Projects
Tuffy Stereo Console
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Projects Tuffy Stereo Console |
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| The package contents. | The main console. |
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Tuffy has a great reputation for security products. I chose the console that has the stereo compartment, but I will be putting a CB radio in it instead. This is a full metal console with a very secure lock that keeps the stereo and console safe from thieves.
The console comes in pieces. There are three major pieces. The storage compartment, the shifter surround, and the cupholders. There is also a small box like shelf that rests inside the storage compartment and a tray much like the stock console has forward of the shifter. The textured powdercoat finish arrived in good shape and is holding up fairly well. The cover has a nice thick pad and durable cover. The lock mechanism performs well and has a well deserved reputation. The stereo compartment cover is not high tech - its kind of a sloppy but effective. You have to open the console, not just unlock it, to open the stereo compartment. Both of the covers have a strip of foam insulation around the edges where it rests when closed. Even so, the stereo cover rattles when closed and I have put a little lateral pressure on it to get it to stop. |
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| New mounting bracket. | Accessing the connecting bolts. |
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The directions are good with ample pictures to help you figure out exactly what needs to be done. They suggest removing at least one seat, I urge you to remove the passenger seat as most of the mounting hardware is on that side. Leaving the driver seat gives you a place to sit while your getting the console into position.
After removing the stock console you need to drill out the two original mounting holes that are in the center of the storage compartment. That is the only modification you need to make to your Jeep. Tuffy provides a small mounting bracket that gets bolted to the floor just behind the shifter The hardest part of the installing the console is tightening the bolts that hold the two major pieces together. They screw into the shifter surround section and are left sticking out enough for the storage compartment to slide over them. The picture above shows how I supported the console with my fire extinguisher so I could access those hard to reach bolts. |
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| Showing the CB bracket. | Antena cable clears behind hump. |
| Now, you have to figure out how to mount your stereo, or in my case the CB radio. There is a standard sized opening on the top and a place for a steel strap to mount inside, but that is all you get. Its been years since I installed a stereo and that strap might be enough, but it wasn't good enough for my CB. I used a stencil to calculate where to drill a couple of mounting holes through the side. I drilled through the driver side as that would be far less visable. The full sized CB was as deep as the console. So deep infact that I had to mount it facing the passenger in order to allow room for the cable connections. | |
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| Jeep provides accessory wiring. | New fuse block for CB and... |
| Time to find a power source for the stereo. Looking behind the glovebox I found a couple of leads that Jeep is nice enough to provide ready to use. All you have to do is add a 10 amp fuse to the fusebox in slot 18. I installed an old fashioned fuseblock that can support the CB, an external speaker and my on-board air. | |
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| Convenient switch mounting. | Shifter vs. console. |
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I found the console to be an ideal place to mount electrical switches. I like the ones I bought from Kilby for the on-board air and made room for a few extras for when I get lockers.
I also found out that my shifter knob hit the stereo cover. I decided to take a saw to the knob to overcome the collision as a short term solution. The other solutions would be to heat and bend the shifter lever or get a shifter extension. |
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