DIY 70 Series Land Cruiser Roof Console: Custom Build to Match Our Centre Console
DIY 70 Series Land Cruiser Roof Console: Custom Build to Match Our Centre Console
When I finished our custom DIY 70 Series Land Cruiser centre console (you can read that build here), the next project picked itself. I wanted something to match it: a custom roof console to round out the interior, add a bit more storage up top, and give me another good excuse for some shed time.
Quick disclaimer before we start. If you don’t have the time, tools or wood working skills, just buy one. The aftermarket options are well made and will save you a heap of mucking around. But if you can’t justify spending more than $1,000 on something with two small compartments, and you enjoy the process, then read on. Mine cost about $150 in materials and a few weekends, and the full build is below, mistakes and all.
Why I Built a DIY Roof Console
Truth is, I never really needed a roof console. Between the centre console, door pockets in our speaker pods, glove box, Underkover dash organiser, AOS rear seat cover organisers, the cabin already had plenty of storage. But I love making things, and shed time is good for the soul, so once the centre console was done this felt like the natural next step.
The other push was the storage layout on most off the shelf consoles. They use side access compartments, which never suited how I wanted to use the space. That shaped my whole design, so let’s start there.
Budget & Materials
The total came to around $150 in materials, and less out of pocket again since I had plenty in the shed already (plywood offcuts, screws, glue, staples, aluminium angle, leftover speaker box carpet). Roughly, here’s what went in:
- 9mm plywood (offcuts already in the shed)
- Grey and black vinyl from Spotlight
- 3mm upholstery foam
- 3mm steel bar for the front bracket
- Aluminium angle pieces and pop rivets for the rear bracket
- Nutserts
- Hinges, catches, and door ring pulls from Bunnings
- Speaker box carpet and shock cord from Clark Rubber
- Ring terminals and heatshrink
- 2.8mm spade & female terminals from JayCar for the wiring harness
- Wood glue, screws, staples
Buying everything from scratch you’d still come in well under $200. Against $1,000 plus for a purchased one, the maths works for me.
Design Goals (Function First)
Before I cut a single piece of plywood, I had a clear list of what I wanted:
- Easy access fold down compartments. Most aftermarket consoles use side access storage; you can’t see in, and there’s no closed storage. I wanted fold down hatches so you can see what’s inside, with everything secured when shut.
- Keep the factory front interior light. Not a replacement LED (although the factor lights do have aftermarket LED globes), the factory light, so it matches the rear one. That meant working around the existing fitting and extending the wiring.
- Front mount off the rearview mirror mounts. Every aftermarket option uses these, so I knew it would work. It just needed a custom curved bracket to follow the roof line.
- Rear mount off the factory light mount. Same logic; if the off the shelf options use it, it works.
- Two-tone finish. Black down the centre, grey on the sides, to match the centre console and the 70 Series interior.
- Vibration proof and rattle free. No compartments popping open on corrugations, and no gear rattling around. Good catches and internal padding were a must.
With that sorted, I could start cutting.
The Build Process
Step 1: Cardboard Templates & Planning
Like always, I started with a hard think, a few sketches, and a cardboard template. I used my pre cut Ram Board floor protector cardboard (I keep big flat sheets for exactly this) to follow the curve of the roof. Bit of trial and error to get it right, then I duplicated it for both sides and masking taped together a full cardboard model. Overkill maybe, but it let me eyeball the whole thing and tweak before committing to plywood.
Top tip: spend the time on your template. Every minute on cardboard saves you double on the plywood.
Step 2: Cutting & Assembling the Plywood Structure
Happy with the model, I traced the sides onto 9mm plywood and cut one out with my jigsaw. A test fit against the roof confirmed the curve, with a couple of small trims to nail it. That first piece became the template for the second side, then I cut the centre supports and remaining pieces. The centre supports hold the structure together and give me somewhere to mount the compartment hinges, so I spaced them for two equal compartments.
