Overhead Console

the overhead console

I am a gadget junkie, and a ham radio operator. That combination is dangerous when it comes to customizing a vehicle. I was already looking for a spot to install my ham gear and some additional gauges that I feel Daimler-Benz neglected. The raised roof was a perfect location to house all of these goodies. I wanted the following items in plain view and in easy reach:

	A gauge panel to monitor turbo boost pressure, exhaust gas temperature, transmission temperature, auxiliary fuel, auxiliary consumer air pressure, fording air pressure, 12VDC charge voltage, and redundant oil pressure
	Warning lights for Oil Pressure, Rear Door Ajar, Shore Power, Fording Pressure, 12V charge warning
	A Yaesu FT-100D amateur radio transceiver covering all HF bands, 6M, 2M, and 70cm
	A VHF/UHF scanner
	A CD/receiver
	Power points, in the form of a lighter socket and binding posts
	A glovebox
	Component stereo speakers
	Control switches for additional external lighting (Hella driving and fog lights)
	Interior lighting control
	GPS Navigation I realized my goal, with the exception of the "Rear Door Ajar" light. I forgot to build it into the frame, and now that it's painted, it's too late. All that's needed is a quick glance through the crawl-through to confirm the state of the rear door. Here's a shot of the Unimog's interior at night. The engine is not running, so the oil pressure warning (top red light) and 12V charge warning (bottom red light) are illuminated on the overhead console.

To build this whole thing, I first created a sub-frame in the visor area of the roof extension and then began to fabricate panels to do what I needed. The material is .090" 5052 Aluminum and was very easy to work with.

I first created the gauge panel, communication panel, and audio/lighting/DC panel The blank on the left is for a speaker...

Here you can see the view from behind. The fan is extra cooling for the HF transceiver...

The last thing to make was the glovebox...

The panels still looked pretty rough. They needed some anodizing, and I found a great place in Orlando, Florida to take care of it for me. I was heading there on vacation, and their price was almost 50% of the cost if I had the stuff anodized in Colorado. The company was A-M Metal Finishing and they did a great job for me. I prepared the panels by bead blasting them for a matte finish.

The Gauge Panel

The Communication Panel

The scanner goes on top, the FT-100D on the bottom...

The Audio/Lighting/DC outlet Panel

The Speaker Panels

Installation of these panels required the running of 38 wires and 3 1/8" air lines for the pressure gauges. These were divided between the left and right A-pillars and were fairly easy to pull through rubber-grommeted holes which were drilled before welding the roof structure in place.