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Old 01-21-2021, 10:04 AM   #11
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There's also this: https://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.co...tem/_337400038

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Old 01-21-2021, 10:09 AM   #12
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I have seen that along with a few comments from the people who have called about compatibility and they said that it will not work in a 2009 and up. I'm sure you could make it work, but I like the look of the SMB one more anyways.
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Old 01-21-2021, 10:15 AM   #13
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Just throwing it out there for consideration but that overhead console/headliner can also be used for gauges. I put an Spod setup in there where I can also read the air pressure or voltage as well as the switches for my lights. There's not much room to play with in the dash.
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Old 01-21-2021, 10:58 AM   #14
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Just throwing it out there for consideration but that overhead console/headliner can also be used for gauges. I put an Spod setup in there where I can also read the air pressure or voltage as well as the switches for my lights. There's not much room to play with in the dash.
That's kind of what we were thinking we would do. We used to own a Land Rover Discovery II that had a little shelf that we referred to as the map holder. It was super handy for permits, passes, maps, and other small paperwork stuff. So I wanted to get some of that functionality as well as a place to mount some switches and an exterior Temp gauge since currently we don't have any exterior temp read out. We probably won't do all the switches up there as we have the newer style dash, and using the sPod kit from U-Joint I think we should be able to mount most of our switches in the little bump up where the factory AUX switches mount.
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Old 01-21-2021, 04:05 PM   #15
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Oh I like the overhead switches, good call.

I had been eyeballing the VDP one for awhile but not sold yet on the look. The SMB ones look way better, just harder to build (as this thread is proving).
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Old 01-24-2021, 07:04 AM   #16
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Here are a few shots of my Overhead Windshield Shelve that I created! The sun visors are very low now but are still usable. The rear view mirror got in the way, so I removed it! This shelve is a great place to display all of our Hiking Stick medallions that were have collected in our travels.
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Old 01-25-2021, 09:11 PM   #17
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I used that space for my battery gauges, a couple switched USB outlets, and a clearance diagram. Looking at it takes my eyes further off the road than I'd want for engine gauges, but I rarely need to look at the battery status while driving, so it works out well. I put a 2m/70cm ham transceiver up there too.

Run any wiring before you screw the thing in place, it's a real pain to reach in there after the fact. In fact even if you weren't putting gauges there I'd tuck a house power wire up there anyway, just in case you want it later.

EDIT: If your stereo has a bluetooth hands-free system, that shelf is also a great spot to mount the mic. Puts it nice and close to your head without being in the way.
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Old 01-28-2021, 09:51 PM   #18
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I can take a pic of mine if you'd like. I put 5 gauges over the driver, 7 rocker switches for the lights in the center, and a cubby hole over the pass with stretchy fish net. I bought motorhome visors. They are perfectly rectangular (7 years still need to mount them). Maybe the pic will motivate me to finish them. I am tall and have no real desperate need for the visors but the wife does. I think I have not mounted them so she will close her eyes and won't mind how fast I drive.
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Old 09-17-2021, 08:37 AM   #19
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Just wanted to update this thread since I have had my overhead console/cab shelf done for a while now. Some may have seen it in my build thread, but for those searching for how to do this here is the process and pictures of mine.

Overhead Console

Everyone's suggestions and pictures were a huge help. I started this like everything in a cardboard form. Luckily I had the stock headliner out so I could use it as a tracing guide for the windshield side. After transferring this to ¼” Baltic birch I was able to do an initial test fit in the cab with the stock headliner in.




-Then I located and cut out openings for the sun visor mount and center clips. The visors can't mount directly to the wood since they need to be held at an angle that matches the original orientation to maintain full functionality. So I cut an oversized hole and used an odd-shaped piece of ¼” BB to space the visor down. You can see that I clamped a 4’ level to the shelf while doing the test fit to get everything all lined up and fitting correctly.






-After getting the visors located correctly I was able to get my final dimensions all figured out and cut.





-I then added the vertical ½” BB supports which are cut to the taper of the headliner.




-After that, I started on the front face of the console. I used ¼” BB that was pushed tight to the curve and then scribed to the headliner to get a tight fit.




-After getting the face figured out I worked on the location of the overhead switches and where I wanted the openings to be located. I have enough room on both driver and passenger sides to have 3 22mm pushbuttons, but as of right now I am only using one location for the overhead map lights.





-Clamped it all up in place and then pulled it from the van to do a glue-up of the front face. I unintentionally made it a much more complex curve as it has a few flat spots with connecting curves and the front face goes from being perpendicular to the shelf to more angled in the center. Wasn’t an intentional design choice, but I am happy with how it turned out.






-Then it was back to the van for a final fitment check. As of right now, I am only using factory mounting points, and it seems to be plenty strong for what we are intending to use it for. It is held in place by the center visor clips that have long screws pinching the shelf to the van frame and then it is also pinched between the headliner and the A-pillar trim on the sides. Still have a few more things to do before upholstering but I am pretty happy with how this came together.


-I also added some small 1” overhead lights that I referenced above as overhead map lights. I saw this idea in a few pictures from SMB West's Sportsmobile Classic build and thought it was a great idea so I added it to our list.




During upholstery process

Final







Overhead Buttons with Garage Door Controls

Hopefully, this can help the next person looking to build one of these!
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Old 12-07-2022, 08:17 PM   #20
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Wow, somehow I missed this when it happened. Nice work!

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