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Originally Posted by mikie_mike
A definite well done project - kudos! I am highly interested in the brackets you fabricated for the shelf - even willing to pay for a set. Is there more details you can provide about them?
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the Shelf-it unit comes with brackets specific to a truck. They screw into the shelf, and then they screw into the holes where the visors used to be. Since VDP (the maker of the Shelf-it) doesn't make a unit specifically for the F150, I used their F250 Super Duty kit because the color would match and the length was more or less right. The 'ears' of their bracket don't line up with the F150's visor holes, and really cannot, on their own, be bent to fit - since the F250 is a bit wider cab, to use that kit required lowering the shelf about 2 inches.
In the pictures you can see that what I did was bend the Shelf-it bracket 'ears' in a vise, with a 3 pound hammer until they were horizontal and parallel with the shelf itself. Finding the angle for the bend was a little tricky, but bending it wasn't a big deal.
To drop the shelf down to fit, I fabricated the part that screws into the visor holes out of 2" wide 1/8 inch thick aluminum bar stock. It is actually a 2 piece bracket that I made, riveted together that eventually attaches to the modified Shelf-it bracket. By making a cardboard template of the visor mounting recess area and drilling holes for the screws, the first part was really easy - 2 identical simple plates. Then bending a 3 angle shaped piece for each side (again using a vise and a maul hammer) to follow the headliner and then rake back to horizontal where it could marry up with the modified Shelf-it Bracket took an hour or so for each one. I made one bend at a time, and pretty much eyeballed it, tweaking until it was right. Getting the length of the drops equal is the critical part so that the shelf sits level - but not so hard - you just make the first side whatever length it ends up and then match it when you do the second one
A few minutes with a file and grinder to round the corners of the aluminum pieces and profile the tab to shape match the Shelf-it brackets, a quick shot of flat black paint, it was done. The bracket mounts to the headliner with the factory visor screws. The 2 pieces of the bracket assembly are attached to each other with cap screws and nylock nuts (if you do this, I would recommend a bit of gasket, rubber, silicone, cork, etc between them to isolate from squeaking). The bracket assemblies are attached to the shelf with coarse thread sheet metal screws that came with the shelf.
Mounting it all up was a sequenced from the top down PITA dance - it took 2 people, and a right angle screwdriver I had left over from an IKEA shelf to get it installed. There's not much space to work up there!
10 bucks worth of material and a few hours of garage time with simple tools. That's the only option until or if VDP or someone else engineers and manufactures a set specifically for this generation of F150.
Good luck with your project -
Linear Mode
