CB radio installed for nothing more than time invested and a few screws.
In other words, I'm damned cheap.

Radio Shack 40-channel CB off craigslist: $10
Bracket to hold CB radio: free (cast off scrap from bumper cut)
Bracket to hold microphone: free (extra rod support from rotisserie kit)

I bought a used CB radio for $10 without even knowing whether it worked. For $10, I figured why not.
The main problem was that it had its power cord cut and no mounting bracket.
I was going to use the amplifier mounting bracket from my CJ, but Indiana cancer made removing the screws more of a challenge than I was up for.
While scouring the garage for a bracket, I noticed I still had the ends that I cut off the metal part of my front bumper when I stubbified it. AHA!!!

The dimple in the bumper end made a perfect offset to angle the bracket.
I drilled a 1/8" hole and a 1/2" hole, centers about 1/2" apart. (3x, in a triangle pattern)
I used a dremel burr bit to extend a slot from the small to the big hole.
To ease installation and removal of the bracket, I used a ball-peen hammer to flatten the transition from 1/2" hole to slot.
I drilled holes in the side of the bracket to mate up with the radio mount holes. (not visible in this pic)


I placed the CB and bracket in the console so that the console lid could still close and the antenna wire would have clearance without kinking.


I marked the top of the top slot with a screw point, then ran a wafer head screw into the side of the console.
I removed the CB from the bracket, hung the bracket on the top screw, and marked the other two holes.
I removed the bracket and ran the other two screws into their marks.
I placed the bracket on the screws, then adjusted the screws so they held the bracket tight when bottomed out on the slots, yet still allowed easy removal.


I then removed the bracket from the console and re-installed the CB radio to it.
Slide bracket onto screws, verify proper clearance.


For the mic bracket, I had a spare support left over after installing a rotisserie to my gas grill. (bought on clearance at Meijer last year)
The slot in the bracket was perfect for the mic nub.


I mounted the bracket to the side of the console, using the existing bolt.
(I had to open up the slot in the bracket a bit so the bolt would install freely.)


The CB is protected from splashing mud and the mic is in a handy-dandy location when needed.
Since I put a cigarette lighter plug on the CB instead of hard-wiring it, installation or removal of the radio is a less than 30 second affair.

 

nice work on the cheap!

 

That's a pretty nice install. And, hidden from view

 

Nice install... now, with the money you save, you can put some quarters into the vacuum machine at the carwash...

HA!

Just pulling your leg! I am all about DIY and love to see innovative solutions.

 

Nah, that lump you see in front of the shifter is the slug I dug out of my buck last year. I keep it around for fun and to gross out the anti-hunting weenies.

 

you guys are soooo nice.

 

My mount cost em nothing. It is wedged between the center console and the passenger seat.

 

Nice write-up and install

 

Maybe not full size, but old school and certainly not as compact as the RatShack model!

With the old Royce size, I had to open up the bumper channel quite a bit.
It also required a 90° adapter for the antenna connection.
On the first CB trip, I found I couldn't transmit. After a bit of troubleshooting, I found the transmit circuit had a fried transistor. I couldn't find a suitable transistor to replace the toasted one in my $10 craigslist bargain, so my dad hooked me up with a some of his "classics" from over the years.

 

That is a nice install! I've been trying to decide where to put on that's out of site. I'm very picky about my interior, but too cheap to by the Cobra 75 unit.

Do you leave the lid open when using the mic? And how did you run the wires for your antenna?