Let's Talk Center Consoles

[JeepGuy]

Let's get this party started shall we... One of the mystery boxes that showed up today contained the lower center console and accessory switch panel. My afternoon was wide open, so I got right after it and of course it did not kick off without a hitch...

There I was, all excited like a kid on Christmas morning. I get the console portion out of bubble wrap and go to test fit it. Too tall... I'm guessing when I installed the new tunnel cover it raised a bit which I kind of already figured based on the seam where it meets the firewall. No biggie, part of my plans for the day were to make cuts to the console anyway, so off I went. 3/8" off the top three sides and it almost fit snug against the firewall. 1/2" triangle cut on the lower corners and now it slides in perfect at the lower crease of the dash and about 1/4" nice parallel gap up the firewall. Perfect.

On to the panel. Simple enough rectangle cut with some small messaging on the side and it sits perfect for what I was looking for. I wanted it as high as possible to prevent accidental switch activations in the future. I plan on having a small tray right at the base to lay a cell phone or other small items. One thing that I made sure of was clearance in the back. With the panel installed I have just over 4" from the face of the lower console to front of the stock air ducting. This panel needs about 3 1/2" to clear all wires cleanly. I'm guessing you could bend the tabs a bit on the back to get a bit more if needed, but if I have the room I'd prefer to use it, and this positioning made most sense to me with the dash body line.

But then there was a little problem. The way the side walls go back it was blocking about 1/3 of the vent on either side. This concerned me a bit as I really wanted as much flow as possible, and I didn't want to force a ton of hot air into the lower console heating up the switch panel with nowhere for all that hot air to go. Had some 20-gauge sheets laying around so I fab'ed up a vent extension and got it mounted. Two screws hold it secure and they are way below the defrost gate so there is no interference. My final mount of that will include some industrial double-sided tape I have laying around to help with potential rattles and just to make it a bit more secure. I attempted to get about 1/4" stick out on each side of the lower Console.

Then came the mounting decision. I don't have specialty drills, so I went with the 4 front mounting holes, leaving one open in the rear lower corner each side. Top will float a bit as designed. Nutserts to the rescue and the little install tool I picked up a while ago made quick work of that install.

That will do it for today. Need to figure out the wiring as at least one of those switches will immediately go into use with the E-Locker install in a couple days. And then... PAINT options. Do I go with black to match the floor and blend it in low profile style, or Wimbledon White to match the dash, or Hot Ginger Poly to match what will eventually be the exterior paint color? Too many options.

Here is my home work for tonight. I'm guessing I'll be using three of the extra prewired slots in the fuse panel. Ground is pretty simple, but not sure about the lighting description they have there.

 

[.94 OR]

Nice work on fitting the console.
A couple comments.
Have you considered turning the panel over so the accessory wires would be lower than the switches so they won't be in the way when activating a switch? This might also put the switches higher making them easier to reach.
Have you put the switch use to memory yet? If not, have you considered lit descriptive switches? https://www.otrattw.net/Contura-V-Series-XIV-Lower-Independent-Lighting/
I built a Yota for my neighbor and had a great time wiring it up. I put some switches in that are off/on/on and some that are off/on. This puts all the switches in the down position when off. The center "on" position for a couple are secondary sourced power (driving lights only coming on when the high beams are on, or the backup LED's when the truck is slid into reverse), then the second "on" position is the hot power to the light to override the secondary power source. Something you may not need or want though. A standard On/Off/On (DPDT) can do the same thing but I was just after the all off in the same position for a visual check. The backlit is wired into the headlight circuit. The switch panel is 3D printed and mounts overhead between the visors for easy reach and about the only place to put that many switches cleanly.

 

[hunter1]

View attachment 941656

Very nice! How is your Fitech controller held in the dash?

 

[fordguy]

Here is my setup. I included pictures of where I purchased the (triple Rocker switch box) and the Tunnel Cover Chubby (SOLID ONE) they also have one with the center already cut out. The final mounts for the (Gauges, Rocker switches and interior dome lights) were made to fit my application. View attachment 941765 View attachment 941766 View attachment 941768 View attachment 941772 View attachment 941773 View attachment 941770 View attachment 941774 View attachment 941771

I ended up using that console. I did not want my console to be a focal point in my design because my rig is a simple rig. Also got to use a piece of walnut from my buddy’s place next door. Final product pic added. O/D and CEL, aux and usb in to stereo and 2 Ian charge ports.

