Fitting a lock on the sliding drawer ???

[westfalia]

I´ve been pondering this one for a while now (about 3 yrs).
I´m talking about the drawer under the bench seat in the california.
The safe in the wardrobe doesn´t appeal to me because of the size, i would like
to put a lock on the drawer,maybe some kind of cylinder furniture lock.

Has anybody done this ?
Can anyone see an easy way to do it ?

I think i´m gonna have a go soon.
Cheers.

 

[Geezso]

Work out the depth and a cam lock at each end will be perfect and a 5 minute job.

 

[Geezso]

Cam lock

 

[westfalia]

That´s the one. Thanks Geezso.
I´m only gonna do it on one side though.

 

[BarryC]

Great idea!

 

[motacyclist]

Brilliant!

Now we can keep our undies safe

 

[motacyclist]

Just had a look, the drawer is double skinned which will complicate fitting a cam lock, and a slot will need to be cut for the lever to slot in to.

What about some way to prevent the release handle from operating?

 

[westfalia]

What about some way to prevent the release handle from operating?[/QUOTE]

I thought about that one too, but couldn't think further than a ´hasp and staple´and a padlock.

I can't see the cam lock being too much of a problem with the gap between the plastic and metal
as long as the nut on the cam lock is fixed or locked.
Once the drawer is out it would be easy to drill and grind out the slot for the lock part.
Cutting the slot in the bench part would be more tricky, I think i would half remove the seat (as in tilting it)
so that all the sing from drilling and filing doesn't go into the runners.

 

[Hotel California]

The drawer is filled with food tins and coocking pots ,
can't see why i would be putting those behind lock....
I got some other " safe" places to hide the original verhicle papers ( copies in the glovebox)and some cash also a small cheap safe is built-in somewhere unvisible (not under the seat as VW sels them) but elswhere . In there also some cash and a basic cellphone (with charger!) in case we should be robed or lose our Iphone . Buy a prepaid card ( with the cash stored ) and contact homefront/ police,....
Oh yeah if i lose my keys or they get robbed ....i can still can give myself acces to my Cali....
Not gonne tell how i do this sorry

BTW , if you take out the toolbox from behind the seat you can reach in the drawer....
and if they break in your Cali and find the glovecompartment or in this case the drawer locked , they will certainly do more effort opening it becouse they would be thinking valueble things are stored...no good

 

[westfalia]

The drawer is filled with food tins and coocking pots ,
can't see why i would be putting those behind lock....
I got some other " safe" places to hide the original verhicle papers ( copies in the glovebox)and some cash also a small cheap safe is built-in somewhere unvisible (not under the seat as VW sels them) but elswhere . In there also some cash and a basic cellphone (with charger!) in case we should be robed or lose our Iphone . Buy a prepaid card ( with the cash stored ) and contact homefront/ police,....
Oh yeah if i lose my keys or they get robbed ....i can still can give myself acces to my Cali....
Not gonne tell how i do this sorry

BTW , if you take out the toolbox from behind the seat you can reach in the drawer....
and if they break in your Cali and find the glovecompartment or in this case the drawer locked , they will certainly do more effort opening it becouse they would be thinking valueble things are stored...no good

Fair enough,
If i only had food tins in the drawer i don't think it would've entered my ed to put a lock on it. Sometimes we carry a few valuables so i thought it would be good for me to have a nice easy lockable space. Like when you arrive at your destination and you have to go shopping,i don't want to bring everything into the supermarket.
And that removing the toolbox comment is nonsense. They´d have to remove all the luggage first and also know their way around a cali.
I´ll have another go at getting a couple of MacBooks and ipads in the glovebox but i can't see them fitting.

BTW , i don't work for Brinks Mat, it´s only a bit of extra security i was looking for.

 

[Hotel California]

Just saying that if one gets in your car and see those lock will think valueble stuff are stored...think you better find a nice place somewhere underneet or behind some panel for the ipad/laptop .
Lots of hidden compartments in the Cali

But we never had bad experience so easy talk from my side , you read other stories on forums of people beeing robbed or their campers beeing emptyed by burglers while away...knock on wood

 

[Geezso]

I'm just home or would go and design something, but a camlock would work rather easily, it would be my quick fix. I cant image the drawer handle mechanism at the minute.

Watch this space

 

[Keith Smith]

Cam locks are not that secure and you don't get that many differs on the keys but I think you are looking for a deterrent rather than Fort Knox! If you are going to fit one where it is double skinned you need to fill the void with something absolutely uncompressable, I would use a two pack filler and push it into the gap once I had drilled the hole. The hole needs to be accurate as the lock has slightly squared off sides, there is a locking washer provided with the lock which has pins that fit into these recesses; get this right otherwise the lock will turn. There is a washer in with the lock which is used for thin door fixings, you probably won't need that and I have known people spending quite a while trying to figure out where to fit it. The locks come in various lengths to suit door thickness, it's a good idea to look at where you are going to cut the keep slot and get the lock that coincides most appropriately with the slot.

Good luck, not sure I would be too keen doing this to my Cali

 

[Geezso]

All you need to do is have a larger hole inside so the nut is against a single skin.
I think if someone gets in the van any lock wont be an issue, but a deterrent and that extra something is what I have assumed is needed.
Could go all out and install a safe in the under sink cupboard, bolted through the chassis if security is an issue.

 

[motacyclist]

Maybe there is some device that can lock into the rail the seat slides on, this would prevent the door sliding out?

 

[marchugo]

I think this isn't an easy operation. Bearlock are selling a rather expensive lock for the drawer. Saw it at our dealer, forgot the price (more than 150 euro, if I remember well).

For those looking for a solution, you can see on the pictures how they use a massive construction inside, with a steel pen coming op to the top of the drawer (second pic). The key hole itself sits almost at the bottom. No idea if the void in the double metal skin is filled down there.

Al the best from Amsterdam,

Marc.

 

[Keith Smith]

I've just been out and had a look at the drawer in my Cali, the plastic front is just a decorative panel and not strong or rigid enough to mount a lock. There is a metal drawer front but that is set well back (varies, but is about 40mm) from the plastic facia. I think any lock would need to be fixed to the metal drawer but I don't think it's practical to fit a lock that is so recessed without drilling a very large hole in the plastic front or making a long reach key by brazing an extension to it.

I think you would be better with Motorcyclist's idea of fixing something into the sliding rail or alternatively find some way of preventing the catch from being released. Perhaps you could adapt a window lock for this?

 

[Californiaman]

If I leave a lot of expensive camera equipment in a vehicle, I put it into one of these.. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005BNDFC6/?tag=eliteelect-21
Perhaps something like this could be locked to one of the iso mount points or similar.

 

[motacyclist]

This is what we need!

 

[Californiaman]

..and don't forget that you can gain access to the drawer by lifting the seat base.

 

[Stoneybroke]

View attachment 15017 This is what we need!

Actually, you may be on to something there...
A lockable pillar or post fixed in the centre runner tracks would stop the drawer being pulled out or the seat being moved - might need one at the back too.

 

[westfalia]

I found this sidelock in the workshop.
I had to remove the bench drawer,remove the inertia seat belt, remove the inner metal skin on the bench seat, remove the outer plastic cover on the bench seat, drill a few holes, fix the lock and then put it all
back together.

 

[westfalia]

Here´s the finished thing.

 

[Wojciech Jerzy]

Hi there, did you fit the lock? My storage door had empty hole instead of a lock. I found a number of sizes available on Amazon but couldn't match anything easy. Any ideas about the size? How did you go about it? Cheers.