cantburn
03-24-2006, 07:21 PM
Overhead Console Install and Wiring
First, you need to prep the console for installation into your rig…since you have a regular cab, the roof does not have the tab cutouts in the roof panel for the tabs on the console to fit into, so hold the console flat so that you are looking across the bottom of it. You will see how the tabs stick up from the base.
Mark the tabs that stick above the plane of the console and cut them off at that point. You do not have to be exact because of the headliner panel has some give in it and there is dead space above the panel before you hit steel. I just used wire cutters and made a few cuts on either side and twisted the tabs off. Now go to the front mount hole, there is a guide pin next to the hole tube. Cut that guide pin off.
OK prep work is done.
Now we move on to the headliner. You will notice that we have to remove a little headliner to facilitate this install. If you notice the bottom of the console that there is a bulge that sticks up past the plane of the bottom of the console, that is from the eyeglass holder…we are going to remove a square of the headliner to allow that part of the console to actually rest through the headliner, this will allow the console to sit a little more even on the roofline. First though we are going to position the console on the roof with our hand and try to get it as centered on the roofline as we can. Take your time…there is no rush to doing this…remember, this is easier than replacing a headliner that you screwed up in haste…lol. When you have the console where YOU want it, with a free hand, mark the perimeter with pencil light enough for you to see as a reference.. Now here is a very important note…you do NOT have to remove much of the headliner itself….we are going to use self tapping screws to secure the console to the roof. The roof on these trucks is double walled so accidentally drilling through them is tough in itself. The only reason we are cutting any headliner out is we are making room for the eyeglass compartment near the front, which also serves to route the wires for the map lights. So place the console back up to the roof on your reference mark from earlier and mark where the eyeglass holder sits up against the headliner. If you press on the console hard enough it will leave an impression in the headliner board in which you will be able to see and mark the area that way. Once this is marked take a razor and cut out a square of headliner that is the same or a little bigger than the dimension of the sunglass holder. Just remember not to get within an inch of the side of your reference mark or the headliner may pull free of the backer board.
Next step is to take the rear interior light down from the rear window trim so you can access the power supply for the map lights. Take your time with this step and remember to disconnect the battery because you will short something doing this. When you are taking this light assembly apart either take pictures that will be handy or remember how it goes back together because it is in several pieces. Once it is taken down, you will see that there are several wires attached to it. If you want the map lights to come on when a door is opened and also come on independently, you will have to run the wires in a way for that to happen. The interior light assembly has red, orange and black as its wiring…black is the ground and can be wired as such, but the red is for constant power to the light…so when you reach up and push one of those black buttons, the lights on the side come on. The orange wire is the power wire that runs the center light so when you open the door it comes on. Basically what you may want to due is splice the red and orange wire from the interior light to the orange wire going to the console, in this arrangement the map light on the console will come on as well as the interior lights for the truck. If you do not want the map lights to come on when you open the door…..Only splice the red wire from the interior light to the orange wire from the console….then the map lights will have a constant power source but not from the door switch. The black wire from the interior light can be spliced to the black wire from the console…just a basic ground. Now, the easiest way to get the wires to meet is to use a pliable wire and tape the wires from the console to the pliable wire and stick it through the hole you cut in the headliner and run in backward toward the hole where the interior light is. When you see the wire appear, just keep pulling it through until you get the wires from the console to appear. Splice the wires safely together and stuff them back up in the hole and re-assemble the light fixture. Now you should have half your truck back together, a hole in your headliner with two wires hanging out of it…..I would suggest cutting the plug off the console and making these last splices with sealed connectors that can be taken apart in case of service needs
.
Now you are ready to fasten the console to the roof. This is a no brainer and don’t be scared to do it. I used 1 ½ inch self tapping stainless screws for the install. If you want, secure the front first, plug your wires together and stuff the wiring away, hold the console tight against the roof and place the screw in the mounting hole on the front. You will feel the screw bite into the steel after in eats through the headliner and pad, only tighten it enough for the screw to snug in. Then go to the very back of the console. Open the last door and pry the holding teeth up a little so the door can swing down freely
. This will give you ample space to the flat mounting plate on the backside of the opening. You only have to secure this with one screw if you want because the console does not weigh that much and doesn’t carry that much weight. Again, secure until you feel the crew snug up…you only want to feel the screw go through one steel panel. If you want and you feel the drill pop through the one panel…switch to a screw driver and tighten that way.
