I want to put an overhead console in an 88XJ

Was thinkin about maybe building an overhead console out of wood then tackin some brackets to the roof and mounting the console to the brackets. Does this sound reasonable? I am a pre-beginner welder (so green I dont have a welder yet).

Wood might get a little heavy for little strength - but you could build a wooden form to do a fibreglas lay-up, or work on bending a console out of sheet.

I've got to sit down and draw the designs I'm thinking of, then get back in practise welding myself (I've got a little Campbell-Hausfield 90A DC job.) I can weld like a maniac with a gas torch, but the electrics always did give me a little trouble. I think I just understand fire better...

Before you really start designing, do a batch of paper drawings with various configurations to figure out what you want to do and how - and maybe a cardboard mock-up or two when you feel you're getting close. Cardboard is much cheaper - and easier to work - than wood or metal. Posterboard is also good for mock-up work.

5-90

Hmmmm the fiberglass approach sounds interesting. I was thinking of wood or sheet metal, but i never thought of glass. Thanks for the input.

My thought was using aluminum to cut down on weight.

As for mounting it there is a set of ribs accross the roof if I remember right. the first one runs between the B pillars that the overhead light it mounted to. The other one I think is right along the windshield at the A pillars where the little hooks for the sunvisor screw into it.

When I mounted my fullsize CB I ran a piece of bent 1/4" x 4" bar stock aluminum between these points.

This might work for you if you keep the weight down.

There is somewhere on the web (a link I lost) a great write-up on building an overhead console. It was made out of thin plywood and covered with fabric and looked great. I tried one and it worked great but I eventually tore it out for a sunroof. Believe me the weight and strength are no issue. Just follow the contour of the roof and design it to fit whatever you're mounting up there. Aluminum works great too. There is no secret to making one, form follows function in this case. I had a c/b and a couple of compartments for knick knacks as well as the lights that were originally there.

I have an overhead console that I scrounged out of a later model that I was going to mount until I realized that there wasn't enough room for a c/b.