Blazer Overhead Install

Im getting the materials ready to install the blazer overhead in the wagon. I found this install website, but i'm having a hard time deciphering it because it has a lot of old code tags in it. Plus it is based on an LT1 car and don't know if the wiring is the same. But it seems like I need a TON of wire to install it.

http://chevroletforum.com/forum/impala-14/diy-astro-blazer-overhead-console-conversion-impala-ss-caprice-18550/

However, I found another forum that discusses it and alludes to the fact that you only need about 4-5 wires to get the lights/compass to work. Has anyone installed one of these that could talk me thru. If it really is this much wiring I'm just going to say screw it. I like it, but not that much.

I've got an entire dashboard worth of oem wire harnesses you can steal from. I been using it everytime I wire something in the 95.
I like the console, I don't like the cutting of the headliner.

Ironfistdog wrote:

I like the console, I don't like the cutting of the headliner.

x2

Getting the lights to work is easy. All you need is hot (orange), ground (black), and grounded when the door is open (white or dark blue) and all of that can be found in wires already above your headliner.

The compass part requires six wires. The one for the temp sensor (lt green/black) goes out to the engine compartment. The other five on an LT1 car can go to the back of the radio. ignition hot (pink or sometimes brown), ground (black), IP on (brown), IP dim (grey), VSS (dk green/white). On the older cars, the VSS doesn't go to the radio, but can be found at the cruise module.

Cutting the headliner is a leap of faith, but you'll do fine.

Mounting: the front screw can go into the front roof support (be careful not to poke the roof sheet metal with your screw or drill bit). The rear mounting holes don't work well in our cars. I screwed through the flat plactic area behind/above the CD case holder to fasten to the mid-roof support.

Steve

booth9C1SS wrote:

..........

Mounting: the front screw can go into the front roof support (be careful not to poke the roof sheet metal with your screw or drill bit).

Steve

Now's a good time Justin. If you ef up your body shop is filling holes anyway Right?

Been thinking about this for some time... gonna hijack a bit here, but I assume Justin will not mind since I'm keeping it close to topic...

Can you install the temp sensor from the truck/blazer and have it function as well?

Doug

You could probably use the one from a roadmaster or FWB. Both have them mounted to the hood release behind the grille.

I've never done it but the 1st line in the link above says
"Ambient Temp Sensor : PN 15971127 (Approx $12). You MUST use the sensor under this part number, as even though the one for the Buick Roadmaster will plug in it does NOT have the correct resistance calibration for the Astrovan Console display unit!"

sdstick wrote:

I've never done it but the 1st line in the link above says:
Read the link asshole!

Fixed

Something a bit more readable than the link previously posted:

http://www.radford.edu/~aarant/overheadinstall_files/index.htm

Also - wrote this up before the ISSF crash, but as able to locate it again, may as well post it back up if it might help someone.

I have done a couple Blazer consoles using the following method and although it requires some additional work and patience over what has been previously published, the results seem to be well worth the extra effort, so I’ll pass it on here. A word of advice before beginning, when doing this mod, it is easiest to disassemble the console and work with only the base, or upper cloth covered portion.

The first thing I did was to hold the console overhead and position it front and back until I found the location where I thought it would look best. I then made a light pencil mark in the headliner at the leading edge for reference. Next remove the front seats and rear seat cushion, then drop the headliner and remove it from the car. This is most easily done through the back door as I recall. It will be somewhat difficult, so take your time and a friend can be a big help to assist in flexing it slightly and watching the edges as it comes out to prevent damage.

Once the headliner is out, place it facedown on a large clean working surface such as a pool table. Then take your console and trace out an outline on the backside of the headliner, referencing the pencil mark made earlier for front to back location, and you now can easily measure to each edge of the headliner for proper side-to side centering.

Mark the front and back location of the two areas on each side where the base is recessed to allow it to conform to the Blazer roofline, but causes so much difficulty when retrofitting it to the B-Body. Measure in 1-1/2 to 2 inches on each side and draw a line parallel to the outline pattern previously drawn. What you should have at this point is kind of a barbell shape, consisting of an outline of the console on each end, but narrower in the middle portion in the two areas where the base doesn’t reach down to the headliner.

