Save your dash: new center console and radio mount DIY

[r67northern]

Hi Everyone,

I picked up a very nice 1988 R20 not long ago that has been rarely driven and is one of the nicer old vehicles I've seen. But I have also been spoiled by some of the new radio features that you can pick up aftermarket (like bluetooth, external mic etc.). Now I didn't want to cut the dash apart to fit a new radio so I figured I could either spend extra money on a "classic radio" from a company like Retro Sound or find some other location to mount a new aftermarket radio.

I weighed the options with the following criteria:

• Must be able to remove all of the upgrades and leave little / no trace
• Gain the new radio features without spending the extra on a Retro Sound Unit
• Find a suitable location for a new stereo without cutting the dash apart
• (Hopefully) leave the original radio intact in the dash AND powered up as though it were still fully functional

Now I observed that you can buy new center consoles from a variety of sources ... so could I mount a new radio to a new console and achieve the goals of the project? You bet! I'll post up some pictures and steps I took, see what you think. This might not be for everyone, but I like that I can 'undo' it and I didn't damage any of the original GM hardware in the process.

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IMG_2323 by Lineswest

 

[r67northern]

Parts:

The original center console for these squares is held by four bolts that attach to a bracket (rear mount) or the floor pan directly (front mount). I didn't want to cut up the original console any more so than the dash, but there are many aftermarket units available. Quite a few of them seem to be designed for Jeep use.

Tuffy makes an expensive unit that will almost fill the entire gap between the front bucket seats. That would have been nice, and also wider than the original console.

I opted for a less expensive model from Rampage ($75) which I knew wouldn't be as good but had generally good reviews:
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000V9AIRA

This would also give the rear seat access to a couple of cup holders and maintain the approximate width of the original console. This unit is slightly longer than the original, however. You can see below that this new Rampage unit is also flat on the bottom and the original is curved to accommodate the floor pan shape between the seats.

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IMG_2286 by Lineswest

See how the original bottom curves "up" as it moves forward to the front of the vehicle. There's about a 1" difference between front and back.

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IMG_2287 by Lineswest

This will require adjusting the floor mount height to make sure that the new console sits as level as possible when installed.

I should also mention that there are "security consoles" out there that will mount the radio within the console itself. I looked at this but didn't like them because the cup holders ended up on level with the floor and that seemed like it was too far away from the seat to be useful.

So to side-mount a new radio where it's in easy reach of the driver seat, there are a few mounts that are generic and used for under-dash or ceiling mounts. Metra makes one, here's the one that I selected from DCO:

http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00AJZ61G8

This universal box is bigger than needed (others are smaller), so some cutting was required with a dremel to make sure it would sit level with the floor of the console when mounted.

You'll probably also want some wire harnesses and cable to help out if you do this (don't forget an antenna extension wire). Crutchfield can get you the right adapters so that you can disconnect wires from the rear of your old radio in the dash and just hook in the new cables that will extend out to the new console mounted radio. I found this wire cable to be helpful too:

http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B004H1KAMQ

The wire colors match the adapters and the new radio plug-in so that's always nice. There are 9 wires bundled so you'll need to run a couple of additional wires as I'll get to later. The goal is to unplug the speaker connections from the old dash-mount radio, then route those via the new adapter out to the new radio and leave the rest of the original radio power and lighting inputs alone.

As for the new radio itself, find something you like. I've had good results from JVC in the past. Keep in mind that if you get a radio with a CD player, it may not function if you mount it vertically like I did. Given the Aux inputs for iPods and bluetooth connections I was okay with that trade, but be aware.

Now that the parts are together, I'll post up some pics and info of how I mounted the new console next, then some notes on wiring and wire routing.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Nice project, if mine had buckets I would be doing something like this. I saw this little AM/FM/MP3/Bluetooth marine radio and thought it would be great on my 4wheeler, if it is any count it might be good for a project like this as well...
http://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Ma...MP3+Gauge+Stereo+Bluetooth+Music+for+BOAT+ATV

 

[r67northern]

Some installation pics and notes for the new console:

The original comes out easily with 4 bolts, I used the same bolts to attach new wood mounts to the original holes. The rear is lifted to make up for the change in floor pan shape.

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IMG_2291 by Lineswest

Front is lifted slightly so that the new console can sit atop the carpet and still hit the mount.

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IMG_2296 by Lineswest

Test fit:

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IMG_2293 by Lineswest, on Flickr

Test fit with radio mount attached to the console side:

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IMG_2297 by Lineswest, on Flickr

I used some simple wood screws to hold the radio mount in place. The wires will exit the bottom of the radio holder and can be run directly under the carpet up to the dash area.

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IMG_2299 by Lineswest, on Flickr

Finally I mounted the console to the wooden attachments I had down using the supplied screws that came with the new console. The bottom is wood itself and it attaches well.

Next: wiring notes and hook-ups.

 

[r67northern]

Nice project, if mine had buckets I would be doing something like this. I saw this little AM/FM/MP3/Bluetooth marine radio and thought it would be great on my 4wheeler, if it is any count it might be good for a project like this as well...
http://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Ma...MP3+Gauge+Stereo+Bluetooth+Music+for+BOAT+ATV

Good find, I bet that would work nicely for something like this. I wonder if it could be made to work in the cigarette lighter / ash tray space and flip down and up?

 

[r67northern]

Now the radio wiring part: One of the neat things about this is that you don't have to remove the original radio at all, and I think you can even get away with this without removing any plastic dash parts.

I did drop the vent line that goes to the driver side square a/c vent, it's held on by a single philips screw on the panel beneath the steering wheel. Slide it toward the driver vent and start to coax it down from its other side:

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IMG_2316 by Lineswest

That allows you to see everything "fairly well" up behind the GM radio. You can pull the harnesses from the rear that have the speaker wires, but leave the other installed. It will carry power and lighting to the original radio so that it remains 'on' and looks normal when the truck is running.

I ran the cable of wires from the new radio under the carpet right up to the firewall and then used the Metra adapter to grab the speaker wires. I ran an independent battery line and an independent ignition switch line to the fuse panel directly. This let me more easily keep the original radio powered up without disturbing that connector.

I also ran the extension for the antenna under the carpet, and the new mic as well. I mounted the mic as I've seen others do:

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IMG_2325 by Lineswest

Then some left over material from the headliner to fill in the gap between floor and new console in the rear:

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IMG_2322 by Lineswest

The radio position seems good, right by my hand for easy volume adjust:

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IMG_2331 by Lineswest

... and everything works!

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IMG_2323 by Lineswest

Now I just need to remember how to set the clock in the original radio.

Hope this helps anyone out that is thinking of ways not to cut the dash apart. I think I could undo all of this and get back to "original" condition in about 30 minutes or so. Happy trails everyone.

 

[mistaake]

Great idea and good write up with photos. One thing I will ask, which center console did you buy? The one on Rakuten looks different and is double the price.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[r67northern]

Great idea and good write up with photos. One thing I will ask, which center console did you buy? The one on Rakuten looks different and is double the price.

Thanks,
Michael

I used this rampage console:
Rampage 31517 Denim Spice Locking Center Console

Amazon has them l listed at about $75 in a choice of three colors I think (black, gray, and this spice color). It's not bad, seems to be decently built, and not so expensive you feel bad drilling on it a bit.

 

[Shawn Cribbs]

Good stuff