Yet another mod (inverter and coin holder)

[GNandGS]

First the disclaimers... there are many ways to get this sort of thing done. I hadnt really planned on a detailed writeup so there might be some info missing/forgotten. Did this nearly 1 year ago. Anywhoo...

I modded the console in my '04 CC truck to house my inverter. I use this often enough for chargers, laptops, etc that I felt it warranted the install.

I did not modify the inverter in any way. Rather than hardwire, I used one of those power receptical things from RadioShack (cig lighter). This way I can remove/replace the inverter when it fails with another without much hassle. The connection for the inverter is in the console, hidden.

I cut, as you can guess, the CD storage area. I didnt use it except for junk and its too small for CD's unless you have an MP3 player.

Downside? The change holder is above the inverter and its empty area. I also modified the change holder a long time ago so that change gets pulled UP instead of down which helps a lot. I hardly ever lose change anymore but when/if I do, it may be tough to remove. We will see.

The inverter for the most part (other than change) makes a good floor to the former CD tray.

While I was in there, I added another aux receptical for things that plug into cig lighters. Sounds like a mess but its not, I now have two usable "cig lighter" recepticals and one A/C receptical. Nice.

The second receptical was mounted using two existing screws that lined up perfectly. No drilling!

Making use of the online for hosting. I hope the people browsing the pics at random arent confused by the pics. I put them all in one folder:

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http://www.s-10crewcab.com/coppermine/t ... 168&page=1

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Here is the finished pic:



Welcome! There is a 100k limit on images, so I linked it.-HJ

[04crewvt]

Welcome to the site. I have plans to something similar to my crew when I get all the parts together. Always good to see what others come up with.

[GNandGS]

And there I was all mindful of imbedded pics and did only one. heh. Whoops.

Dang newbs.

Sorry, I should have noticed that it was from our gallery and used the galleries "normal_" resize. Fixed-HJ

[Pauleo]

Nice job! Thanks for all the pics! I was wondering, does that CD storage tray just pop out? Or do I have to remove the console to get at it from the underside? I don't know if I'm gonna put an inverter in that space but I would like to use it for something other than the trash it seems to collect right now!!

[HenryJ]

That does look like a good solution. I ended up switching consoles to the one with the storage area and just have mine sitting in the tray. I like your idea of integrating it
I already installed my Ham rig there, so thats not an option for me.



If I recall correctly, you remove the two inner buckets from the console to access the spring clips that hold the CD storage in place? EDIT: I did not recall correctly, see below.

Flipping the coin holder is a good mod. I had one of them come apart , but superglued it back again. As you can see a reversed coin holder is the only option for my set up.

[GNandGS]

Ooh. Put me on the spot, its been a while.

Seems like I removed the two screws ABOVE the coin holder (under console lid) AND the small nut under the rubber tray (forward of the cup holders). But I had to do that anyway to run my wiring.

What I dont recall is if you can pop that out while in place. I think you CAN but I no longer can. I did the final install of the inverter with CD tray in place since you cant pop the tray into place with an inverter hanging out of it. To remove my tray now would mean taking out the inverter.

Clear as mud? I DO recommend removing the console storage bin so you can get to the CD tray from the bottom. If you want, its just about as quick to remove the one nut and two screws so you can get a better look at it.

The actual tray, once removed, is a two piece.

[GNandGS]

I dont recall any clips but then its been a while. Thats good news! Either way if I wasnt traumatized enough to remember so it couldnt be too bad.

Lets use this though as an experiment... see if you can browse to this (quicktime or equiv required):

http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/share.do? ... eName=MMS2

Its a short clip of me removing the (upper) console liner.

[HenryJ]

I dont recall any clips but then its been a while...

You're right, no clips. I guess I was remembering the springs that hold the CDs.
It has four tabs that stick out to retain it. They are on the sides. Carefully pushing it to one side and prying it up will pop one side loose, then pul the other side loose.
It could very well be easier done when the console has been removed , but I was able to do it at least once without. Pulling the buckets to help push it out still seems like a good idea too.

Care needs to be taken when working with the console, as the plastic can get pretty brittle. People seem to forget to remove the screws under the tray and break the bottom out of those mounts. The little piece between the CD storage and the coin holder is pretty thin too. I have a console with that piece broken.

[doughboy5499]

When dealing with the console. If your in the back seat on the back of the console is there supposed to be an ashtray there? When i got my cc there was just a hole there. I figured it was supposed to be an ashtray. I stopped at a local used car dealership where they had a cc on there lot and looked to see what was supposed to be there. I was kinda shocked to see that there was just a little panel that fits over the opening. It was dark and I was thinking it was an ashtray, so I played with it to get it to open when the panel fell off. (oops ) I tried putting it back on but like i said it was dark and would not go on. So I kinda took the panel and put it on mine and it fit. So I now have free fix for a missing panel on my cc LOL. OOPS