This is where it starts to get trick. Now, using a single edge razor blade, carefully cut through the pressed fiberglass portion, using just enough pressure to slice the backing, but not enough to pierce the cloth below. This is actually easier than it sounds, as once the blade makes it through the fiberglass the material tends to stretch and makes it more of a deliberate effort to actually cut the cloth below. A straightedge can be helpful here, just don’t get carried away while going down the sides and cut into the areas we marked off in the above paragraph. No need to worry about getting the corners perfectly shaped, just don’t go outside your pattern and we’ll address them later.

Once you’ve completed cutting around your outline, you can remove the pressed backing material much like peeling an onion. When you’re done you should be seeing a hole in the fiberglass, exposing the backside of the headliner cloth to daylight for the fist time in several years. To clean up your cuts, take a piece of coarse sandpaper and you can actually dress the fiberglass edges to a smooth shape. If you’re particular, a few extra minutes spent here will really improve the finished product. As a bonus, gently rounding the rearmost edge near where the backing and cloth meet will look especially sharp when installed. Test fit your console into the hole you’ve created, doing it from the backside as we are doing here allows you to see exactly where you need to remove backing material to fine tune the shape.

Using the same 1-1/2” to 2” from the base outline, draw a line on the cloth using pencil or marker. You are now ready to take a pair of shears and fully cut away the headliner. Turn the headliner over and take a look. If you have followed this process correctly, at this point you should see a hole in your headliner, about 1-1/2” smaller on each side than the console base. There will be a flap of cloth remaining on all inside edges, except for the area on each side where we left a tab of backing material remaining to fill the gap in the console base.

I use the following process to attach the Blazer console to the B-Body roof and I find it works very well:

It’s easiest to have your wiring in and ready to go before proceeding. Reinstall the headliner, being extra careful bringing it back inside the car, as the front is more fragile now that we’ve removed all that backing material near the forward edge. Hold the console base in position and mark the location of the forward hole. Measure the distance between the existing domelight holes to the console’s rear attaching screws.

In front, I drilled an oversize hole the windshield header and inserted a 10-32 rubber wellnut - available at your local hardware store in the specialty fastener trays - to retain the console. As the console is intended to be retained by a screw inserted vertically, and the header panel is angled, its flexibility helps to compensate for the difference and makes it is less of a fight to insert the forward screw.

To mount the rear of the console, I made a plate out of 1/8” thick aluminum, similar to the plate described in previous posts. In my case, instead of bringing bolts down from above, I tapped the holes for 10-32 fasteners so I could insert the retaining screws up from the bottom as was done at the factory. To attach the bracket to the roof, I milled longitudinal slots for the fasteners to pass through and allow additional fore-and-aft adjustment, but in all reality, careful measuring and a pair of holes would suffice. To mount in the 1994, I simply unscrewed the factory retaining studs and placed 2 sheetmetal screws into the holes. Because the ‘96 had the new style domelight - retained by “Christmas tree” retainers instead of the earlier metal pins and pushnuts - we had to do something different, as the holes are like 5/16” in diameter and won’t readily accept a small sheetmetal screw like the earlier cars will. As I recall, we made an additional 1/8” plate with - again - two 10-32 holes tapped in it and slid it into the roof bracing from above to give the screws something to hold to. When it comes time to install the console itself, I am able to use stainless steel socket head capscrews in all three positions to hold it overhead.

OK, we’re almost done. Connect the wiring and set your console into position. Push it through the opening you cut earlier. What will happen is the extra material will fold up into the cut as the console is screwed into place. This makes for a nicely finished edge and has the added bonus of tightening the fit of the console to the headliner. Because the rearmost portion of console is recessed to the roof, the reason we went to all of the extra effort to retain the two side tabs of backing material will now become apparent. As the console compresses upwards, they will support the headliner material and fill in the gaps on each side of the console. If you went to the extra effort to carefully sand the fiberglass backing, you will be greeted with a headliner smoothly flowing up to meet the console in a manner that will have most observers thinking the console was factory made specifically for the car.

