Printer Friendly Forum Posts - another overhead console help

I will be installing an overhead console/LCD in the next few weeks. The unit is pretty large, 12.1 in. LCD and universal type overhead console. It's going in an 01' MPV minivan.

From searching these forums, it looks like I could either leave the head liner intact or cut the liner to fit the back plate. If I leave the liner intact, how would I route the wires? I've seen some articles where they used a fishing pole to snake the wires through to the rear of the van, sounds like a pain.

Any help would be appreciated.

no what you do i have dont this plenty of times dont cut liner just cut out a peice of wood that all screws on unit will be able to get into , then if your car has a dome light in that spot that take out the dome light and fit the wood in there that wood is going to be what makes it not fall through the liner and it will hold it up. snake the wires donw one of the side of the car if you have a four door than that is easy take off all the panels and there will be an entrance way to the top of the lines however your make the hole snake the wires from the hole to the side of car and than run it down that beam and you will be able to run all wires to headunit etc(brain) whatever a lot easier. if you want go somewhere and buy like one or two huge pull tie, (wire tires) and you that as a sname unless you have a wire snake . either way it makes life eaiser. their you go anymore help email m e.

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Jon
Installer/Help Technician
---coral springs florida---
mecp certification is not always needed. I have it and it has not helped me out at all. my experience out shines it.

What I have done in the past is also use wood, but I have discovered a lot better material that is easier to work with and is way more solid. Go to your local hardware store and get a small chunk of steel from the roofing department. They usually have various sizes and thicknesses for you to choose from. This is an awesome resource and is thin enough to slip between the liner and the roof and also does not require long screws.

Also, if you want something htat you can use as a wire running tool, go down to the local bike shop and buy 4 feet of cable housing ( the black stuff ) and it works like a charm ! Rigid... yet flexible at the same time.

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Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA

Thanks guys. I still don't quite get your idea about how the pieces go. To slip this piece above the liner still requires cutting the liner, no? Let me know. Thanks again.

The basis of the installation is to have the back of the roofliner strong enough to hold the weight of the monitor and console. Without having a structural backing on the factory roof liner, the monitor will fall after time. If you install a piece of wood or steel behind the monitor where the screws attach to ( between the metal part of the roof and the inside of the roof liner ) it will grab the wood or steel and sandwich the roofliner. The only way that the monitor will fall now is if all the screws were to fall out or if the entire piece of wood or steel would come with the monitor ( not possible if the back plate is larger than the hole for the domelight ). Hope this helps.

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Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA

Thanks again, I kinda thought I could just screw into te ceiling, like there's two layers that make up the ceiling so as not to go through the roof. With your guys idea, I would still have to take off the liner? I'm so new at this, sorry.

You might not have to take the entire roofliner off, rather just pull back enough from the driver's door or passenger door to reach your hands in between the liner and the roof to position the steel above the monitor.

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Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA

That makes sense. Thanks for the help. I can visualize it now.

If you need anymore help, post your questions here.

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Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA

The MPV van should have a steel beam behind the roof head liner behind the driver/passenger seats. I have install the same set-up for a 96 MPV. It even had holes for mounting extra domes lights. You still have to poke a hole on the headliner for the wires to come through.

I will be doing a similar install in a 2001 Honda Odyssey. Has anyone done an install in that vehicle? I want to attach the monitor so it hits a crossbeam, if possible and minimize the time spent on dealing with the headliner. Any suggestions, pics etc??????? Please email me sjaffe@cfl.rr.com

Hi guys,

Ok, I've had everything done for about a month now. I still haven't taken any pictures yet but will try to find time to do it. The video some times cuts out momentarily, will check the wiring again when I get the time.

There is a cross beam at about the front of the sliding door going across the ceiling. The ceiling is one piece, my wife pushed up with her thumb while I checked from the outside and sure enough I can see it bulging. To make things easier I pulled out some of the weather stripping and pulled down the liner just enough to inspect everything before I started cutting.

It's not too difficult, just time consuming because of all the planning. Once you get started everything just sort of falls in place.

I don't know about the Odyssey, but you could take out the stripping and peek into the liner and see if there's a beam or not. The beam makes all the difference.

Try to look at the headliner, there should be several headliner retaining clips. These will locate the crossbeams are on your vehicle. Or look at every "B" pillars and you will locate the crossbeams. Next, open and take out your dome lights(most probably located above the windshield for most vans) and measure the mounting holes. Use these dimension to locate the pre-drilled holes or tapped holes on the crossbeam you intend to install the overhead console. I did it by pocking through the headliner and into the crossbeam using a needle. But, you still have to take out the headliner and cut a hole for the cables to run above the headliner.

Just done an Oddysey Today, (10.4" XO Vision monitor) it's easy. There is a beam in a perfect place, going from Left B-Pillar to the right one and at the middle going back, so it looks like T-shape. I slipped a piece of metal between the headliner and the roof, cut out a small hole in the middle and screwed the metal plate in place...then I just screwed the monitor housing into my peice of metal and that's it. I took the side panels, the domelights, and the visors off to let the headlier down to inspect and run wires, trust me the dissassembly won't take more than 10 min and makes your job a lot easier. If u need more info post.

Thanks both of you.

can I just attach the mounting plate directly to the T-Shape cross beam without worrying about hitting the roof? do I need the metal (or wood) piece if I attach to the crossbeam?

What is a B pillar? I think I know what youa re talking about though.

Steve

Yes you can attach it to the T shape Beam but use short screws so not to drill through the roof layer. I used a metal plate that actually came woth the monitor, it is thin and the screwes will never come out, you can use either metal or wood, whatever works for u. the B-Pillar is between the front door and the sliding door.

My monitor came with a metal plate to attach to the roof, and then the monitor attaches to the plate. can I just hold the plate to the headliner where the T-bar is and use short screws and attach it that way? Then I wont have to relly drop the headliner at all (assuming I can find the T-bar). do you have any pics of the install you have done?

No didn't get no pics, but here's a link to help you with that install, just download the sample installation guide at the middle of this page:

https://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=205-204

Let me know if this helped.

Looks easy enough but I didnt want to have to cut out the headliner if I dont have to. I just wanna find the metal beams and hodl the plate against the headliner and drive the screws into the plate and into the metal beams.

I installed a 10" flipdown exactly how the installation guide illustrates from Bullet Tooth's post. I didnt like the idea of cutting a hole in the head liner either. However, after much thought...I decided to cut. Either way there are going to be holes (if you take the unit down), and why would you want to? What are the odds?

Start with a smaller square hole so you can see through the roof liner and work outwards. I aligned the monitors screen while flipped down with the side pillars. My monitor is strictly flush mount and extrudes less than one inch from the roofliner. No universal mounting plate. Ran the wires down the front pillars. Turned out great!!

Sorry, no webspace to post pictures.

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02 Odyssey / 99 F4