 

[JeepGuy]

Nice work on fitting the console.
A couple comments.
Have you considered turning the panel over so the accessory wires would be lower than the switches so they won't be in the way when activating a switch? This might also put the switches higher making them easier to reach.
Have you put the switch use to memory yet? If not, have you considered lit descriptive switches? https://www.otrattw.net/Contura-V-Series-XIV-Lower-Independent-Lighting/
I built a Yota for my neighbor and had a great time wiring it up. I put some switches in that are off/on/on and some that are off/on. This puts all the switches in the down position when off. The center "on" position for a couple are secondary sourced power (driving lights only coming on when the high beams are on, or the backup LED's when the truck is slid into reverse), then the second "on" position is the hot power to the light to override the secondary power source. Something you may not need or want though. A standard On/Off/On (DPDT) can do the same thing but I was just after the all off in the same position for a visual check. The backlit is wired into the headlight circuit. The switch panel is 3D printed and mounts overhead between the visors for easy reach and about the only place to put that many switches cleanly.

That's a great suggestion. All of those switches can be removed and flipped over fairly easy. It's just a kit from WH so the current configuration is the way it came. None of them will be wired to anything yet. The only designated spot I have as of now will be the front E-Locker switch. That will be on the far left in front of the twin sticks. Depending on which type of toggle switch comes with their harness I might swap out that one specific switch. The kit included a ton of indicator stickers so once I get the other accessories added they will be marked.

 

[JeepGuy]

Success... So after the suggestion above, I spent about an hour carefully pulling all those connectors, flipping the switches, then reinstalling. Those connectors DID NOT want to come off which is a good thing but was a total pain in the ass. Ended up using a flat head screwdriver to gently pry most of them off. I isolated the far-left toggle with its own power instead of piggy backing like all the others are ran. Then tied into one of the gauge indicator lights to get power for the LED's. Given that I will be removing this at least three more times in the future, and anytime I need to get to most of the stuff behind the dash, I wanted to make the connection/disconnect easy. Went to McFadden-Dale (Arguably the best hardware store in SoCal) and picked up a multi pin prewired all weather connector. Not the cheapest thing around and it did mean I'd have to butt-connect everything twice instead of just using spade terminals, but I think in the end it will be well worth it. To my surprise it wasn't all that difficult but did take a few hours to get it all together. Tomorrow's plans are to paint the actual console portion, clean up a bit more under the dash, and get it all back together and ready to roll.

 

[.94 OR]

Sorry to have caused you the extra work. Looking good though.

 

[JeepGuy]

Sorry to have caused you the extra work. Looking good though.

Hahaha... I have to admit, there was a moment in time when I thought to myself, "Life would be easier right now if I'd never read that post!"

Big picture, ergonomically it does make far more sense to have them placed with the switches on top. If I ever get around to the remainder of the center console, it will be much cleaner and less crap hanging down and or flying around that space.

 

[JeepGuy]

Finished up. This little addition helped me hide the remainder of the unused pre-run circuits, flashers, and supplemental fuse block from the painless harness which also forced me to stop procrastinating on cleaning up everything else under the dash. Picked up some rubber edge protecting strips that were very easy to install and should help with future work under the dash. I could see the cuts from the corners already coming...

Now it's on to planning how to install a Tuffy Style box while incorporating the tans shifter, cup holders, and storage tray.

 

[.94 OR]

Off topic, but I've continued to ponder on how to embed LED lights under the dash pad to shine down on the footwell area.
Likely just activated with the dome light, but I thought that would be a great place to have lights.

 

[JeepGuy]

Off topic, but I've continued to ponder on how to embed LED lights under the dash pad to shine down on the footwell area.
Likely just activated with the dome light, but I thought that would be a great place to have lights.

A little bracket off the bottom of the dash could be made pretty easy. Or mount it off the side bracket at the bottom facing in. For this I'm considering putting a light on the bottom edge of the lower console.

 

[Scoop]

I made this one when diamond plate was the shiznitz!

I moved it to another Bronco and covered the diamond plate with black leatherette!