Where do you put your switches?

[CT-BLAZER]

I had purchased a ceiling / roof console from a newer Blazer / Tahoe..... Plenty of room for extra switches

 

[Wes Harden]

This is what I ended up with, as a consolidation of 4 switches willy nilly in the ip bezel.
Don't think it's gonna stay. I want them overhead above rear view mirror.

Pictures of your over heads pls

 

[6872xtc]

This is what I ended up with, as a consolidation of 4 switches willy nilly in the ip bezel.
Don't think it's gonna stay. I want them overhead above rear view mirror.
View attachment 455535
Pictures of your over heads pls

I don't like switches partway under the steering column either. I know that some of my preference is due to spending so many years in semi trucks. Having them visible and in decent reach made me frustrated with my little trucks.
It also makes me consider moving the stereo up above the windshield, even though running that many wires up the A pillar is not fun. It's hard to keep them tucked, safe and hidden, even with the trim. I custom built a panel to mount 6 switches up there for a friend years ago. No pictures though. And that is how I proved to myself that I couldn't reach them while standing next to the driver door sill with the lift height of the truck.

 

[Wes Harden]

I had hope to put them above the brake controller, but it just would fit like I wanted with brackets I had. Not being able to reach them outside of the truck would the only down fall of the overhead. Fuel pump and trans cooler fan shouldn't need to manipulate them much when not seated in the truck. extra lights maybe a little

 

[formercruiserhead]

The cutout for a Carling switch is less than 1", so theoretically you could have a 1.5 DIN panel that holds switches sideways and a 1-DIN radio. I just checked Etsy and nobody seems to be selling them. It would also be great if somebody was printing a 1.5-1DIN adapter plate that angled the radio face upwards. Since my Kenwood offers bluetooth remote control, if I have the tablet in, I'll use that as the radio display. How are you supposed to search Gigs of folders on a tiny screen in front of your knee with little chicklet buttons? Probably safer to find it on Spotify on your phone while driving.

Really what I want is a miniature head unit that goes in the HVAC control or vent location so you can actually see the thing. Now that we don't have CD drives in them, they can be made almost any size, but I don't see narrow ones available. You can get a marine head unit that is a 3" diameter gauge form factor.

If you can relocate the radio, you can put switches in it's old place: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1019860806/gm-15-din-switch-panel

Wow I like that idea. I recently was thinking about moving the radio spot since all I do is run spotify through our modern car radios anyway. I have a Kenwood head unit that has Bluetooth on it so technically it could go anywhere. I have 2015 console I want to keep so need to figure out a good spot...

 

[Blue85]

If you look at the Etsy link, that panel is set up for a cheap little bluetooth amp: https://www.amazon.com/DAMGOO-Bluet...qid=1623292409&sprefix=damgoo+,aps,297&sr=8-4, presumably with the volume control sticking out. If you search, there is probably one available with 4 outputs, so you can drive front/rear speakers, or even a subwoofer amp.

Granted, with a bluetooth amp you can mount it almost anywhere, but I'm a big fan of having a physical volume knob.

Not all bluetooth receivers are equal and expectations vary a lot. I mounted a tablet inside the dash of a car and expected that I would do all my music there, but it turned out that the bluetooth didn't sound as good as playing from a USB thumb drive, so most of my tunes came off USB and the bluetooth was mostly for podcasts.

 

[Blue85]

There might be something intended for motorcycles or boats that could fit in the HVAC control slot, like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/333710431068?hash=item4db2b1135c:g:FkYAAOSwnKtfU0qt&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAA8OaDJZjRuLBzXSVFDrZInB7hdoEJyQyis9e3eIaz8o6InZy/dpf5F5+AvSJTq/xS8v6f4g/KsjFhDcCGt7FKiK07YOovf/39E1j1byJZGw2Vojrnm083/3jmxLZSb0w6mZ9h+PP5436EyhTYSJBvBg4iGDgBtvXpg5o4c26fNNNplgtVyzd8aVumAIgH0C2mZGI/vJwMo4iw9NCJTui5udTSS6hasu9A1H3eloXYXAk1tUu503BnFzeCCJ8G9lG+x/95PpGVNCRsW5JKVDYA8WcsTv8xlHKVuvl6/rrtarFqfdbHs2RF+xbmSpElRpsSfQ==|tkp:BFBM_M60pMZi. I can't imagine searching through folders on that display though.

Unfortunately, marine seems to still prefer DIN, but there are options out there with remote faceplates. You could surface mount this on the dash next to the cluster, for example: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_867WSMC1/Wet-Sounds-WS-MC1.html?tp=96441

The distracted driver laws mean you can't be using your phone to control music. I know every feature in the world is available on a mobile device, but it's not worth the ticket. It seems like a gray zone when we're talking about touch screens in cars now and things like Android radios.

 

[Blue85]

Another idea is to run a 1" EQ with fader and volume knobs on it, with a bluetooth receiver hidden away somewhere else. That gives 2" of space for a switch panel.

 

[83ChevyK5Blazer]

My set up, quick easy and able to be out of the way.