- J

Thanks for posting that!

booth9C1SS wrote:

The compass part requires six wires. The one for the temp sensor (lt green/black) goes out to the engine compartment. The other five on an LT1 car can go to the back of the radio. ignition hot (pink or sometimes brown), ground (black), IP on (brown), IP dim (grey), VSS (dk green/white). On the older cars, the VSS doesn't go to the radio, but can be found at the cruise module.

Pardon my slow mental capabilities here... But just to clarify, I can ignore all the LT1 specific wires and focus on the 9 for the compass and lights? Also will the sensor listed work in a TBI car? Where does it go?

Thanks everyone for the replies!

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Ironfistdog wrote:

I like the console, I don't like the cutting of the headliner.

x2

That's why I got the one from that rusted out '95 Dave parted so I can experiment with it without messing up my stocker.

sdstick wrote:

Now's a good time Justin. If you ef up your body shop is filling holes anyway Right?

Well, that'd be Indigo. I don't think he'll wanna patch my roof. He'd just tell me to cut the rest of it off, satin bomb, and slam it to the ground.

Pooge wrote:

Been thinking about this for some time... gonna hijack a bit here, but I assume Justin will not mind since I'm keeping it close to topic...

Oh, I do mind. Git yer own thread (JK lol)

JaySS wrote:

Something a bit more readable than the link previously posted:

Thanks for that. MUCH more readable.

Justin,
I have thaT 1ST procedure printed before it turned to garbage.
I'll scan it & send it over to your email

Cadet57 wrote:

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Ironfistdog wrote:

I like the console, I don't like the cutting of the headliner.

x2

That's why I got the one from that rusted out mouse shit infested '95 Dave parted so I can experiment with it without messing up my stocker.

Fixed

95brmw wrote:

That's why I got the one from that rusted out mouse shit infested '95 Dave parted so I can experiment with it without messing up my stocker.

Fixed[/quote]



My friggin garage smelt like mouse shit afterwards!

Believe it or not but you got off easy with that head liner. The one I pulled from the 96 had nests up in the roof and one was there so long it leaked through the fabric. I always wondered where the terrible stink was coming from in that car, guess I found it too little too late.

bump

Ordered my headliner material to start the swap.. But before I do the headliner. I want to get the wiring harness done. Will the required sensor fit a TBI car? If so, where does it go? If can't fit the sensor for the temp gauge. How does one just make compass and/ or the lights work? I can live without the temp as well as the compass but would ideally like the lights to work.

Cadet57 wrote:

I'm lazy

fixt

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Cadet57 wrote:

I'm lazy

fixt

I am. But that's besides the point.

Lol

Bump x2. Still trying to get this answered:

Cadet57 wrote:

Ordered my headliner material to start the swap.. But before I do the headliner. I want to get the wiring harness done. Will the required sensor fit a TBI car? If so, where does it go? If I can't fit the sensor for the temp gauge. How does one just make compass and/ or the lights work? I can live without the temp as well as the compass but would ideally like the lights to work.

The sensor for temp goes in the bumper I thought.
None of those write ups tell you that? Well....that sucks
There has to be some info on the big board

sdstick wrote:

The sensor for temp goes in the bumper I thought.
None of those write ups tell you that?

It does not. Nor is there any place in my bumper for said sensor. So it looks like I'm SOL on at least the temp setting. Looks like I may just wire it for the lights. Or skip the mod altogether...

Relax....of course there's a place
I'll search it out for you....in the meantime start looking for the VSS wire in the dash cuz I know the temp function uses that for speed /temp compensation

I think the sensor goes on the triangle piece in front of the radiator.

From what I just read...^that'll^ work
Behind the hood latch support...anywhere.
Did you try to find the answer?
Here's another install (S10 I think)
Absorb it....
http://www.depotavionics.com/temp/Marks/CONSOLEText.pdf