Below my scanner mount build on my old 2017 GMC Denali 2500 Duramax. It should give you plenty of ideas.
I was originally planning on using a Havis faceplate / radio mount but they seemed to be sold out everywhere and I wasn’t willing to wait several weeks. A local car audio place and they wanted $250. Needless to say I did it myself, for roughly $29 in parts.
The center console has ample of room. I decided to get rid of the cup holders and build my radio scanner into this slot. I never drink anything other than bottled water in my cars / trucks and for that I still have the cup holder in the door panel.
Here's what you will need for a comparable build:
Parts:
- 12" x 12" sheet metal, bought at HomeDepot ($10)
- 12" x 12" textured ABS sheet, bought on Amazon ($10)
- L shaped angle Aluminum, bought at HomeDepot ($4)
- Gorilla epoxy, bought at HomeDepot ($5)
- Set of screws, washer, nuts, bought at HomeDepot
Tools:
- Jig saw and a fine blade for metal
- Power drill and drill bits
- 80 grit sandpaper and sanding block
- Dremel and large metal cutting wheel
- Ruler, pencil, marker
First I removed the entire center console from my truck. It is much nicer and easier to work inside than having to deal with Florida's heat and humidity.
I cut a metal sheet to the outer dimensions of the space in the console and drew the cutout for my scanner on it. This will be a H-cut and the inner panels will be bend down in order to function as the brackets for the scanner.
I used a Dremel with larger metal cutting wheel to do the initial 3 cuts and finished them with a jigsaw. I also installed a piece of L shaped Angle Aluminum in help keep the entire mount in place inside the cup holder space. The 2 screws are countersunk and sanded to provide a level surface for the ABS plate.
Next I cut the ABS sheet to the same dimensions of the metal sheet.
The ABS cut-out for the scanner is about 1/16” smaller to prevent the metal sheet from scratching up the scanner.
Next step is to prepare both the metal and the ABS sheet for the 2 component epoxy glue. I used 80 grit sandpaper.
Gorilla epoxy needs to be mixed for 20 seconds, can be applied and adjusted for about 5 minutes, and needs 24 hours to completely cure. I put some weight on it to keep it straight because epoxy gets hot and can deform plastic.
I had to drill 2 holes in the side panels for the scanner to be held in place with the OEM mounting screws that came with my Uniden scanner. Scanner installed:
Center console goes back into the truck with the mount / faceplate installed. It is held in place by gravity and doesn’t move at all, not even under hard braking or on a bumpy road. No cuts or drilling in the center console were needed. I can put everything back to stock within minutes.
