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That picture really puts it into perspective. I got one of the 2 row's in the local classifieds, brand new, for 25 dollars. I snagged it right up! I have a lifetime Murray in my F150, and the Expy still has the OEM rad in it.
My '03 came with an aftermarket sunroof installed, but the switch was half-hidden by the visor, and they simply cut off the original console, then covered the whole thing with headliner material.
I had to peel off the headliner material from the console remnants, being sure not to tear it or cut too much away. I also had to save enough to cover the old switch, since simply removing it would leave a hole. Once the original was out, mounting the new console physically was a royal PITA, as the sunroof was installed farther forward than a factory one would be. This left very little room for the console, and placed the rear clip fasteners squarely on the sunroof frame. I had to hack up the new console mounting bracket (which the seller of the console graciously included), elongate the screw holes, and re-shape the console plastic to better follow the new roof contours. I also had to figure out some way of attaching the back of the console to the sunroof frame. For this I ended up removing the factory clips, epoxying some threaded, adjustable-height chair glides in their place, and used 3M Dual-Lock material to mate them to the frame. (That 3M stuff is pretty strong!)
For the electrical, I pulled the control board out of the housing, soldered wires to the teeny, tiny switches' connections, and wired the factory-console switches in parallel. It now functions basically like the factory roof with the added benefit of the aftermarket auto-close when you turn off the ignition. Except for the couple of headliner puckers you see (which resulted from the way I had to mount the rear, and which I'll still try to remedy) I'm pretty happy with the results. The map light lenses are still out awaiting LED bulbs.
Bonus: I can turn around and sell the old console electronics, and should get about as much as I paid for the new console.
Andy
Last edited by OhioLariat; 10-23-2016 at 06:28 PM.
Oh, and while I was at it, I installed the auto-dimming mirror (visible in the "after" pic above) out of an Expedition... at least I think that's what I pulled it out of). The factory wiring and connector was already above the passenger visor, and had I realized this, I would have removed the visor and visor clip in the donor vehicle to get the entire wiring harness (with the mating connector) when I pulled the mirror. As it was, I simply pulled as much wire as I could get and cut it off. This required splicing in some additional wires, cutting off the factory connector, and using insulated spades, but the end result is the same. It just tool some extra time.
Andy
Last edited by OhioLariat; 10-23-2016 at 06:24 PM.
Oh, and while I was at it, I installed the auto-dimming mirror (visible in the "after" pic above) out of an Expedition... at least I think that's what I pulled it out of). The factory wiring and connector was already above the passenger visor, and had I realized this, I would have removed the visor and visor clip in the donor vehicle to get the entire wiring harness (with the mating connector) when I pulled the mirror. As it was, I simply pulled as much wire as I could get and cut it off. This required splicing in some additional wires, cutting off the factory connector, and using insulated spades, but the end result is the same. It just tool some extra time.
A lot soon to come. Truck will be mine, come today or tomorrow. It is officially done. I did get the Marti Report in today though.
Congrats!
I'd not heard of the Marti Report, only Ford's ETIS. I wonder where Marti pulls their data.
EDIT: Marti's site says they have licenced access to Ford's database. It looks, though, like their $18 "Standard Report" covers a lot of what ETIS will provide for free.
Andy
Last edited by OhioLariat; 10-24-2016 at 02:49 PM.
10-23-2016, 04:48 PM
The factory wiring and connector was already above the passenger visor, and had I realized this, I would have removed the visor and visor clip in the donor vehicle to get the entire wiring harness (with the mating connector) when I pulled the mirror. As it was, I simply pulled as much wire as I could get and cut it off. This required splicing in some additional wires, cutting off the factory connector, and using insulated spades, but the end result is the same. It just tool some extra time. 