I glued and screwed it all together (should have used the brad nailer, no idea why I didn’t), then once the glue set I pulled most of the screws and filled the holes. Not necessary under the vinyl, but I’m funny about that sort of thing.
The front needed a step up to clear the sun visors, which took some trial and error. I kept the rear square; I’d have loved a rounded radius for a cleaner look, but square edges are far easier to finish with my no stitch upholstery method. Function over form.
Step 3: Cutouts for Storage & Light Fitting
With the structure together, I cut the openings for the two compartments and the light fitting, and added a small plywood pad inside for the light to mount to.
Step 4: Custom Mounting Brackets
I first tried mounting to the factory light mount with long screws, the way some aftermarket options do, but it was too fiddly in such a tight space. So I made my own brackets.
Rear bracket: four bits of aluminium angle from the shed, pop riveted together, with nutserts on the underside for an easy mounting point. The big win was being able to mount the bracket first (using the factory light screws), then bolt the console up to it. Oversized holes in the plywood gave me wiggle room to line everything up, and the bracket doubled as an earth point for the wiring later.
Front bracket: this one follows the roof curve at the rearview mirror mounts. I made a cardboard template (mirror removed), transferred it to 3mm steel bar, and used a blow torch to heat and bend it to shape. Here’s the lucky bit. I ended up bending it with a touch more curve than the roof itself, maybe 2 to 5 degrees more than I meant to. That meant I had to push the bracket up against the roof to line it up with the factory mirror mount points and bolt it in. All that tension pulled the console up hard against the roof and held it rock solid. A perfectly matched curve probably would have been fine, but I doubt it would have sat as tight. More luck than planning, but I’ll take it. The mirror went straight back on over the top too.
Step 5: Test Fitting in the 70 Series
With both brackets done, the whole console test fitted tight against the roof and didn’t move. Now for the part that makes or breaks it: the finish.
Upholstery Without Stitching
This is the slow, fiddly part, and where a DIY console either looks homemade or factory. I used the same method as the centre console: foam underlay, two-tone vinyl, and PVC plaster trim for clean edges without any stitching.
Prep & Foam
Quick sand of the plywood, then a coat of black paint inside so you don’t see raw timber through the open compartments. I also wrapped the front steel bracket in grey vinyl with contact adhesive, since bare steel doesn’t exactly look factory. Then the foam: spray adhesive on both surfaces, let it go tacky, lay on the 3mm upholstery foam, and trim it out of the cutouts with a blade. That soft layer is what gives the console its soft touch.
Black Centre, Grey Sides (And a Few Honest Mistakes)
I started with the black in the centre, cut big enough to fold over the sides, and held it with the hand staple gun (no adhesive). The heat gun earned its keep around the corners and cutouts; a bit of warmth makes the vinyl pliable so it wraps neatly without bunching.
Now for the grey sides, and a couple of mistakes I’ll own. First, instead of the PVC plaster strips I’d used on the centre console (firmer, fewer staples), I tried cardboard for some reason. Step backwards. Second, I should have run foam over the cardboard and staples to hide them, but had a brain fade and skipped it, so the edge isn’t as crisp as it should be and you can feel the staples if you run your hand along the side. Third, I didn’t buy enough grey vinyl and ended up with a small seam at the rear, instead of just heading back to Spotlight for more. So learn from me: use PVC strips, foam over the staples, and buy enough vinyl in one piece.
The technique itself is simple. Lay the vinyl upside down on the side, lay the strip across the edge, staple, then fold the vinyl back over to get a clean straight edge. Heat gun on mid heat helps stretch it around curves. Pull it over the top and staple to secure.
Compartment Cutouts
For the compartment openings I went back to the PVC trim. Same trick: staple black vinyl to the underside, fold it up through the opening, sit the PVC strip along the inside edge, staple, and fold the vinyl back over. The result is a clean moulded looking edge with no visible staples or raw edges. I skipped this on the light cutout, since the light fitting sits over the top and hides it anyway.
