canadian
sy in progress
I've finally finished up my overhead console install (minus the temp/compass, still need some more parts for that). Note that I use courtesy light interchangeably with dome light here. Oh, make sure you disconnect your battery before doing any of this too.
What you need
You want to get an overhead console from the same generation of the truck you're installing it in if you plan on using the temp/compass. The reason is because it requires a VSS signal to trigger the temperature update. Newer S-series trucks use a different VSS signal so a newer temperature module won't work.
So, pull the overhead console (the one that ends right after the dome light), and then go to the front of the truck and look for the temp sensor that will be clipped to the hood latch release support. Get as much wire as you can.
You will also need the front mounting bracket from the donor vehicle. Bring a drill with you to drill out the factory rivets since it's not bolted in. Here is what the bracket will look like:
Place it up above where the mirror is and mark out where you need to drill the mounting holes:
Make sure you use a drill stop so you don't punch through and hammer the roof sheet metal. You are also going to need to get a decent rivet gun that will handle large rivets. I used one similar to this one from Harbor Freight. Here's the picture of the one I used:
Once it's installed, it should look like this:
The overhead console as it is won't fit. It's too long. You're going to need to cut off the rear portion behind the courtesy light. Here you can see how much I removed:
Here's the size of the chopped off piece:
I cut it off with a dremel using a plastic cut off wheel, but you could use a hack saw or whatever is handy.
Chances are the fabric on the console will be beat. Pull it off and remove as much of the old material as possible and scrub it down. Now, find your nearest craft store like JoAnn or Michaels and get yourself some headliner material.
I chose black, knowing that I had to redo my headliner and that the visor material probably wouldn't match since it was "charcoal" from the factory. You'll also need some 3M Super 77 or other headliner adhesive material. I happened to use Duro because it was there when I bought my headliner material. Your mileage may vary depending on what you use.
Ok, cut a piece of headliner material large enough to cover the entire console. Don't try to cut out the holes or anything yet. There are 8 or 10 phillips head screws holding the console to the base. You will need to remove those and disconnect the front swivel light connectors and all the wiring in order to get the two apart. Make sure you note how the swivel light wires connect.
Once you have the base removed, follow the instructions on your spray adhesive. Typically you spray both the base and the headliner, wait for it to tack up and then stick them together. Get some clips and clamps so you can hold the headliner tight to the base while the adhesive dries like this:
Once the adhesive has dried, get a razor and cut out the openings. For the rear courtesy light, I cut it out, sprayed the edges and the headliner, and then reinstalled the lens to keep it tight while it dried. When you're done, you should have this:
Wiring the console
S-series trucks have two wires coming to the courtesy light. An orange wire and a white wire (I think there's stripes on them, but I'm just going off the predominant color). The orange wire is constantly hot meaning it will always have 12v running through it. The white wire is the ground. When you open the door, the ground wire is grounded, current runs through the bulb and you have light.
The overhead console has a three wire connector at the rear (you did get this one, didn't you?). It has an orange, red, and black wire. The red will go to the orange from the existing courtesy light, orange to white/orange stripe, and black will go to a ground).
You could use butt connectors if you wanted, but I decided to re-use the factory connectors. At the junk yard, I pulled out the courtesy light wiring from an S10, and bought a pack of GM Metripack 150 connectors.
I used a crimping tool to make sure everything crimped properly, and then added a little solder to them. I plugged them back into the connector and voila, it's like it came that way.
Mounting the front of the console is straight forward. There is one screw that screws into the mounting bracket you installed earlier. The rear is different.
In a Blazer, there is a dropped panel that runs the width of the truck with two clips (similar to how the courtesy light is mounted in a truck). There are two screw holes under the courtesy light cover that go up into those clips. You can see the slotted holes here:
I didn't want to drill holes into the overhead panel (mainly because I had already installed sound deadener in the truck), so I decided to make a small bracket that would screw into the existing courtesy light mounting holes, and then span over to the slotted holes in the console.
I got a piece of 1/8" aluminum flat stock and drilled a hole big enough for the existing courtesy light screw to fit through. Then I mocked the console in place and figure out where the slotted holes needed to attach to the bar. Once I had that figure out, I drilled a hole and installed a threaded insert using this riveter kit from Harbor Freight. Here's what the bracket looks like:
Once I had the bracket situation figured out, I soldered my wire extension to the existing courtesy light wires. This end goes to the MetriPack connector on the console:
And here is where I chopped the existing wiring:
There was an odd shaped hole at the back of the console that I used to access the mounting screws in the existing courtesy light. I had to drill it larger and make one on the right hand side. I also enlarged the slotted holes so I could install a 1/4-20 bolt and washer into the threaded insert. Here's what it looks like from below:
The last thing was to attach the constant ground to the existing ground for the mirror. It's to the left of the mirror on the upper bulkhead. Note, I think I have the star washer on the wrong side.
