Easy Mod: Hidden Armrest Cubby...

sleeman24 · May 29, 2008

This very easy mod adds a false bottom into the armrest cubby. It only took me about 15 minutes and is very useful to keep items hidden in the armrest, and to make it more useful.

Step 1: I went to Home Depot and bought a single VCT floor tile for 85 cents and cut it to exactly 5 7/8" x 5 7/8"

Step 2: Cut a piece of Tool box liner to the same dimensions (I had some laying around)

Step 3: I used a piece of electrical tape to act as my handle and hinge. Make sure you add the piece of tape for the handle otherwise you won't get it out. I originally used cardboard as a prototype and had to poke a hole in the middle to get it out!

Step 4: Insert into Armrest cubby. You'll notice there is a little ledge on each side of the cubby to hold it up! I can fit my camera, GPS, and IPod under there! It also makes the cubby less deep and more accessable!

I Hope you Enjoy!

Mortaric · May 29, 2008

Very creative. Nice idea!

tazman900 · May 29, 2008

cool

Rich

Rottenbob · May 29, 2008

Awesome idea! Great way to trick a burglar into thinking that all you've got in the arm rest is a pack of gum or whatnot. They'd never know to look under the false bottom. How deep is the hidden compartment?

sleeman24 · May 29, 2008

I knew someone would ask this so I measured and took some pics on my way home.
The depth of the entire armrest is about 9.5". The depth of the upper portion is about 5.5", leaving 4" for hidden storage. See attached pics...

You can also see my cheesey handle to open and close it. If anyone can think of a better way let me know!

DrugRunR · May 29, 2008

That is a great idea.
This would work for that rear mounted 12v acc outlet.
I was gonna mod one for the DVD player

jepstr67 · Jun 1, 2008

Even if you don't want to hide anything, it is a great idea just to make items more accessible so they are not so far down in the bottom of the arm rest. I don't even use it because it is so deep and hard to grab stuff while driving.

Thanks for the idea and ingenuity.

DrugRunR · Jun 1, 2008

JimmyXRay said:
I'm not surprised that DrugRunR is impressed with this mod .

Remember, it is just a name.
I was impressed because I was thinking about putting a rear mounted power point in but didn't know how to work the floor in the bottom of the center console. But now I do.
That is impressive though...
Perfect place to put some extra emergency cash.
Can't put drugs in there, the dogs will get ya (LEO background BTW)

drenglish · Jun 1, 2008

Cool idea. I too made the DrugRunr connection, but I figured he was a pharm rep.

cairn99 · Jun 1, 2008

Great idea and practical. Thanks for sharing. :smiley_thumbs_up:

_________________________________________________________________

2998 Inferno Red ,4X4, sunroof, Limited.

flattop · Jun 1, 2008

The opening looks rectangular, not square. Are you sure the deminsions are 5 7/8" x 5 7/8" ?

psaulesl · Jun 1, 2008

Flattop, you could go look @ yours before cutting ;-) I know I will. Great mod: I also want to HIDE a triple-12V outlet under the passenger seat. Need the extra power outlets, but don't want it visible. Of course, this carco container false bottom opens all sorts of ideas.

sleeman24 · Jun 2, 2008

Yes, I too was surprised that the inside of the cubby is a perfect square, but it definately is! I made a few prototypes made of cardboard before cutting the final piece.

heckler · Jun 2, 2008

you could use a kitchen cabinet door knob as a handle

heckler · Jun 2, 2008

you could also use corrugated plastic (looks like cardboard, but is made of plastic) instead of the tile.

Cut is so there's a 5-7/8" X 5-7/8" square for the floor, and a 5-7/8" X 4" section that are still attached. Cut only one side of the corrugated plastic between the two sections, so they stay hinged. Make the cut parallel to the corrugations to make it hinged.

then put the 4" long section vertically underneath the floor section, and use it as a hinge. This will put the hinge 4" from the bottom.

Then put the kitchen door knob at the other end from the hinge.

Of course, this is just a vision I just had. go try it out

sleeman24 · Jun 2, 2008

That sounds like it would work to me. The only thing is that the hinge has to be on the right or left side, because of the taper of the cubby.

craig03 · Jun 9, 2008

How did you prevent the false bottom from going all the way down? There isnt a ledge to stop it?

sleeman24 · Jun 10, 2008

Hey Craig03... Have a look in the armrest. There is a little ledge on the right and left side about half way down. It's about an 1/8" thick each side.

I had to make a slight modifacation to my first effort. After leaving a fairly heavy object on the VCT tile in 90 deg weather, the tile started to warp. So I had to go back to the local big box home store and bought a 2' x 2' sheet of what feels like MDF but is only 1/8" thick. A quick replacement and it's been fine ever since. The replacement material was only $1.35 for the sheet!

DrugRunR · Jun 10, 2008

You could go get some black lexan... It would be a smooth bottom (like glass) and wouldn't bend if you got 1/8 inch thick

craig03 · Jun 11, 2008

Sleeman24 Thanks so much for the info I am going to give it a shot. What is the dimensions and materials you used?

Easy Mod: Hidden Armrest Cubby...

sleeman24

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Mortaric

tazman900

Rottenbob

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DrugRunR

jepstr67

DrugRunR

drenglish

cairn99

flattop

psaulesl

sleeman24

heckler

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sleeman24

craig03

sleeman24

DrugRunR

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