I had been looking for a vault to go in my 2016 Yukon console, but didn't want to pay for something that cost over $250. I had an empty 50 cal ammo box and thought I would try my luck. I bought a 1 3/8" combo cam lock from Amazon for $17.50 and used an old ammo box that came with a purchase. Here are the steps:
1) Remove remove rubber pad at the bottom and the 2 screws from the bottom of the console
2) It will make it easier to work with the ammo can if you remove the lid. Open it and slide it to the left (facing the can opening).
3) Remove the latch from the ammo can lid using an angle grinder or hack saw
4) Measure the existing screw holes to know where to drill the holes in the box. My measurements were roughly as follows. 1 5/8" from the side of the long side of the box. 6 5/8" between the two holes. About 2 1/2" from the short side of the box. See pictures below. Note that you will want the ammo can lid to open from the driver's side of the box (hinge on the passenger side). Drill the two holes on the bottom of the ammo box and remove any burrs.
5) Drill a 3/4” hole in the top of the lid for the cam lock. Make sure it is far enough away that the lock knob misses the lid handle hardware. Install the combo lock cam.
6) Use an angle grinder and cut a slit on the inside of the box where the locking cam will lock. this part was trial and error for me. You can see where I used black paint to see where the latch was hitting when trying to lock it. This helped me figure out where to make the cut. Make sure you are tightly holding the lid closed when trying to figure out where to make the cut. You want the lid to close tightly once everything is complete. You will also need to grind down the end of the locking lever so that it will fit inside where the latch rod was located before you removed the latch.
7) Mount the ammo can with the 2 screws you removed from step 1. Make sure you mount it with the combo lock on the driver’s side.
8) Use some old foam (or buy some) cut to shape for the bottom and sides so the contents don't get scratched
Note that you will still have a few inches in front of the box where you can keep file folders or other things. The light will even still light up this area. Note that I do have an organizer tray. Since one side is deeper than the other, I cut out the bottom so it would still fit on top of the ammo can. I still need to add a new bottom to it once I figure out how to do it.
I am pretty happy with the way it turned out, but I’ll probably paint it black. I am sure if a thief wanted in, they could get in. But, I think a thief could get into one of the $250 vaults too. This is more of a deterrent for a thief, protects for valet, and my kids or their friends aren’t likely to stumble on the contents.
1) Remove remove rubber pad at the bottom and the 2 screws from the bottom of the console
2) It will make it easier to work with the ammo can if you remove the lid. Open it and slide it to the left (facing the can opening).
3) Remove the latch from the ammo can lid using an angle grinder or hack saw
4) Measure the existing screw holes to know where to drill the holes in the box. My measurements were roughly as follows. 1 5/8" from the side of the long side of the box. 6 5/8" between the two holes. About 2 1/2" from the short side of the box. See pictures below. Note that you will want the ammo can lid to open from the driver's side of the box (hinge on the passenger side). Drill the two holes on the bottom of the ammo box and remove any burrs.
5) Drill a 3/4” hole in the top of the lid for the cam lock. Make sure it is far enough away that the lock knob misses the lid handle hardware. Install the combo lock cam.
6) Use an angle grinder and cut a slit on the inside of the box where the locking cam will lock. this part was trial and error for me. You can see where I used black paint to see where the latch was hitting when trying to lock it. This helped me figure out where to make the cut. Make sure you are tightly holding the lid closed when trying to figure out where to make the cut. You want the lid to close tightly once everything is complete. You will also need to grind down the end of the locking lever so that it will fit inside where the latch rod was located before you removed the latch.
7) Mount the ammo can with the 2 screws you removed from step 1. Make sure you mount it with the combo lock on the driver’s side.
8) Use some old foam (or buy some) cut to shape for the bottom and sides so the contents don't get scratched
Note that you will still have a few inches in front of the box where you can keep file folders or other things. The light will even still light up this area. Note that I do have an organizer tray. Since one side is deeper than the other, I cut out the bottom so it would still fit on top of the ammo can. I still need to add a new bottom to it once I figure out how to do it.
I am pretty happy with the way it turned out, but I’ll probably paint it black. I am sure if a thief wanted in, they could get in. But, I think a thief could get into one of the $250 vaults too. This is more of a deterrent for a thief, protects for valet, and my kids or their friends aren’t likely to stumble on the contents.
