife to make tiny holes for them to sit in…
Then just tighten everything up and reinstall the glovebox…
Voila, a locking glove box for less than $10 and less than 20 minutes.
20110131163844.jpg


With my install, there was a little bit of play in the box when locked, it could be opened a little bit, but not enough for the light to even turn on.

now all you hippies can hide your crackpipes and beer bongs with out worrying about johnny law finding them.

Let me know what you think!!!

More pics
http://img510.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=20110131145907.jpg
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





how do u access your beer bong while driving then.....lol
 






Where did you purchase the drawer lock? I like how it was designed with the spikes so the whole lock cannot be rotated! Thanks
 






Cops will tell you to unlock it of your searched
 






Cops will tell you to unlock it of your searched

They can tell you that but it's completely within your legal rights to refuse.

A warrant must be obtained for any locked enclosed area and a warrant requires there be "reasonable suspicion". They can't just do it because you "might" have something, there needs to have been a reason for them to suspect you may have something illicit and/or dangerous.
 






First off, the lock can be bought at almost any hardware store, lowes, home depot etc...and secondly a cop needs a warrent to search a locked glove box or a locked trunk, of course if they have a canine, your SOL,

Update: the lock is still holding strong nd working well
 






Its a good idea since alot of newer cars and trucks don't have this anymore.

Don't take this the wrong way but I could just use a flatbar, screwdriver or a sturdy pocket knife and pry that bugger open.
I know what you mean though we got people at work that have stuff stolen out of their cars all the time.......of course half of them didn't lock their cars up........:crazy:

Either way still a nice build thread:thumbsup:
 






well if you wanted greater security, you can put 2 screws in the holes on either side as you can see in the 4th photo down and then im pretty sure you wouldn't be able to turn the lock with a screwdriver... i tried when i first installed it, i couldn't get it to turn, but then again im sure a determined thief could get in, it was more or less so that a cop cant search my glove box without a warrant,

also, if anybody decides to do this, you need to put your registration and insurance somewhere else, i put mine in the door pocket
 






A dweeb at the car wash stole a $700 laser measuring device from the glove compartment of my Explorer a month ago. But of course, they're not responsible. This locking method would have made it difficult for the thief, but not impossible.
 






more damage then needed if someone breaks in.....
 






Back
Top