A Jeep Wrangler, especially the soft-top varieties, isn’t exactly the most secure of locations. And, those of us who drive Jeeps often have a love of things we don’t like to leave lying around in easy reach. So, how do you protect sensitive items like, say, your favorite banana (fresh fruit, ahem, is a serious thing), from theft?
Bestop is one of a few companies that offer Jeep owners a solution. The company’s under-seat lock box is available for either driver’s or passenger’s front seats, and consists of a locking 16-gauge lined steel drawer.
Materials/tools needed:
- Bestop Under-Seat Lock Box (Part No. 426400-1)
- Phillips screwdriver
- 18 mm socket and ratchet
- Torque wrench
- Zip ties (2011 and newer)
Step 1: Install mounting brackets to the drawer
Using a Phillips screwdriver and the seven included screws, secure the forward mounting bracket and rear riser plate to the lock box.
Step 2: Remove forward seat-riser bolts
Using an 18 mm ratchet, remove the two front bolts connecting the seat riser to the floor. You may need a breaker bar to get these broken loose.
With the bolts removed, you may wish to clean the risers and carpet. (This project showed me I don’t clean the inside of my Jeep nearly as often as I should!)
Step 3: Slide the lock box under the driver’s seat
Slide the lock box rearward from the front of the driver’s seat underneath the seat. (Jeeps from 2011 to 2018 may have to relocate a wiring harness using the included zip ties before completing this step.) Make sure the left (toward the driver’s door) mounting bracket goes underneath the seat riser, and the right one over it. I’ve seen some installations where both mounting brackets went under the seat riser, and that had been my intent as well. Unfortunately, the bracket didn’t properly fit, leaving me no way to get the bracket under the riser, even with the lock box slid as far to the left as it would go. Indeed, to complete the install at all, I’d have had to either stack multiple washers to fill the half-inch gap (right image, above) or crank down on the bolt, bending the bracket into compliance. I chose the latter.
Step 4: Reinstall bolts
Reinstall the seat-riser bolts and torque them to a final spec of 55 foot-pounds. That’s it, the installation is complete!
First impressions
I like the quality of this drawer. While I would have preferred a tighter fit between the latch plate and the lock’s striker, a couple of wraps of electrical tape eliminated the rattle that presents itself on launch and braking. The poorly formed bracket is a bit annoying, as a simple change in the bend would completely eliminate this problem. I was concerned I’d be able to tell a difference in the seat height from side to side, but that isn’t the case. I can definitely detect the subtle shift up in the forward edge of the seat. It’s nothing the Jeep’s seat incline lever can’t resolve. Overall, I like the extra measure of security this box provides!
Total time to complete
About 20 minutes
Total project cost
Free, thanks to an Extreme Terrain contest ($78.99 value)
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Smokey the Jeep 