Building the Storage Compartments
With the body done, I built the two compartments from 9mm plywood, cut on the table saw and screwed and glued together. For opening them I used black door ring pulls from Bunnings (the sliding wardrobe door type), cut in with a hole saw, with the vinyl heated and folded through before screwing them in.
I covered the visible bases in black vinyl, then lined the rest inside and out with leftover speaker box carpet. It matches my Drifta drawers and rear seat conversion, it’s easy to work with, and it kills rattles. Then black painted hinges to attach the compartments, and two catches each, which sounds like overkill but I really didn’t want them dropping open on corrugations.
The last touch inside each compartment was a couple of lengths of shock cord from Clark Rubber to hold gear in place, secured with crimped ring terminals and black heatshrink screwed to the inside. Plenty of tie down points for sunglasses cases, a torch, the GME handpiece, and other odds and ends.
With everything finished, I threw the console on my luggage scale just to see what I was adding to the vehicle. Just under 4kg, which honestly impressed me given all the timber, vinyl, foam, hardware and brackets in it. Worth knowing if anyone asks.
Custom Wiring Harness for the Interior Light
The factory light connector inside the roof lining has no spare cable length, and I wasn’t about to cut it or pull the roof lining (a hectic job). So I made a custom harness to plug into the factory connector and reach the light in its new spot.
That needed 2.8mm male spade terminals plus matching females, which weren’t easy to find. JayCar came through. They’re the perfect size for the factory connector and the light terminals. A few crimps, some heatshrink, done.
Installation in the 70 Series
The install was easier than the build. Mirror off first for access. Then I mounted the rear bracket using the four factory light screws, and ran an earth cable from one of them to the bracket, since the light earths to the body and plywood won’t do that. With the bracket up, I plugged in the harness.
Then the console went up. Rear secured first with large washers, spring washers, and Phillips head bolts (a screwdriver is far easier than a spanner in that tight space). The front bracket lined up with the mirror mount holes, the mirror sat back on top, and the factory screws went back in, with the plastic cover over the bolt heads just like stock. Last job was connecting the light to the harness and securing the fitting.
Flicked the switch, and it worked first go. I’ll take that win.
Time, Difficulty & What I’d Do Differently
Time: a few weekends, mostly the upholstery and bracket work. The woodwork was quick.
Difficulty: intermediate. The woodwork is easy enough; the brackets and no stitch upholstery just take patience and the right tools.
What I’d do differently: use PVC strips not cardboard on the sides, foam over the staples, buy enough vinyl in one piece, and use the brad nailer for assembly. None are deal breakers, but I’d nail them next time.
Costs vs Aftermarket
- Aftermarket: $1,000+ for a purchased 70 Series roof console.
- DIY (mine): around $150-200 in materials, less out of pocket because of what I had on hand.
The trade off is time. Limited weekends and a healthy budget? Buy one. Enjoy shed time and want something one of a kind? Build it.
Final Verdict: Was It Worth the Effort?
Was a roof console really necessary on top of all our other storage? No, not really. Was it fun to make? Absolutely. Every time I look up in the Cruiser it makes me smile, the compartments work brilliantly for the small stuff I want handy, and there’s not a rattle to be heard thanks to the carpet and shock cord. The catches have held up perfectly on dirt and corrugations too.
So no, you don’t need one. But if you’ve got the time, the tools, and you enjoy the process, it’s a cracking little project to finish off a custom interior. If you’ve already done our DIY 70 Series Land Cruiser centre console with fridge build (you can read the full post here), this is the natural next step: same techniques, same look, and it pulls the whole interior together.
Have you built your own roof console for your 4WD, or are you thinking about it? I’d love to hear how you went or what you’re planning. Drop a comment below and let me know.
The thoughts of Peter.
