Working out center console shape

[JustJohn]

I roughed in a cutout for a console this afternoon and need to pick a direction. If I make it an actual, functional armrest and not what came in these cars, it will be about 2" taller than what's sitting in there. Thoughts?
Also need to integrate the parking brake lever.

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[shelteredchevelle]

That looks awfully tall already. Put an EStopp in it and install the button in the console, you lose the lever and then you have a hidden anti-theft too.

[dhutton]

That looks awfully tall already. Put an EStopp in it and install the button in the console, you lose the lever and then you have a hidden anti-theft too.
X2....

Don

[JustJohn]

I think part of what's making it look tall is what would be the armrest. It's probably 8" further forward than what it would actually be.

The EStopp is an option I've looked at. I'm just on the fence about "adding complexity" to the car. Agreed it is a clean solution if I can hide it somewhere.

[csouth]

Im gathering carpet will also add at least 1" to the current height also....

[JustJohn]

Im gathering carpet will also add at least 1" to the current height also....

Taking that into account. Already cut it down somewhat over lunch.

As a separate issue, and I know this doesn't come up for everyone, I have so much room between the seats I can rest the rear part of the console flat on the floor and still see daylight in the gap between the seat. Right now the gap is about the same as what's at the door so there's some symmetry to it, I just don't know if changing that would look odd once you were sitting in the car.

[JustJohn]

Thanks for the input. Are the sides of your console parallel from end to end?

[jetmech442]

I prefer a functional armrest that also flips up for some light storage. I think what matters most is if your arm rest comfortably at that height while cruising, as well as not interfering with shifter work. I agree that it's set forward probly a good 8'' too far forward.

could you contour the e-handle over to the passenger side?

As far as the gap, contours and other features that help break up the long flat panels always look more custom to me, but they also are much harder to fab(especially symmetric). Below was my very first attempt at a prototype, didn't fiberglass very well, but the armrest height worked pretty good.

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[JustJohn]

Started on a second mock up with cardboard. Space is never a limiting factor on this car but I think I'm firmly against an electric e-brake. I just don't like introducing additional complexity for some things. Need to step it up a bit as the paint appointment is looming and I don't want to be welding after it's done. Means I have to pick a brake lever and fix attachment points.

[shelteredchevelle]

couple of pics- estopp button in front bulkhead. My car is as simple as it gets...

[JustJohn]

Getting closer to a basic shape on the 2nd effort plus I thought to look at shifter position. I may try to add a layer on the finished console that mimics the body lines, we'll see how that goes.
Other trim inserts will be brushed stainless so the goal (I think) is to bend a sheet of brushed ss to shape as the top surface.

Where are people getting the piano hinge and lid catch for these?

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[IMPALAMAN1]

Getting closer to a basic shape on the 2nd effort plus I thought to look at shifter position. I may try to add a layer on the finished console that mimics the body lines, we'll see how that goes.
Other trim inserts will be brushed stainless so the goal (I think) is to bend a sheet of brushed ss to shape as the top surface.

Where are people getting the piano hinge and lid catch for these?

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build it and sit it in feel where your leg hit is. feel where your arm is. it takes time... if you don't like a section cut it out and glass it in.

you can make changes. as you go. build a base that is low and mountable. then you can add a top section simular to how the factory did a 2 piece. sandable foam glued together makes quick changes easy. messy.... but easy. glass over it and you have a solid foundation.

[Vimes]

I'm with you on electric ebrakes. I've had one on one car and it was terrible. A manual hand brake is much easier to use in an emergency.

Piano hinges are quite common, and can be found at any hardware store. The salvage yard will also have them, and more likely in the size you need. The OEMs riveted them into place so drill the rivets and there you have it.

There's no reason the console can't go wide at the seats if it looks strange being narrow. A wider console will give you more storage and will allow the passenger to share the armrest.

An important consideration, especially if you're tall - no sharp edges on the console where your knee would rest, and not too tall. Personally I like the console to go really low where my leg goes so there's no contact at all but if you like your leg on the console, a sharp edge gets sharper and sharper the longer you're leg is on it. Making it smooth and rounded through that area is best as it doesn't press in on your leg even if you adjust how your leg lays on it.

[JustJohn]

I'm at 9" wide now but the contouring I'm thinking about would take it closer to 10" at the armrest.

