Thread: Custom Aluminum Overhead Console (Pics inside)

i made one out of fiberglas a little while back
its pretty easy to use
so is tiggin' if u got the right exipment

Here's the next round of updates..

The first picture is of the mount that I fabricated for it.

The others are of the hole i made in the headliner, and you can also see the second part of the mount, which is a piece of steel bent to the countour of the roof. That piece is screwed into place, and then i drilled and tapped holes for the mount (in the first picture) to screw into. The benefit to all this is that it's easily removable, and it's just a really solid mount.

On a side note: I read somewhere that someone said cutting into their headliner was a real pain. I can't understand why they thought this, as I had absolutly no problem cutting mine. I used a utility knife for carpet to cut into the headliner..for anyone doing a project like this, I would suggest investing in one.

This is a shot of the hinge I made for it..but mostly these pictures just show the inside of the door, where my glasses will go.

I had to make a hinge because I couldn't find one that would allow it to work properly..the door has to not only swing down, but swing down and foreward to clear completly.

Note: after adding cabinet stops to keep it shut, I decided that the hinge works like crap. There was just too much play in it, which meant the door was always getting jammed. I decided to use my very first idea, which meant that the hinge would be partly visable from the outside (which is what I was trying to avoid). I already have the new hinge and stops done, but no pictures yet.

Here's the mount screwed into place.

The wires hanging down go to the computer (for power, reset, etc), the monitor, and the inverter.

Right now, I have the inside of the glasses part felted, and the whole unit is mounted, with a much better hinging system (it looks alot cleaner without the complicated hinge too). I'll post thoes pictures in my next set.

nice, keep us updated

wow, what gauge steel is that bracket? Looks a little thick. How heavy is it, and is it going to buckle your roof when you add the console and all the innards?

Maybe the pics are distorting how big it looks.

The roof of a car is alot more stable then most people think. I've stood on top of a car with barely denting the outer shell. So as long as its less then 150 pounds it should be good.

Originally Posted by dmcdlrn

wow, what gauge steel is that bracket? Looks a little thick. How heavy is it, and is it going to buckle your roof when you add the console and all the innards?

Maybe the pics are distorting how big it looks.

I'm not too positive on the gauge of the steel..but the bracket itself is not more than 5 lbs. It looks alot heavier than what it actually is.

I have the bracket with the console already installed, and it has absolutly no effect on the roof at all.

Glad to hear it... I figured it might be smaller then it looked.

avengerki, some roofs are stronger then others.. I know his truck is probably stronger then most cars, but my brother dented the roof of his grand am by laying on the center of it let alone standing on it or having the car going over pot holes. Don't underestimate the impact of impulse in physics. Impluse is why most are worried about their hard drives in their installs.