I'm thinking about putting a F150 overhead console in my 99 Single Cab. I don't want the hassle of a expy console and don't care about the temp/compass function I

just like the storage and look. I know that it requires the "console length" visors, and console with bracket. What I need to know is what is required to make it fit.

I have the headliner board out of the truck already and thought while it was apart I might put one in. I have searched and searched and there are plenty of expy

console installs but I just want the F150 console. I couldn't find any posts, pics, or videos showing how it mounts or installing one into non-equipped trucks.

Thanks for any insight.

 

Hello,

There are several threads in this forum regarding the questions you have, & they show how to go about installing an overhead console.

 

Ok I searched for an hour today with no success. If you can post a link to someone installing a f150 overhead console please do so. There are a plethora of expy threads but couldn't find what I was looking for despite using the mythical search feature.

 

Well, I would say that the installation of either consoles would be the same.
The only possible differences would be their features / options.

 

This is a very effective post. If they were indeed the same or similar I would have refrained from asking for assistance. I am well informed about the search feature and its magic. Which is why I spent so much of my time researching this very thing. I commend you for suggesting that I use the search feature and compare my goals with others success, but your "answer"/ response is of zero value and in no way begins to answer my 3 questions.

 

i put an overhead console out of a 2002 in my 1998, and it does not comform to the headliner and you have to use self taping screws for the sun visors and the front mounts and get creative with the back of the overhead console, i used a flat piece of wood and shoved it in the hole i created and left enough on the sides so it could support itself against the headliner and then used self tapers to hold the back up, i still have to fill the gaps on the side because the stock headliner does not comform to it

 

My answers are based on my experiences installing an Expy OH console in my '99 Reg. cab. I've never seen how the F-150 OH consoles are installed ...

Holes for the visor retainers were not existing. The retainers mount with one sheetmetal screw and one alignment pin, so two holes need to be drilled on each side. The tedious part is getting the holes in the truck and headliner in the right spot and to line up.

My guess is the F-150 OH console is like the Expy one and mounts to a bracket (and the bracket mounts to the truck). I saw a pic of the Expy bracket and it looked similar in concept to the one I made up for my F-150. Pic in this thread ... https://www.f150online.com/forums/19...9-reg-cab.html

Headliner shape is where you're going to have problems. Because OH consoles weren't offered in '99, the headliners aren't shaped for one. The first pic below is of my '99 ... the second is of an '02. Note the difference in shape where a console would mount (also note the difference in the visor retainers).






You basically have two choices ... modify your existing headliner or get one from a newer truck. The simplest way would be to get everything you need from someone parting out a truck, although I don't know how common OH consoles were in reg. cab trucks.

I hope this helps ...

 

Ah ha, two educational and definitive answers. Just what I was in search of. I spent lots of time looking for a picture of newer headliners to see if there is a raised portion or not but had no luck. Looks like I'll be skipping a console, unless you wanna duplicate the items you used for yours Fairlaner

 

I know what you're saying about headliner pics ... I found nothing when I was first trying to install my console a couple years ago.

Expy console were like $35 on ebay then so I got one just to see if I could get it to fit. After trimming it pretty extremely, it became obvious I could never get it to fit the stock headliner. About this time, I saw the '02 w/ the flat headliner so I picked up another Expy console thinking I'd just get a newer headliner. In the end, because I suffer from compulsive tinkering, I just modified the headliner I had.

 

Yours turned out awesome. I already bought my headliner material from jo-ann and only got a 54x36 piece so I fear that the added width from the foam "hump" would render my current piece useless. I have had a expy center console for years but the fact that I have a 5spd and manual 4x4 have prevented me from pursuing it. I refuse to have a cobbled up mess for the 4x4 lever and have come up with no usable fix that maintains a factory like appearance and permits use of the console. If you decide your tinkering mind wants to recreate the brackets and foam filler "panels" for a overhead console let me know.

 

I've looked at those Expy floor console countless times thinking there must be a clean way to get them to work w/ the 4x4 shifter (my truck is auto w/ manual 4x4). The main problem is they're just too expensive to experiment with.

Once I'm done w/ a project, I'm on to something else ... I can't go back. I'd be happy to talk you through building your own. While I work well w/ my hands, I certainly have no special skills and use only very basic hand tools.

 

This is what mine looks like, it took awile to make it look good and functional but if you need info on how i did it just send me a message, i used an aluminum tube and bent it further over so i could use the original holes and used the original plastic piece, had to mod it and then used a rubber gromet to fit around the lever from a 1992 ford manual lever transfercase haha, lots of work went into it to look good

 

Thanks for the pic

I've never seen exactly how the console and shifter sit in relation to each other ...

 

haha yeah i think i am the only one that has done it so far