Overhead console removal and reinstall

[Mike Price]

My 70 gran coupe overhead console is hanging away from the headliner up front. I need pictures and help as to how console is mounted so I can remove, repair and remount the console WITHOUT destroying my headliner.  I can not see under the dome light if screws are there holding rear of console in place. Do not want to damage anything. Can anyone help ?  Thanks in advance Mike

[rUNCHARGER]

There are two screws that clip into some clips bonded to the console. Those are threaded and have nuts and washer securing them to the headliner. The screws are quite specialized and I had to build mine. You will have to drop the headliner to make it right. Sorry I didn't take pictures when I did mine, I was too busy cursing the whole setup.

Sheldon

[Mike Price]

Thanks that is a start. Are rear screws located at the dome light box or elsewhere on the console ?
Did not see any screws near the dome light after I removed the lense.

[rUNCHARGER]

Yes: there was one on the back of mine (past where the light is)  and two about midway. This is a photo of the spare one I have downstairs. Those metal square doohickeys have clips that clip in and are threaded on the top, these go through the headliner and have nuts and washers to secure them. The consolette I used only had two sets of the square thingies plus the two j-nuts at front and a stud at the rear. Hope this helps

Sheldon

[Mike Price]

So the 2 j nuts hold the front end up and
1 or2 screws by the light hold the rear up.
What holds the center section ?
Are the square things screwed into the roof
support or do they slip onto a tang ?
And hold the center.
This looks like it will be a mess...

[rUNCHARGER]

There are very special clips that go into the square thingies. Those clips have threads on them that go through the headliner and are retained by nuts and washers.

Sheldon

[1 Wild R/T]

The J nuts don't hold the console up, they mount the light cluster... The front & middle are held by the six clips, really the whole console is mounted by the six clips, the screw hidden behind the courtesy light actually supports the center area of the headliner....


To fix your console the whole headliner will need to come out & I'd suggest that center screw by the very last one you remove....

It'll be easier if you remove the seats but not 100% necessary... Though considering how fragile the cardboard headliner is & how hard it is to find a replacement... Take the seats out.... & while your at it roll all the windows down for better access
Remove both light assemblies..
Remove the rear window trim.
Remove the shoulder harnesses & coat hooks.
Remove the front window trim & side trim.
Remove the little clips hidden behind the side trim....
Remove the center screw & the headliner will come out by lowering & twist the front out the side.... Be very careful the cardboard was fragile in the 80's, now it's ready to turn to dust.....

[rUNCHARGER]

Yup: Also I would have a support to rest the headliner on about 10 inches below it unless you have help. Glad I'm done with mine.

Sheldon

[js29no]

Yup: Also I would have a support to rest the headliner on about 10 inches below it unless you have help. Glad I'm done with mine.

Sheldon

  AMEN!!!

[Mike Price]

OMG. What a mess by the sounds of it.  Still lots of questions in my head about this headliner and consolette.
May have to get with a upholstery shop and see if they have any suggestions or pictures and directions in a manual. Thanks for the information.

[rUNCHARGER]

It's a set up alright. Basically if all the parts were going to be in usable shape I would say go for it. However chances are your headliner backing is going to be trash, so as soon as you pull it apart it won't be going back together until you get a new repro fiberglass headliner and have it recovered, when you do that you best make some new sailpanels as well and recover them as well as recover the console itself. It's not something you're going to accomplish in an afternoon. The bonus is you have all the pieces including wiring, light assembly and warning light assembly, it's ugly building an SE from an incomplete box of parts.
If you're okay with driving the car without a headliner for awhile, I would pull the backseat, back door panels, inner drip rail moldings, shoulder harness, sunvisors, inside mirror and front inside windshield molding then the headliner and sailpanels. That will take an hour or two. Then you can assess what you need.

Sheldon