Finally, test it all out and you should get this:
The swivel lights and courtesy light should come on with the door open, and the swivel lights should work with the buttons even with the door closed.
What you need
You want to get an overhead console from the same generation of the truck you're installing it in if you plan on using the temp/compass. The reason is because it requires a VSS signal to trigger the temperature update. Newer S-series trucks use a different VSS signal so a newer temperature module won't work.
So, pull the overhead console (the one that ends right after the dome light), and then go to the front of the truck and look for the temp sensor that will be clipped to the hood latch release support. Get as much wire as you can.
You will also need the front mounting bracket from the donor vehicle. Bring a drill with you to drill out the factory rivets since it's not bolted in. Here is what the bracket will look like:
Place it up above where the mirror is and mark out where you need to drill the mounting holes:
Make sure you use a drill stop so you don't punch through and hammer the roof sheet metal. You are also going to need to get a decent rivet gun that will handle large rivets. I used one similar to this one from Harbor Freight. Here's the picture of the one I used:
Once it's installed, it should look like this:
The overhead console as it is won't fit. It's too long. You're going to need to cut off the rear portion behind the courtesy light. Here you can see how much I removed:
Here's the size of the chopped off piece:
I cut it off with a dremel using a plastic cut off wheel, but you could use a hack saw or whatever is handy.
Chances are the fabric on the console will be beat. Pull it off and remove as much of the old material as possible and scrub it down. Now, find your nearest craft store like JoAnn or Michaels and get yourself some headliner material.
I chose black, knowing that I had to redo my headliner and that the visor material probably wouldn't match since it was "charcoal" from the factory. You'll also need some 3M Super 77 or other headliner adhesive material. I happened to use Duro because it was there when I bought my headliner material. Your mileage may vary depending on what you use.
Ok, cut a piece of headliner material large enough to cover the entire console. Don't try to cut out the holes or anything yet. There are 8 or 10 phillips head screws holding the console to the base. You will need to remove those and disconnect the front swivel light connectors and all the wiring in order to get the two apart. Make sure you note how the swivel light wires connect.
Once you have the base removed, follow the instructions on your spray adhesive. Typically you spray both the base and the headliner, wait for it to tack up and then stick them together. Get some clips and clamps so you can hold the headliner tight to the base while the adhesive dries like this:
Once the adhesive has dried, get a razor and cut out the openings. For the rear courtesy light, I cut it out, sprayed the edges and the headliner, and then reinstalled the lens to keep it tight while it dried. When you're done, you should have this:
Wiring the console
S-series trucks have two wires coming to the courtesy light. An orange wire and a white wire (I think there's stripes on them, but I'm just going off the predominant color). The orange wire is constantly hot meaning it will always have 12v running through it. The white wire is the ground. When you open the door, the ground wire is grounded, current runs through the bulb and you have light.
The overhead console has a three wire connector at the rear (you did get this one, didn't you?). It has an orange, red, and black wire. The red will go to the orange from the existing courtesy light, orange to white/orange stripe, and black will go to a ground).
You could use butt connectors if you wanted, but I decided to re-use the factory connectors. At the junk yard, I pulled out the courtesy light wiring from an S10, and bought a pack of GM Metripack 150 connectors.
I used a crimping tool to make sure everything crimped properly, and then added a little solder to them. I plugged them back into the connector and voila, it's like it came that way.
Mounting the front of the console is straight forward. There is one screw that screws into the mounting bracket you installed earlier. The rear is different.
In a Blazer, there is a dropped panel that runs the width of the truck with two clips (similar to how the courtesy light is mounted in a truck). There are two screw holes under the courtesy light cover that go up into those clips. You can see the slotted holes here:
I didn't want to drill holes into the overhead panel (mainly because I had already installed sound deadener in the truck), so I decided to make a small bracket that would screw into the existing courtesy light mounting holes, and then span over to the slotted holes in the console.
I got a piece of 1/8" aluminum flat stock and drilled a hole big enough for the existing courtesy light screw to fit through. Then I mocked the console in place and figure out where the slotted holes needed to attach to the bar. Once I had that figure out, I drilled a hole and installed a threaded insert using this riveter kit from Harbor Freight. Here's what the bracket looks like:
Once I had the bracket situation figured out, I soldered my wire extension to the existing courtesy light wires. This end goes to the MetriPack connector on the console:
And here is where I chopped the existing wiring:
There was an odd shaped hole at the back of the console that I used to access the mounting screws in the existing courtesy light. I had to drill it larger and make one on the right hand side. I also enlarged the slotted holes so I could install a 1/4-20 bolt and washer into the threaded insert. Here's what it looks like from below:
The last thing was to attach the constant ground to the existing ground for the mirror. It's to the left of the mirror on the upper bulkhead. Note, I think I have the star washer on the wrong side.
Finally, test it all out and you should get this:
The swivel lights and courtesy light should come on with the door open, and the swivel lights should work with the buttons even with the door closed.
Last edited:
