nic fouts

Originally submitted at 4 Wheel Parts

 

Fits 2011 to 2012 JK Wrangler, Rubicon and Unlimited;2 and 4-door models;Black powder coat;16-gauge steel;21,195 cubic inches of lockable storage space;Mounts in Jeep with or without OEM subwoofer;Mounts in 2 and 4-door models with OEM hard or soft top;Includes all mounting hardware required and do…

Security Deck Enclosure

Well designed but lacking a little

Pros: Can Withstand Use, Sturdy

Cons: Fastener Quality

Best Uses: Summer, Security

Describe Yourself: Truck Enthusiast, Casual Driver, Auto Enthusiast, Mechanic

Installed this in my 2011 JK Unlimited Rubicon. Overall installation was pretty easy. The bigger pieces were just a bit difficult to work with alone. An extra set of hands would really help out. I also did it with the doors off, which helped tremendously. Recommend that.

Other reviews online mentioned shortcomings with the fasteners in the kit. They’re standard medium grade bolts (Grade 5, if I recall correctly). Because I had to adjust the deck several times to get the back door to close properly, I had one of the bolts sheer off. I’m going to completely replace all of the bolts with Grade 8 in the coming weeks. It’s a bit overkill, but I have to replace one already so why not.

The deck does clear the stock subwoofer. I was worried that the complete enclosure around the subwoofer would muffle it, but it still sounds pretty good.

The whole assembly mounts on top of the rear tub rails. If you have a hard top it sits on top of the lower lip of that as well. That adds several steps to adding/removing the hardtop. I haven’t attempted it yet, but it looks like it will take a bit of disassembling just to get the top on and off. I looked at building a spacer for the rest of the tub lip so that this whole assembly could fit under the hardtop but I think that messes with the clearance on every other piece. The front top pieces would be more prone to leaking with the extra gap. Not sure what the doors would do, they might be able to handle it.

With the back plate installed, you still have a few inches of space behind the rear seats (in the Unlimited, anyway). See the second picture with the hat for size reference. It’s enough for emergency blankets or maybe even an off-road jack.

I’m a bit disappointed that there isn’t any kind of lifter mechanism to assist and/or hold up the deck when you’re accessing your goodies. When loading/unloading you have to prop up the deck with one shoulder which can make it difficult. You could probably fabricate a latch for the upper pins to slide into, but I’ve not given it any design thought yet.

The packaging could have been a bit better. It came packed in polystyrene foam which rubbed off quite a bit on the black powder coat. It would have been nice to see the metal pieces wrapped in plastic to keep them clean. I took the pictures before wiping everything down so you can see what I mean. It cleans up fairly easily, but it’s the small touches like this that would make it even better right out of the box.

The product is designed very nicely and looks mostly professional. The bright bolts on the black powder coat do look a bit homemade, but not overly so. The powder coat is high quality and is fairly resistant to scratching. I did manage to scratch it the first day. I had a rock stuck to the bottom of that 30 pound tub you see in the first picture and I slid it across the lid.

In all, it’s a very nice addition to the Jeep’s security. It’s not completely impenetrable, but it would take someone skilled several minutes to get into it far enough to get something out. The optional security bolts they give you would help, but only by a few more minutes for that really skilled thief.

(legalese)