Yet another Centre Console Rebuild

[Ari Vatanen]

After looking at blue boy's & Mark's thread's I thought I would have a go myself so here is my attempt :wack:

My aim: keep the head unit slot, keep the cig lighter (for my handsfree phone), add 2 or 3 Defi BF gauges & a Greddy Profec B Spec II :D

Ive got a Defi BF Oil temp + Oil Pressure + Profec B Spec B II on order and I might add an Defi BF Water Temp at a later date as well

materials used so far:

1x MDF damaged window ledge (1000mm x 300mm x 30mm) from a building site my Bro is working on :rolleyes:
18mm x 500mm x 500mm MDF
electric jigsaw
ruler
router
wood file
compass
tin snips
multimeter
pencil
1/2 a Weetabix packet for the template :cool:
double sided tape
automotive spray glue
stanley knife
scissors

Order of workings:-

1) remove the O.E.M centre console see here - http://sxoc.com/vbb/showpost.php?p=3062373&postcount=18

2) remove the stupid springy cubby hole below the stereo

3) draw round the O.E.M console on the cereal packet/paper to get a template

4) tape the template onto the MDF, draw round it then cut away

5) trim the MDF accordingly, the O.E.M dashboard would not accomodate my 1st attempt so I set the jigsaw @ 45 degrees to trim off the back of the MDF and not damage the front outline

6) offer it up, and all is good so far

7) remove the 2 metal brackets from the O.E.M console and screw them to the new unit to 100% make sure it will fit

8) Mark out the DIN stereo hole & cut

9) Mark out the 2 or 3 60mm gauges & cut + Profec B (so it looks something like this below)

10) http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/newdesignasof24-02-07.jpg




basic outline
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/basicconsole.jpg

O.E.M console alongside the new unit (I think I went overboard with black alcantara material :wack: if anyone wants some let me know) :nod: :thumbs:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/material.jpg

Defi cable + extension alarm wires (to go from the A-pillar pod back to the centre console)
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/defiextension.jpg

[blue boy]

Here starts another one lol. Lookin good so far dude. The only thing that i worry about is using 3 60mm gauges, it is going to be tight but i think that you will be ok for the position that you have put them in.

Just had a thought, the gauge on the right may get in the way of using the right hand side metal bracket as it sits where it needs to be screwed in.

[Ari Vatanen]

Just had a thought, the gauge on the right may get in the way of using the right hand side metal bracket as it sits where it needs to be screwed in.

I wondered about that, we'll soon find out lol

got some thinner MDF (this window ledge is a bi@tch to cut) today so I'll butcher the test piece ^^^, fit the brackets offer it up and see how we go

[blue boy]

what is the thickness that you are using?

[Ari Vatanen]

what is the thickness that you are using?

18mm, original piece was 30mm :wack:

Update No 2

Been and got some better MDF, 18mm

drawn round original template and cut it out

I did change the angle on the jigsaw to 45 degrees ish to shave the backs off so it would go in properly

removed the bracket from the O.E console and measured the screwholes then transferred them to the new piece (with measurements for reference ;) )

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/screwholesmarked.jpg

screwed the brackets + a couple of small washers to bring the wood forward slightly

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/rearcuttingwashers.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/bracketson.jpg

test fitted it all and its looking ok :D
i will need to re-profile the edges slightly so it doesnt look all wonky but the main thing for now is it goes in :)

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/testfit.jpg


next is to mark out the DIN hole & cut it out with a router this weekend, then I can properly workout where everything else is going to go :nod:

I'll probably get flush fitting cig lighter to give me more room to work with :)

[blue boy]

i thought about fitting my ciggie lighter but as you say, a flush mount is required so i did not bother.

Keep up the good work:thumbs:

[Ari Vatanen]

i thought about fitting my ciggie lighter but as you say, a flush mount is required so i did not bother.

Keep up the good work:thumbs:

I got a flush fit today, in a motor factors and it was only a few quid so I grabbed one :)

Update again

After a lot of head scratching I get the 3x60 gauges to fit, they are 66mm on the dial face :annoyed: which I did'nt consider before and they would of caught the rear arms, Ive moved them further down to compensate, its ment i have chopped a little off the rear support arms (red bits) but not that much really :)

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/3x60mmmarkedout.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/armmod.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/armmod2.jpg

marked out the headunit hole and got jiggy with the router :wack:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/3x60mmmarkedoutrear.jpg

fitted the headunit and its looking good so far

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/headunitsurroundflushciglighter.jpg

I did'nt fancy cutting the 3 holes so I'll try get hold of a 60mm hole cutter then test fit it in the car again and see how it all fits + workout exactly where the cig lighter & Profec B are going to fit

[Paul-S14]

