Gary,
I did a retrofit of the factory console myself, except for the computer. It
cost me about $300 in parts to go that far, which was dealer cost plus about
10%. The computer alone was almost $400 at this pricing scheme. So I decided
to do without it. I am still trying to figure out what to install in the
factory display area, and the only idea so far is an inexpensive
compass/clock/thermometer combination. That would require a custom molded face
piece to fit the factory opening..not a problem, but not easy or quick either.
Retrofitting the factory console was not hard, but was time consuming. The
headliner has to come down, which is easy except for removing the clips that
attach the sunvisors and the coat hooks. Although these were designed
supposedly to be reusable (two parts each), there was no way to remove them
without breaking half of each, but they are sold in pairs only. Had to buy all
pieces new..good news was they were cheap, less than about $10 for the lot. My
advice is don't waste any time on trying to save them, and you could do damage
to the headliner, the visor, or something else. Plus time lost and the
aggravation. Get a large pair of side cutting pliers and cut them off about
1/2" from the base. DON'T TRY TO PULL THEM OUT, you will damage the square hole
in the sheet metal that holds them in place. I had to repair one of mine to
make the fit right after a Dodge body shop person tried this. BTW, no dealer
person could show me how to remove these devices. They interlock, but once
snapped inside the metal hole, they cannot be taken apart intact.
The headliner has a score on the inside which shows where the cut out for the
console needs to be. And, the holes for the mounting bracket are already
there. No guessing or measuring! So buy a new X-acto blade and cut away the
opening. Use a cutting motion from the backside, following the score, but pull
up against the finished side with the blade tilted such that the finished fabric
is cut before any other part of the headliner (this way supports the cloth so it
will not be jagged or torn when finished). Change the blade about halfway
through the job. Do this, go slow and steady, and you will have a nice clean
cut. Mount the installation hardware, install wiring and reinstall the
headliner. If you do not use the computer, you will have to adapt the wiring
harness for the lights to work properly. It is impossible to explain here the
work around, but the solutions are many and not beyond the skills of someone
with at least average automotive electrical skills. Once the console housing is
snapped in place, only you will know it was added later.
You cannot buy all the small parts from the factory. I had to go to the parts
house and buy screws, washers, etc. Be careful selecting screws that go into
the sheet metal, so you don't use something too long that goes through the top.
Check the depth first with something like a small drill bit, tootpick etc. If
you are getting $1000 bids for 3rd party pieces, consider the factory retrofit.
After all, it was designed to fit there and looks the part (IMHO). It also
provides virtually everything a 3rd party part does, except possibly somewhere
to hide a radar detector. If you opt to spend $800-1000, and do it yourself,
you can have the full factory system. If you have all the parts together, it
would take 3-4 hours to install.
VATEKHOKIE wrote:
> Has anyone ever had or is it even possible to have a overhead console
> installed aftermarket. Checked with a couple of local dealers with estimates
> in the $1000.00 range! Ouch! Anyway... I bought my 97 DAK CC SLT V8
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