***Mods feel free to move this if this isn't the place for it***
As most of you know I have been sporting the Saguaro Switch Panel and 5 Carling Technologies V-Series Contura II switches.
I love the switches and the panel is very well made, both fit and finish. However I never liked the placing. From the driver seat you can't even see them. To activate a switch you either have to lean way over or just do it by feel and memorize the order. I knew this when I first bought the panel, but it was the best option for me at the time. I did not want to go cutting into the dash, center console, or overhead at the time.
Well after 4 broken switch covers I decided it was time to move them. It seems that when you have to hop up into the Jeep, your knee will at times whack a switch causing the cover to break loose. I don't want to put all the blame on the wife, because I might have broken one of them, but it was just one more reason why they shouldn't be there.
So it was time to find a new home for my switches. I started looking into the overhead because that was where I originally wanted them. I noticed that Valpacer had his up there, but he apparently doesn't have the sunroof which makes things a lot more crowded. I decided to pull the overhead console out and see just what I was dealing with before making any final decisions. The first thing I noticed was that the sunroof drain ran right in the way of where I wanted the switch panel. The second was a piece of plastic that looked to be a brace between the console and the sunroof and if I cut that out the switches might just fit.
After the first cut.
After the final cut to get it out.
Then I slipped the new switch panel into the new void to check the fit. It was tight, but I thought I could make it work.
Back when I got the Gobi rack I also got a six slot switch panel made by Carling Technologies. It isn't the fixed piece (VM6-01), but the build your own one that snaps together. You can find both here. It consists of 2 end pieces and 4 center pieces. So that is what I decided to use.
The next step was the hardest. Measure out the opening needed for the panel and cut into the ceiling! After a few different measurement (measure twice, cut once :thumbsup: ) I got just what I wanted.
So I grabbed my scalpel and slowly made the cut.
Then I borrowed some Fray Check from the wife and applied it to the freshly cut edge.
Now I know that most guys/gals would not cut into the ceiling. I will admit I thought a long time about it. And obviously in the end I decided to do it. It is a personal preference just like everything else on a Jeep.
As most of you know I have been sporting the Saguaro Switch Panel and 5 Carling Technologies V-Series Contura II switches.
I love the switches and the panel is very well made, both fit and finish. However I never liked the placing. From the driver seat you can't even see them. To activate a switch you either have to lean way over or just do it by feel and memorize the order. I knew this when I first bought the panel, but it was the best option for me at the time. I did not want to go cutting into the dash, center console, or overhead at the time.
Well after 4 broken switch covers I decided it was time to move them. It seems that when you have to hop up into the Jeep, your knee will at times whack a switch causing the cover to break loose. I don't want to put all the blame on the wife, because I might have broken one of them, but it was just one more reason why they shouldn't be there.
So it was time to find a new home for my switches. I started looking into the overhead because that was where I originally wanted them. I noticed that Valpacer had his up there, but he apparently doesn't have the sunroof which makes things a lot more crowded. I decided to pull the overhead console out and see just what I was dealing with before making any final decisions. The first thing I noticed was that the sunroof drain ran right in the way of where I wanted the switch panel. The second was a piece of plastic that looked to be a brace between the console and the sunroof and if I cut that out the switches might just fit.
After the first cut.
After the final cut to get it out.
Then I slipped the new switch panel into the new void to check the fit. It was tight, but I thought I could make it work.
Back when I got the Gobi rack I also got a six slot switch panel made by Carling Technologies. It isn't the fixed piece (VM6-01), but the build your own one that snaps together. You can find both here. It consists of 2 end pieces and 4 center pieces. So that is what I decided to use.
The next step was the hardest. Measure out the opening needed for the panel and cut into the ceiling! After a few different measurement (measure twice, cut once :thumbsup: ) I got just what I wanted.
So I grabbed my scalpel and slowly made the cut.
Then I borrowed some Fray Check from the wife and applied it to the freshly cut edge.
Now I know that most guys/gals would not cut into the ceiling. I will admit I thought a long time about it. And obviously in the end I decided to do it. It is a personal preference just like everything else on a Jeep.