I've gotta have a go at this, although not for gauges.........................but for a cup holder! lol

to the drawing board i go!

p.s. all the console rebuilds on here look good. nice on chaps:thumbs:

[Ari Vatanen]

todays progress

got a holecutter and done the 3 60 holes + cig lighter


http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/pilotedforholecutter.jpg

I had to take out more on the rear for the cig lighter so the light would fit properly

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/filledreadyforgauges.jpg

double checked the gauges went in ok

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/gaugefitted.jpg

fitted it in the car to make sure nothing was in the way

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/finaltestfit.jpg

next job is to cut the covering, stick it on then wait for nengun to deliver the gauges :sleep:

I don't think there is enough room for the profec B so that will have to be mounted in the glovebox or under the arm rest :)

[MEL]

Looking good so far, whats it being covered in?

[Ari Vatanen]

Looking good so far, whats it being covered in?

3rd pic from the top ;)

its black alcantara/suede stuff

pretty much the same as in the door card inserts but black :)

[MEL]

I didnt read the text and thought you had used the material as background for the pic :rolleyes: :wack:

[Ari Vatanen]

another update

made a paper template for the cloth

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/templateforcover.jpg

stuck it to the cloth and cut around it (use a very sharp stanley knife) then masking taped it to the console just to check it was ok

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/coveredreadytoglue.jpg

used some automotive cloth spray glue to fix the cloth to the console, I tested it on some scrap wood I had left over, :no: did'nt like it personally, it dried far to quickly so there was no time for a bit of adjusting (maybe I wasn't doing it properly :rolleyes: )

I tried double sided tape which I found a lot easier to use but it left a ridge where the tape was under the cloth so it was sh1te or bust with the glue

sprayed the glue on the front of the console and got it pretty much spot on 1st go :D

I used double sided for going round the back and edges, anything that will be out of sight :nod:

When I tried to fit the gauge in each hole again it was very,very tight so i decided to trim off all the tabs going back into the holes (left hole still has some tabs) once the gauge is in it covered up the edges nicely

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/clothfittedtrimmed.jpg

went out and fitted it in the car

only thing I wasn't too happy with is the side nearest the drivers leg has a small gap running down the side but apart from that I'm well chuffed :D

Just need to wait for the gauges to arrive then its just plug & play :)

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/new%20centre%20console/finished.jpg

[d1 rwd]

ari stop pissing about with that console and photoshop my s14a:D only kidding fella that looks really smart and has given me insperation and a good idea as to where i can locate my avcr. nice 1 mate:thumbs: :thumbs:

[Ari Vatanen]

got my Defi's & Profec B I ordered the other day

Defi's fitted fine then I realised I had just enough room to fit the Profec below them like I originally planned to do :D

So I removed the console

routed out the hole for the Profec (roughly 81mm x 21mm) + a bit of filing to make it fit properly

ripped off the covering

then I simply stuck a blank piece of material over the console making sure if went on flat with no bumps then simply cut out the holes underneath (if I had thought of this earlier it would of save heaps of time making templates :no: :D )

I butchered an unused multiblock for the live Profec wiring (pic later if I can find it, its got an orange/green, red & blue wire, the blue is live once ignition is on :thumbs: ) and drilled a hole in the gear stick gaiter metal ring to provide an earth for the Profec

tided it all up then put it all back and the result is this :D :D

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b111/Vatanen/finished2.jpg

Ive really enjoyed doing this and I hope it will be a good guide to others thinking of doing the same or similar :thumbs: :sxoc:

[Quail]

Wow looks good! I really want to attempt something like this; i need to keep the cig lighter too

[Ari Vatanen]

Wow looks good! I really want to attempt something like this; i need to keep the cig lighter too

you'll definately need to buy a flush mount ciggy lighter, i thought about cutting out the original then re-fitting it but its not worth the hassle + new flush mounts are cheap enough and dead easy to wire up :)

[blue boy]

Ari - I guess in retrospect you could have moved the gauges up slightly but at the end of the day top banana job bro :thumbs:

Lets see how many PM's you get from others asking you to build a console for them. I have had a few so far lol.

[Ari Vatanen]

Ari - I guess in retrospect you could have moved the gauges up slightly but at the end of the day top banana job bro :thumbs:

thanks , I suppose I could of moved them up a little bit more but I'm happy with it for now ;)


Lets see how many PM's you get from others asking you to build a console for them. I have had a few so far lol.

:D I can hear fingers typing PM's now :wack:

thats why i put up the measurements so I did'nt get loads of questions about it ;)

[blue boy]

Mark put up the measurements in my thread as well but i still got requests!

Still i don't think that it would be too hard to turn out a few blank ones for a donation?

