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Tuffy Products
25733 Road H
Cortez, CO 81321
(800)348-8339 - Voice
(970)564-1783 - FAX
The limited real estate for installing radios in a stock Jeep Wrangler is the only drawback to using it as an emergency communications vehicle. However, the Jeep Wrangler is also just about the last vehicle on the market that is designed to be modified. That gives us options. Surely someone has run into this before. It looks like the folks at Tuffy Products have indeed seen this before. Without them we would not have been able to install these two radios without some extreme measures.
I had heard of Tuffy Products, and there were already three Tuffy lockboxes installed in the back of this Jeep when we got it. A Tuffy #039 TJ Security Storage Trunk was installed in the back, and a Tuffy #047 Speaker and Storage Lockbox Set was mounted on both sides of the back seat. I was impressed with these boxes and wanted to know a bit more about them. While checking their website for more details about them, I came across their Model #048 OVERHEAD SECURITY CABINET. It is PERFECT for installing CB, HAM, and even some Public Safety radio gear. This was exactly what we needed!
The Tuffy OVERHEAD SECURITY CONSOLE is designed to be installed between the front window frame and the center roll bar, between the drivers and passenger seats at the top. It will fit under a hard or soft top, and it is SOLID. It doesn't matter if you are installing a stereo, HAM radio gear, or public safety radios, they are all expensive. The Tuffy Overhead Security Console is designed to keep your gear safe. It has a heavy-duty lock with a two-sided key mechanism which will effectively prevent anyone from stealing the installed equipment - unless they don't care about destroying the radio gear in the process. At that point, what's the point, right?
The unit comes in models to hold one or two radios. The radios are contained in trays which drop down out of the main cabinet housing. The trays are intended to hold DIN-mount radio equipment - they have a front cutout that is meant to hold a DIN sleeve. The trays can be removed to facilitate installation, and are later bolted into the console.
One of the two identical trays. Note the hole for a microphone cable and the grill to allow a speaker to project out.
Since most HAM and public service radio gear are not DIN-sized, we didn't have the advantage of a DIN sleeve to hold things in place. We needed to drill a couple of holes in the trays to get the radio gear to fit, but the end result was near perfection - as perfect as we could possibly hope for. More on that in a minute.
The Overhead Security Console comes in a large rectangular box. It is well packed, and you will find all of the mounting hardware you need included in the package.
The first thing you will note is that this thing is heavy-duty. It is meant to protect from theft and to hold up to the flexing that it might encounter when you go off-road. I was very impressed with the welds and other overall construction. The black powder coat (it is only available in black) looks really good when installed - no matter what color your interior is.
One of the things that might concern you at first is "how will my non-DIN gear fit into those trays? Won't they knock the knobs off of the front of the radio when I open the trays?". The answer to the latter is NO, and the answer to the first part is simple.
The trays don't simply pivot up and down. They actually cam backwards at first, then they tilt down. There is plenty of clearance for large tuning knobs and other items. I had no problems installing an Icom IC-706MKII-G with the faceplate attached to the radio.
We photographed the trays opening and closing before we installed the unit in the Jeep to show this.
The tray starts out in the closed position. Note the fabric loop that is bolted to it to facilitate opening and closing.
The tray moves some distance back and then begins to pivot down. This is plenty of clearance unless your radio has huge knobs.
This is what the tray will look like fully opened. The process is reversed to close it.
The model designed for two radios places the second radio some distance back - between the drivers and passenger seats. Personally, I found this position to be a bit more awkward to use. This was not a problem. The Kenwood TM-D700A does not offer the option to have the faceplate mounted on the radio - it must be positioned remotely. I elected to install the D700A in that tray. I only need to open that tray if I will be plugging a laptop into the radio to program it or to use the TNC for standard packet communications. Since I will only be doing that while parked, this did not present a problem.
A peek ahead - the completed installation. Note that the rear tray is some distance back. To see a faceplate in that position required shifting my head back and looking up. I opted to put a radio unit in there that has no faceplate. The 706MKII-G is in the front tray. Note that the 79WX ST had not yet been moved from blocking the airbag.
We started the installation process by identifying what cables and cords would need to be brought from the front and back of the Jeep to the radio gear installed in the Overhead Security Cabinet. This included the following...
Power (positive and negative) from the battery to the IC-706MKII-G
Power (positive and negative) from the battery to the Kenwood TM-D700A
VHF/UHF antenna cable to the D700A
VHF/UHF antenna cable to the 706MKII-G
HF antenna cable to the 706MKII-G
Tuner control cable to the 706MKII-G
Remote connecting cable for the control head for the D700A
GPS connecting cable for the D700A
That makes about 4 cables per radio. There are two entry points at each end of the Overhead Security Cabinet. These are supplied with grommets from the factory. The holes are 1", so there is plenty of space provided.
I routed the VHF/UHF antenna cables from the front of the Jeep, through the firewall, and up through the drivers-side of the dash. These are protected by split-flex tubing, and this is routed out the top-left of the dashboard, over the roll bar, and then to the Overhead Security Console. The tubing is routed so that it does no interfere with the drivers view, vehicle controls, visors, etc.
The power wires for both radios and the remote control and GPS interface cables for the D700A are routed in a similar fashion up the passenger side of the dash, over the roll bar, and up to the Overhead Security Console. Both sides were later secured with UV-resistant ZIP ties.
You can see the flex tubing coming up the driver side, routed behind the visor, and ready to be placed into the Overhead Security Console when it is in position.
The HF antenna cable and tuner control cable for the 706MKII-G come in from the back on the drivers side.