Now, hook up your battery and try out your map lights.
First, you need to prep the console for installation into your rig…since you have a regular cab, the roof does not have the tab cutouts in the roof panel for the tabs on the console to fit into, so hold the console flat so that you are looking across the bottom of it. You will see how the tabs stick up from the base.
Mark the tabs that stick above the plane of the console and cut them off at that point. You do not have to be exact because of the headliner panel has some give in it and there is dead space above the panel before you hit steel. I just used wire cutters and made a few cuts on either side and twisted the tabs off. Now go to the front mount hole, there is a guide pin next to the hole tube. Cut that guide pin off.
OK prep work is done.
Now we move on to the headliner. You will notice that we have to remove a little headliner to facilitate this install. If you notice the bottom of the console that there is a bulge that sticks up past the plane of the bottom of the console, that is from the eyeglass holder…we are going to remove a square of the headliner to allow that part of the console to actually rest through the headliner, this will allow the console to sit a little more even on the roofline. First though we are going to position the console on the roof with our hand and try to get it as centered on the roofline as we can. Take your time…there is no rush to doing this…remember, this is easier than replacing a headliner that you screwed up in haste…lol. When you have the console where YOU want it, with a free hand, mark the perimeter with pencil light enough for you to see as a reference.. Now here is a very important note…you do NOT have to remove much of the headliner itself….we are going to use self tapping screws to secure the console to the roof. The roof on these trucks is double walled so accidentally drilling through them is tough in itself. The only reason we are cutting any headliner out is we are making room for the eyeglass compartment near the front, which also serves to route the wires for the map lights. So place the console back up to the roof on your reference mark from earlier and mark where the eyeglass holder sits up against the headliner. If you press on the console hard enough it will leave an impression in the headliner board in which you will be able to see and mark the area that way. Once this is marked take a razor and cut out a square of headliner that is the same or a little bigger than the dimension of the sunglass holder. Just remember not to get within an inch of the side of your reference mark or the headliner may pull free of the backer board.
Next step is to take the rear interior light down from the rear window trim so you can access the power supply for the map lights. Take your time with this step and remember to disconnect the battery because you will short something doing this. When you are taking this light assembly apart either take pictures that will be handy or remember how it goes back together because it is in several pieces. Once it is taken down, you will see that there are several wires attached to it. If you want the map lights to come on when a door is opened and also come on independently, you will have to run the wires in a way for that to happen. The interior light assembly has red, orange and black as its wiring…black is the ground and can be wired as such, but the red is for constant power to the light…so when you reach up and push one of those black buttons, the lights on the side come on. The orange wire is the power wire that runs the center light so when you open the door it comes on. Basically what you may want to due is splice the red and orange wire from the interior light to the orange wire going to the console, in this arrangement the map light on the console will come on as well as the interior lights for the truck. If you do not want the map lights to come on when you open the door…..Only splice the red wire from the interior light to the orange wire from the console….then the map lights will have a constant power source but not from the door switch. The black wire from the interior light can be spliced to the black wire from the console…just a basic ground. Now, the easiest way to get the wires to meet is to use a pliable wire and tape the wires from the console to the pliable wire and stick it through the hole you cut in the headliner and run in backward toward the hole where the interior light is. When you see the wire appear, just keep pulling it through until you get the wires from the console to appear. Splice the wires safely together and stuff them back up in the hole and re-assemble the light fixture. Now you should have half your truck back together, a hole in your headliner with two wires hanging out of it…..I would suggest cutting the plug off the console and making these last splices with sealed connectors that can be taken apart in case of service needs
.
Now you are ready to fasten the console to the roof. This is a no brainer and don’t be scared to do it. I used 1 ½ inch self tapping stainless screws for the install. If you want, secure the front first, plug your wires together and stuff the wiring away, hold the console tight against the roof and place the screw in the mounting hole on the front. You will feel the screw bite into the steel after in eats through the headliner and pad, only tighten it enough for the screw to snug in. Then go to the very back of the console. Open the last door and pry the holding teeth up a little so the door can swing down freely
. This will give you ample space to the flat mounting plate on the backside of the opening. You only have to secure this with one screw if you want because the console does not weigh that much and doesn’t carry that much weight. Again, secure until you feel the crew snug up…you only want to feel the screw go through one steel panel. If you want and you feel the drill pop through the one panel…switch to a screw driver and tighten that way.
Now, hook up your battery and try out your map lights.