[JustJohn]

A little more ambitious on the shape of this which may affect material choice to build it. I added some contouring that mimics the body lines and will be about 9" -10" wide at the armrest. Hand brake should show up today so I can work out details of where it will be integrated. Feel like it's crunch time on this because I want the welding done before paint.
All of the formerly woodgrain trim is redone in brushed stainless so I was planning the the flat surface to be the same thing with everything else upholstered to match the seats.
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[lawrenq]

Here's my console that I made for my Chevelle. It mimics the shape of the Acura tl console that I had in there previously. I reused the armrest and handbrake from the Acura. 181329181330

[Zspoiler]

I would go to a wrecking yard and take a look at other cars for some ideas .

[JustJohn]

Getting close to committing to real building materials for this thing. I ordered a shifter and cupholders to make sure I'm happy with placement.

Been back and forth between what to use to build this thing out of. I've seen PVC foam board used and ordered a sample to see if the rigidity is ok since it's new for me. The other option is MDF, which seems really heavy to load in there? Probably cost me 5 hp to carry it around. Guess I'll plan that into the engine. :seizure:

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[Vimes]

Maybe use MDF to build it, use what you build to make a mold, then use the mold to do it out of fiberglass? The MDF one can be modified to fit exactly with sandpaper, and once it's perfect you can recreate it in something lighter and better. If you plan to cover it, remember to knock the size down a bit to take the material used into account. You'll want carpet and padding in place as well, as that will add almost an inch of height to the floor. And, don't forget to take floor heating into account as the OEM just dumped a vent pointing in two directions where your console boxes up. A 1in x 6in vent down each side of the console would be pretty comfy in the winter.

I'm glad you started this thread, you're making me think of how I can solve the same problems when I get to the center console stage.

[Appling Prostreet]

I know its probably been discussed/mentioned but I'm just starting my build and lurking around this forum. I was shocked at how well my Gen 5 console fits the first Gens. Here are some pics of mine. I am utilizing the glovebox but did cut it down a bit. Notice the Gen5 Gauge Clusters and steering column.

[JustJohn]

I had one previously but it is really too small for a full size Impala.

[Appling Prostreet]

Oh crap. I was thinking it was a Camaro. I didn't look close enough. Sorry bought that.

I love being creative/different too but I have enough of that going on with this build so I'm to the point of anything I can utilize that I already have, is going in.

[JustJohn]

So getting the mounting points tacked in and could use some feedback. I decided to mount the parking brake on spacers to give myself room for vertical adjustment, plus I think the brackets will give me the chance to drill another hole if I'm way off or just a tiny bit of slop to line things up. Also, going half way across leaves me room for cup holder clearance. You never really see fabricated parking brake mounts - they're not sexy so I'm pretty much developing my own here. Any thoughts on the mounting? I feel like the spacer and grade 8 hardware will give adequate stability. The spacers and bolts are just cobbled together at the moment to give me an assembly to work with.
This is just the rear bracket tacked in place.
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A pair of Eddie's stainless cupholders just showed up. Not really happy with them. They look flimsy. I'll be returning them and looking for something else.

[Vimes]

Your parking brake mount looks OK, but sits low inside that console. Matched up with the height and closeness of the arm rest behind it, it might make for an awkward angle when going for the parking brake. I'd suggest slapping the old carpet with padding under the console, put in the driver's seat and see how well it works. An awkward to reach emergency brake handle is not what you want to be dealing with during an emergency.

So far as the strength of the parking brake handle goes, get a U-bolt that you can use to tie the cable attachment point to the mounting point behind it. The idea for this test is you don't want the brake handle to move when you pull on it. Then, give the handle a good, sharp, hard yank. If it feels flimsy or like something is giving when you pull on it, it will need more work. If it's sturdy and doesn't budge under this test, it won't budge when you have it installed and you're applying the brake. More importantly, it won't break when you're trying to pull the handle out of the floor during an emergency. You'll be able to tell whether it needs any further work when you do this. That handle gives you quite a bit of leverage when you pull on it, so the base has to be really strong.

[JustJohn]

The spacers are what I had on hand to work with, not the finished height. It will end up just a short drop from the shifter.
I had a similar mount minus the spacer posts for the Camaro parking rake and it was solid.

[Perry M]

I am following this thread even though I already finished building my console. I used plywood then covered it in leather. My E brake is mounted in the console like you are doing but haven't connected any cables to the rear wheels yet. I am curious how you will do your connection.

