Life-hammer in Armrest

[GrayT]

Not exactly a hardcore mod I know but I just thought I would share this safety idea. It stems from having been to a few accidents where people were trapped in their seats. The life-hammer acts as a tool for breaking glass and cutting seatbelts and most people attach them to the footwell. But what if you're stuck with a jammed seat belt and can't reach forward, car starting to smoulder...?
For those with the centre armrest I came up with this idea where the Life-hammer fits inside the lid of the armrest.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/GrayT/DSCN0753.jpg
It is easily reachable and even if the armrest is up and you drop the lid open rather than pull down the armrest you can still reach the hammer pinned back in your seat. I don't find the space inside the armrest useful for anything much anyway, given it is frequently moved up and down, although it does still leave space for a few items. A bonus is it's out of sight of theives who are looking for a useful window breaking tool. Anyway, just a little tip for you - don't ignore safety while you mod your car in other ways - I would say First Aid Kit, Fire Extinguisher & Lifehammer are essentials.

[RobDon]

Very handy, I like that.

[CASSMAN]

great idea mate, i'm going to look into that. recently saw a guy stuck in a car crash on it's side and he could'nt get out.

[GrayT]

Yep, you're probably even more likely to use it to help someone else out in an emergency. I took the lid off to screw the life hammer on (you'll need to use three short, fat screws - not provided with the hammer, as their fixings are designed to hook into carpet). They JUST penetrate the plastic put not the padded leather cover and you cannot feel the screws when pressing on the armrest. Although the hammer rattled very slightly at first this was remedied by putting an adhesive pad hidden between the hammer and the bracket (blutack would do).

Project cost: £10 - but could save a life.

[Scotty_b]

Will have to do this, alog with a decent fire Ext. rather than the crappy show one.

Maybe sticky pads could hold the hammer in place rather than screws?

[GrayT]

The bracket has a fairly hollow underside so limited space for sticky pads. Maybe a very strong glue, but personally I would go for screws (there are screw holes already in the bracket). Remember when the armrest and lid are down it is effectively holding the bracket and hammer upside down - and the metal window breaking end makes the hammer fairly heavy.

[RobDon]

Where did you buy the life hammer?

[LEO LION R]

Where did you buy the life hammer?

There is one HERE (http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=13713) but the holder is less subtantial, the hammer looks the same though.

I am sure halfrauds sell them too, probably twice the price :(

[Cupra_power]

Been looking at putting a mag-light and bracket in the car, possibly under the passenger shelf. That is also pretty useful mod.

[xJib]

As an idea. Would it be better to mount the hammer the other way up, so that the heavy end is closer to the hinge? This then would make it easier to open the arm rest.

[GrayT]

It was Halfrauds I got it from but they are also available online. Only thing is you might need to check if the mounting bracket is suitable if it is a different style. I think at Halfrauds they also did a silver hammer with a built in torch - although personally I like having the Toureq torch charged up all the time in the lighter socket (expensive though). Re mounting it up the other way - maybe, but when I said it is heavy, it's not really that heavy - the lid is not difficult to open at all.