'00 F350 SuperDuty
Overhead Console
The next thing was an overhead console. With the 6-speed there isn't a good place to mount
a radio where it's not in the way. That, and I'd been scratching my head for a long time trying
to figure out a nice place to mount a bunch of rocker switches for lights and things. An overhead
console would solve both these problems, but there are NO good aftermarket ones (except that shelf
thing from Steel Horse, but that isn't really a console and I don't like how much vision it blocks).
I've looked into doing the Explorer console thing, but the lights aren't necessary, no place for a radio,
and it just looks tiny and wimpy in the big truck. In the end, I now have a nice full-length setup that holds my
radio, a bunch of lighted rocker switches, programmable garage door opener, exterior thermometer,
a compass, and have room for expansion if I think of any other neat things to put up top.
Once again I called up Centurion and I was able to put something together using a bunch of their factory
pieces. They aren't an accessories shop, they just sell parts, so because I have never seen a finished and
assembled version of what I was ordering, it took a couple of orders to get everything I needed.
The console shell is a full-length molded plastic/rubberized kind of material (it's not hard). Both
of the interior roof lights mount thru the console, holding it to the ceiling. I went and got
6 new screws 1/4 inch longer to replace the original ones that held the lights in place so that
they would be long enough with the console sandwiched in between the lights and the roof.
The front of the console is help up with two screws that go into a brace (no, they don't go
thru the roof). There are three filler panels that are padded to match the headliner - Centurion
offers a neet lighted mirrored panel that goes here on their higher-end trucks.
I mounted a very low-profile CB radio up above the switch panel and had the front cloth filler
panel angle up to it - Not only was it the only place I could find to put it, but it works
very well. The speaker for the CB is hidden in the console above the filler board a few inches in front
of the radio. I cut a hole out of the back of the board, leaving the fabric intact so it's not
visible that it's there, but the radio is very easy to hear since it's right up on the ceiling and
no one knows the speaker is there. I'm still playing with the antenna setup and the routing of the power wires to clean
up some noise, but the PA system is functioning well and that's the most fun part anyway :). Not really
sure where to put the mike clip because I don't want to permanently screw it anywhere, but for now
it just sits up above my visor. I mounted the antenna (for now) to the bed using on of those clamp-on
tie down deals and bolted it to a 90-degree antenna bracket. This way I can easily pull it
off when I decide to move it to the roof.
Then there is a nice lighted switch panel that holds up to six lighted switches. Currently
I have four - One to disable the daytime running lights, which is great for drive-thrus, etc.
The next switches the auxilary backup lights from normal operation to full on so that I can have light behind
the truck when I want it. Great when hooking up the trailer in the dark. The third
is wired up to power auxilary lights on the new frontend. All three
of the switches are simply controlling their own SPDT relays (*everything* is fused thru the
Painless Wiring fusebox) under the dash so it's easy to change what they do and I don't have
to worry about how much power the accessories need. Also there is a switch for controlling the
power sliding rear window which I don't have installed yet... But the switch is ready to go! :)
It's lighted using a flat 120v type of light that is basically a 12-sq inch sticker
that lights up. Then there's a plastic "label" that's over that with the Centurion logo and switch
labels on it. I'd really like to find someplace to make me a new overlay so that I can change the labels
on the switches.. If anyone has any ideas email me.
Underneath that is the thermometer/compass display. I got the electronics from a wrecked
Explorer console and tossed the rest. The guts (circuit board, LCD) are mounted in this neat
self-contained unit inside the console so it was just a matter of mounting the unit as a whole into my
console shell. The wiring consists of 10 wires, all of which are black, making it a pain to
figure out what does what. There is a control button (marked as "Mode" in the Explorer) that needed to
be somewhere, I'll get to that in the next paragraph. Also, I had to make a cover for the LCD
since the nice green tinted "window" that hides it was part of the Explorer console shell. I
fabricated one using a green tinted welding lens that was an identical shade to the Ford one, cutting
and finishing it down to the right size to fill the console opening. It turned out perfectly (yes!).
The compass is supposed to be mounted straight in the vehicle in order for it to read correctly... I was able to correct this by just changing the
"zone" that it thought it was in. Seems to be working properly. Also I mounted the thermosensor
right behind the grille. I know there is a factory location for this (since lariats have them)
but I didn't take the time to find it yet. Until then, it was mounted right here.
The last part was wiring in the lower switch panel... There's three little black buttons
and a green LED. The first two buttons are garage door openers, the LED works with those to
indicate when you're transmitting (same as on any opener). The last button is the control for
the compass/thermometer display (the "Mode" button). I first wired up all three buttons as
garage door controls, but considering I only have 2 powered garage doors and needed a control
button for the compass, that had to be changed.
Return to the main F350 page...
| 