[JustJohn]

Almost where I need to be before paint. All the mounting points tacked in.
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Now I can actually mount my mock up like it would be on the finished interior. Looks like there are some adjustments needed for the profile but that can wait. Have a couple of pieces coming this week and I can get underneath and route the new parking brake layout.
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[JustJohn]

Ever have one of those days when you can't find parts you know you have? I took off my parking brake cables a couple of weeks ago so they wouldn't just be hanging and now I can't find them. Never left the garage, only have parts from this one car in the garage. Kind of need them to place the last couple of brackets.
Looks like a 2 hour reorganize and clean up on Saturday to find my cables or spend another $150 on new ones.

[Vimes]

I can do a LOT of cleaning for 150 bucks. But I think I'd start under the car, just in case you planned to remove them, decided it was too much effort when you can just tie-wrap them in place, then forgot that you didn't go with the original plan. As an absent-minded person, I can count on the fingers of everybody's hands how many times this particular scenario's happened to me.

[JustJohn]

Getting the cable routing under the car. I finally learned how to use magnets.

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I previously had a late Camaro console in here but was never 100% happy with it. The off side cable routed through the body stiffening brace and it worked well to keep everything out of the way. I think this time I'm going with external tubing clips to have more options for positioning and probably less prone to rub through. Also picked up the Control Cables Inc bracket. Their system seems a little cleaner than Lokar's to me, even though I'm reusing some of the Lokar cables. Everything is compatible and I think I'm done welding. The old cable stop is there on the right and will get ground off.
Still have to decide on the lever to union routing and drill a hole. The late Camaro pass through grommet I used last time will be in place again.

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[JustJohn]

Lay out is done. I'm going to bolt the underbody bracket to the floor this time with button head socket screws. I think a lot easier than last time and cleaner routing. Still waiting on an answer from Control Cables about the OD of their cable. The Cable Craft one I had made last time for the lever was a larger OD and filled in the pass through grommet. I use this one because it is designed to flex off a 90 pass through.

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Top side. if the new cable is this diameter I'll have to wrap it a couple of times to seal against the grommet.

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[JustJohn]

Just closing this out. Drilled the holes for the junction bracket today and routed the cables. Only thing left is to measure the front cable length and order it. Having used both the Lokar and Control Cables solutions, I feel like the latter ended up being cleaner and easier to install. The rear cables are still Lokar and it gives me more adjustment than I'll ever need but otherwise appears compatible. The apparently extra cable along the bends is intentional. I learned previously that if you don't set everything up with the suspension loaded (I did this time), the cable housing can be too tight and apply the rear brakes when the suspension moves.

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[JustJohn]

In the interest of closing this out, here's the last test fit before I take out parts for paint. I ended up using all of controlcables.com stuff and I have to say I like it better than the Lokar solution having used both. Lokar is a little more "customize and fit at home" than control cables stuff but to my eye it ends up looking better and all the hard mount points are self contained in the brackets. Cables are heavier too and feel more precise when pulling the brake handle up.
Under car:
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In car, I will be able to cut spacers to match the height of the console when I get there.
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[65 drop top]

Going back to some of the earlier posts on your thread, you can camouflage the height of the console with carpet. Here’s what my interior guy did in my chevelle

[JustJohn]

Thanks - I actually bought extra matching carpet anticipating there might be a future need.

Car is currently at the pain shop so with the console mounts and shape worked out, it's at a stand still for a while.

[Cheveezy]

Going back to some of the earlier posts on your thread, you can camouflage the height of the console with carpet. Here’s what my interior guy did in my chevelle

Not to hijack but where did you get that dash insert? That's exactly what I've been looking for. Nice interior!

[65 drop top]

Not to hijack but where did you get that dash insert? That's exactly what I've been looking for. Nice interior!
Thanks, actually I made it out of an original dash. I shaved everything off, and filled in the radio and cigarette lighter holes. I did reinforce the backside of it where I shaved off the peak that goes from side to side, otherwise there’s very little material left. I used either epoxy or fiberglass to do that, I can’t remember which. It’s held up good so far.

[Cheveezy]

Thanks, actually I made it out of an original dash. I shaved everything off, and filled in the radio and cigarette lighter holes. I did reinforce the backside of it where I shaved off the peak that goes from side to side, otherwise there’s very little material left. I used either epoxy or fiberglass to do that, I can’t remember which. It’s held up good so far.

Nice! Thanks for the idea