I've been thinking about this project for a little while now and somewhat inspred by Louis' project (northwestoverlandsociety.org/Discussions/tabid/166/view/topic/forumid/32/postid/61987/Default.aspx).  I just don't have anywhere to mount my Yaesu FT2800 2M Ham and I don't use 70cm enough to justify buying a new radio with a remote mount head yet - my eventual plan is to upgrade to an FT8900 or FT8800 which is slightly smaller and should fit the frame I'm building now.  A  few months ago I found this console on Dept of the Interior (www.consoles.com.au/) and that really got the gears turning (BTW, their application list is HUGE - don't know if they export though)


This is my starting point, wall shelf track cut and tacked to the profile of my headliner (excuse the poor stitch job on the panoramic).  It's a structural shape and will be fine supporting the minimal loads I plan to use it for.

The front mount is getting sandwiched between the rear view and the roof.  The rear is where I had a problem.  Pulling the interior light out and feeling around, I realized there is a metal channel at the back of the roof nearly 2.5" wide.  This would suffice with the help of some RivNuts.  So I measured and drilled holes . . .

 

. . . before popping in a few 1/4" RivNuts.  The ones I got from the local Grainger are Stainless and were a lot harder to put in place than the cheapie aluminum ones - I have no doubt they will not pull out of the sheet metal 


BTW, for cheap 2" wide x 1/8" thick (12ga) flat stock, check out the lumber tie straps at the big box home improvement stores - I got this 36" piece for less than $10

I got it bolted up, but far from finished, today.
Front sandwiched between the rearview and the roof:


Rear needs some slight "fine-tuning" to get the rest of the bolts in + I'm going to run 2 scraps of channel back on it for reinforcement:

Overall, for now:

Posted By Todd Eliason on 01/31/2012 10:29 PM
This is awesome Keith.. Do you work on Defenders?

Thanks - Let me know what you have in mind next you see me

I got the radio brackets made and welded on today. Amazingly enough, all the holes were in the correct spots and the radio bolted right up after it was tacked onto the frame (out of vehicle, NOT using my radio as a jig while welding).  My head is still fairly far away from the radio, I would really have to try to smack my head against it.  In an accident, as long as the seat belt locks like it should, I'll have plenty of room.

I also drilled a bunch of other holes in the mounting bracket to adjust the angle of the radio.  I plan on getting thumb screw type bolts so I just have to remove one from each side and move the radio to the angle I want - probably face it down a bit more if I'm expecting more use.



For the trim so far I'm thinking of leaving the side of the radio completely exposed so I can get to the adjustment - just running an acute triangle from the very front of the frame to the above the radio face. 

I'm also not sure what else I want to mount up there, so suggestions are welcome.  Probably a small "project box" with my lightbar switches.  I'm thinking 2 low amp 12V power outlets piggybacked off the radio power circuit would be useful.  I'd also like some map lights that I can aim (preferably something I can find at the Pick N Pull for cheap), maybe something like this


or this type from the older Fords

http://northwestoverlandsociety.org/Discussions/tabid/166/forumid/31/postid/64023/view/topic/Default.aspx

Keith I put these in my truck and like them a lot.

I found a bit more inspiration on which direction I might take next, but I can't find any info on the company that built these.  I kinda dig the fold-down compartment in the last pic.

The frame is done, so the next step is to bridge the spaces with MDF and then fiberglass over it all.  The big flat bits on the left are the radio mounts the short diagonal parts near there are the switch panel mounts.  The trapezoid thing on the right is for light/soft/small object storage - it's getting MDF on the front, rear, and bottom with a bungee mesh on both sides. 

When it's upside down, it kinda looks like a big remote control car or mini rat-rod frame

Thanks for the compliments!  Sometimes a bit of thought and few extra minutes wandering a hardware store can yield interesting projects.  So far, my total cost is less than $20 - I expect it might hit $30 after I buy some fiberglass cloth & resin

Using 1/8" MDF, I "sewed" panels onto the frame.  Screws would have shown through the 'glass and I figured nylon thread will soak up the resin and not show on the final product.  Since the switch panel comes right to the top of the radio face, I decided not to have the power outlets (for plug in gooseneck map lights, etc) in the panel itself - anything I plugged in would get in the way of the 2M radio.  So I welded on 2 more small panels to side mount the power outlets.

I still need to drill the holes for the shock cord mesh that will keep things in the small storage area and make a hole to recess my remote CB speaker, but otherwise I think it's finally ready for 'glass.   From the switch panel forward (to the left in the pic) will probably just stay as painted metal while the rest will get covered in 'glass cloth - maybe just 3-4 layers and following the contour of the frame to give me recessed areas for future mounting options.  I have a few other ideas in mind, but I'm just hoping for good weather this weekend or Monday so I can spend a few hours with the fiberglass - kinda want to get my radio mounted up again.

Well, the fiberglass part isn't going nearly as well as I had hoped. The biggest issue seems to be that the fiberglass cloth doesn't like making 90 degree bends around the frame, so it arcs up and creates big air pockets that I can't get to stick back down. Most of what I did today is probably going to get cut & sanded off.

Because of this I'm thinking of taking a different approach. I should still be able to use the cloth across the flat sections of MDF, I just can't wrap it around the frame to encase everything like I had hoped. What if I just used body filler to fill the gaps, fill in the metal frame holes and then brushed a layer of fiberglass resin over it all without using the cloth? Would it just crack and fall apart in a few months or does that sound like a feasible alternative?  Maybe I should just use smaller strips of cloth instead of trying to wrap one big piece?

If you need some help or advice on the glass work, I do this all the time.  Send me a PM if you want.