After not having any truly secure storage in my ’04 TJ the last eight years since buying it, I was finally able to install a Tuffy complete center console earlier this week. For those who don't know Tuffy, they make the most secure storage products available for our Jeeps. No exaggeration there. They are
highly pry and theft resistant.
I had installed three Tuffy storage devices in my previous (stolen) TJ and greatly missed not having any secure storage in my present TJ. There was no truly secure place for anything of value like my GPS. For those of us who occasionally have to leave valuables in our Jeeps at times, you know it’s not a good feeling. The factory plastic glove box and center console doors only keep the honest people out. To a thief, they would only slow him by a few seconds.
These are its main three components: the front shifter console, the center console with a thickly padded center armrest, and the rear cup holders. There's no back seat in my Jeep but those rear cup holders come in handy anyway. Everything is constructed from 16 gauge steel and the construction process and welds are all first-rate. It came well packaged to protect against shipping damage. Hardware was all in a single sealed plastic bag, nothing was loose to lose. The main mounting hardware is Grade 8.
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First things first. I have wider than normal PRC racing seats so they had to come out. Fortunately only four bolts hold them in. You may not need to take your factory seats out though it would make the process a little easier. My TJ was disgustingly filthy after getting the seats out which gave me reason to at least vacuum the dirt and rocks out.
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Installing the new console is straight forward. You re-use two threaded holes in the floor, and you then need to drill two more 3/8” holes to install the steel mounting bracket. The two Grade 8 5/16" bolts supplied in the kit that pass through the floor add substantial strength and theft resistance. The mounting bracket secures the top of the console to the floor so it can’t be pried off.
This shows how the mounting bracket installs and secures the console to the floor, Tuffy’s diagram was better than my photo…
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Reinstalling the subwoofer into the Tuffy console is just a bolt in, its wiring harness just plugs in. The subwoofer does take quite a bit of room inside the console which reduces how much the console opening can hold. It still provides nearly triple the space the factory console provides. The standard non-speaker Tuffy console's console storage is huge by comparison.
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With a two more screws to bolt the front shifter console to the center console and bolt the shifter to the floor mounting bracket, the console is now in and ready for use. The shifter bezel just snaps into place and so does the forward coin holder or airbag control switch. Everything is a perfect fit.
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As you can see here, I also added my B&M transmission temperature gauge to the console which only required drilling a 2 1/16” hole. There was plenty of room behind where I mounted the gauge for the wiring.
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This is the top locking latch mechanism, it is very beefy. And when you close the console, it feels like a vault closing. No wiggle or flex, it closes with a solid clunk. The armrest padding is covered with a good heavy grade of marine vinyl.
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Here’s the lower half of the latch.
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At last I can keep everything like my GPS, ear plugs, headlamp, flashlight, special tools, etc. It’s the GPS I was always worried about, it has all my trails stored in it.
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Overall I’m just plain stoked to finally have Tuffy back in my Jeep. Whenever I can I’ll replace my glove box with their replacement.
It’s a solid and secure product, it's really nice to have. It looks good too!
Here's a link to the console for further information:
https://www.tuffyproducts.com/p-135-tj-speaker-full-security-console.aspx