Once I had the wires and cables routed up to where the Overhead Security Console would go, it was time to mount the console itself.
There are two items of prepwork to do here.
The back of the unit is held to the roll bar by three U-bolts. I recommend placing these three in position first. Place one dead center, and the other two 3.5 inches on either side of the one in the center. This will get them in position - easier now than when the unit is in place.
The other item is to remove the footman loop from the top of the front window frame. If yours does not come off, there is a small piece of additional hardware that is included that you can use to mount the cabinet. You can also use this if you don't want to remove your footman loop. Since we won't be removing the hard top for security reasons, we went ahead and took it off.
Note the footman loop removed.
The rest of the process of installing the cabinet is a two person job - and we only have two people here at this time - hence we don't have any photos of this part of the process. I have included a link to the installation guide for the unit at the end of this article which has photos of the process.
Basically, you bring the console into the Jeep, and lift it into position. Get the U-bolts into the mating holes on the back end of the console, then bring the front up into position. It has two holes which will line up with the holes for the footman loop. While one person holds it in place, the other person uses either the included bolts or the removed footman bolts to screw the front down.
The included nuts are then used to tighten the U-bolts at the back.
When it is in position, you need to get a wrench or socket in there to tighten down the carriage bolts that adjust the front-to-back length.
That is all there is to installing the frame.
We then brought the split tubing-protected wires and cables into the appropriate grommeted holes on the overhead security console.
A view inside of the front of the cabinet with the wires and split tubing entering - antenna cables on left, power and control on the right. Note that there are also U-bolt holes on the front. This can also be mounted in a Jeep with a full roll cage.
There are bolts in the top of the Overhead Security Console sticking down. Zip ties are included, as are nuts for the bolts. Tie the wires up to keep them out of the way, put the loop on the zip tie over the bolts, and tighten them down.
Your wires and cables are routed, now you need to install the radios into the trays and secure the trays into the cabinet.
If you are not mounting DIN-sized gear with DIN sleeves, you need to figure out how to mount your gear. The trays measure about 7.25" wide by 2.75" tall by 8.5" deep. This is too small for something like the Cobra 148 NWST, but is plenty big for many Motorola public safety radios, most Midland CB's, and most HAM gear designed for mobile applications.
The radios that we mounted up there were somewhat more narrow than the trays, especially the D700A. The solution was to drill holes in the sides of the trays and use long 4mm screws and spacers to hold the radios in position in the trays. Just make sure that the screws don't go too far into the radio housings.
You might be wondering about exactly how you can mark the holes for the screws in this situation. It is a bit difficult to measure, but there is an easier way.
Put the screws into the radio and set it into the proper front/back position in the tray but pressed far to the other side. The screws are completely inside the tray.
Take some white glue and put a drop on the head of the screw. Press the screws against the inside of the cabinet.
Then you simply use a drill with an angled head to drill the holes from the inside out. Repeat the process for the other side and the problem is solved.
Here is a picture of the end result. As you can see, the radio just fits height-wise into the tray. None of the controls or displays are obstructed. You can always purchase the Icom kit to allow you to mount the read remotely, but as you will see later this might present a dashboard real estate problem. Since I usually don't operate HF while driving and this is the secondary VHF/UHF rig, this is fine for me.
I then brought the trays out to the Jeep to install them. I left enough cable length to be able to easily remove the radios - but not to interfere with the opening/closing of the trays or the locking mechanism.
You will also note that in the final installation I have the TNC cables hooked up to the 706MKII-G. Since you can't get to the back of the radio once it is in the Overhead Security Console, this is a wise idea. I brought the cables out to the side of the faceplate. They can easily be coiled up and put above the 706MKII-G without interfering with the closing of the tray.
For information on the TNC to be used with the 706MKII-G and the cables we selected, click here.
Once the cables are hooked up, make sure that the internal levers that hold the tray are aligned with the holes on the outside of the Console.
Inside View Of Wrong Positioning.
Inside View Of Correct Positioning
Outside View Of Correct Positioning
Then insert the tray at roughly a 45-degree angle - the fully open position. This will put the holes in alignment with the holes on the tray and you can screw then in using the included bolts. Repeat this process for each tray.
The 706MKII-G installed and ready. The TNC cables are coming out through the front, but can be coiled and placed above the radio. They stay in position and do not cause problems with opening and closing the tray.
Test the opening and closing of each tray to make sure that you have not tightened them down too much. You can then put the included hole covers in place.
You will note that each tray has a grill on it to allow a downward facing speaker on a radio to operate. Neither of the radios we installed have that. I went to RadioShack and picked up two of their small communications extension speakers. I drilled two holes for each speaker mount in the Overhead Security Console on the drivers side in the area between the two radio trays.
The speakers were mounted here, and the cables for them routed to each radio. This made a big difference, and keeps them in front of but ABOVE the drivers head. In any mobile equipment installation you always need to think safety first and avoid impairing visibility or creating physical obstructions.
Here are a few photos of the finished installation
Another view with both trays open
The 706MKII-G in the tray, the D700A control head and Lowrance iFinder mounted on the dash using RAM mounts.
My current microphone cable solution. I used the super-strength high-temp velcro - hard side on the Overhead Security Console and the soft side on the mics. The cables are wrapped around the speakers to keep them out of the way. The drawers are closed and locked in this photo.
Without the Tuffy Overhead Security Console this radio installation would not have been possible. It is an innovative product that solves a real problem. If you want to install radio gear of any type in a 1997 or newer Jeep Wrangler TJ, this is THE product you need. I can't recommend them highly enough.
-- James Bell Jr.