[Ari Vatanen]

Still i don't think that it would be too hard to turn out a few blank ones for a donation?

not too sure about making a few blanks (I did mine in the kitchen and the dust went everywhere, cooker top, fridge, floor & work-tops :D got a :whip: for it) but I could certainly try and scan my template for people to copy if they wanted :)

[mantachris]

looks very smart mate :thumbs:

i would be tempted to try and squeeze whatever that is on the side of the centre console in between the head unit and the gauges - looks to be just the right sized gap;)

and have you thought about covering the gear surround with cloth to blend it in with the centre console (i see from an earlier post you've got plenty of the stuff)

[IKRAM]

Excellent job mate, looks like a pro has dunnit :)

[Ari Vatanen]

looks very smart mate :thumbs:

i would be tempted to try and squeeze whatever that is on the side of the centre console in between the head unit and the gauges - looks to be just the right sized gap;)

I never thought of that :thumbs: (its the control unit 2 for the gauges)
after a few days with them fitted they do seem a little bit too low so I might make another with them as high as possible then put the control unit below then :nod:


and have you thought about covering the gear surround with cloth to blend it in with the centre console (i see from an earlier post you've got plenty of the stuff)

not to sure , I was just going to replace the gaiter but I cut cut some up and see what it looks like :)


Excellent job mate, looks like a pro has dunnit :)

you obviously haven't seen it close up :wack:

[ShawJohn]

looks good that Ari :thumbs:

Might rebuild my screen surround someday, and finish it properly.

You might find the carpc link in my sig holds some useful info on modding the dash by remolding the plastic, this can be done with acetone to melt plastic pellets to a paste which can be used like body filler, but it sets into one big piece of plastic.

I like the cloth you've used to cover it with :) What is it?

[Ari Vatanen]

I like the cloth you've used to cover it with :) What is it?

its Alcantara/suede, almost identical to the doorcard inserts but black i got it off fleabay for about £8 :)

Thats a good link in your sig by the way :thumbs:

[ShawJohn]

How easy was it to wrap and stick without getting creases and bubbles?

[Ari Vatanen]

How easy was it to wrap and stick without getting creases and bubbles?

on the front it was pretty much spray the glue on and place the cloth on as quick as possible and hope to be honest, I could move it a little bit but not loads and it dried very quickly

for the back and sides I just used double sided tape which is a lot easier

[blue boy]

Wish that i had thought of double sided tape. Using contact adhesive as i did is messy.

[mantachris]

two words..... staple gun:thumbs:
makes the job very easy

[ShawJohn]

Only if you are wrapping MDF...

Im thinking of wrapping plastic parts :p

[Ari Vatanen]

Only if you are wrapping MDF...

Im thinking of wrapping plastic parts :p

If you are using plastic I'd use double sided tape everytime if its not visable (round the sides or behind the work surface)

some glue can melt plastic IIRC, I dropped a bit of superglue on a floormat and it bubbled like crazy then left a nice big white blob. thanks :rolleyes:

[ShawJohn]

It would probably bond better if it eat into the plastic a little, and it wouldn't matter as its being covered anyway :wack: Or glued around the back ;)

I wonder how easy it is to do the hole dash in alcantara :D That would look :smitten:

[Quail]

Long exposure night shot of it all lit up please :D

[Ari Vatanen]

Long exposure night shot of it all lit up please :D

I can do a vid clip once its dark :)

[CrazySx]

Hey Ari, good work mate :thumbs: I actually did think about MDF after I made my fibreglass DIN Panel.

I personally would have used

http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/240143

this stuff is awesome, it is realatively fast drying, but gives u a little time to play and also has a smooth, thin finish.

I had to use superglue on mine, but it was industrial superglue with a spray activator hence i got a reasonable result.

[blue boy]

Thread from the dead lol

[lupus]

I could certainly try and scan my template for people to copy if they wanted :)

Any chance of this? I did mine when I bought it as the previous owner had hacked the whole thing to pieces but its looking a bit tired now, yours looks much neater :clap:

[TriniGT]

Looks top but yeah it could have been moved up a bit, how bout putting the Defi controller in there to void the gap??

[Ari Vatanen]

Any chance of this? I did mine when I bought it as the previous owner had hacked the whole thing to pieces but its looking a bit tired now, yours looks much neater :clap:

I have a paper template kicking around somewhere if thats any good to you??

send me a PM if you want :)


Looks top but yeah it could have been moved up a bit, how bout putting the Defi controller in there to void the gap??

I was going to do that but Ive sold the car now :wack: :D

[Carta]

How long did it take to get your parts from nengun matey?
Sweet install btw

[Ari Vatanen]

How long did it take to get your parts from nengun matey?
Sweet install btw

only about 2 weeks :)