console fabrication ideas

[warren57]

Hi,
Do we have any members that have fabricated a floor console between bucket seats? If anyone has pictures, I would appreciate seeing them...

[chevynut]

Warren, there are some pre-made fiberglass ones on the market. I'm building mine out of aluminum. It's a full length console from the dash back to behind the rear seats. I have a base and sides built and attached to the floor. I'm working on some moldings and a design for the top of it. I am also integrating it into a valence below the dash.

[Rick_L]

The nice thing about a console is that there's a hundred ways to do it, and none of them is wrong unless you just don't take enough time to finish it out nicely.

You can use aluminum, steel, wood, whatever. You can put upholstery on it or have the basic material showing. Or a combination. Shape, size, and functional features is what you want.

[chevynut]

I think a lot of the material selection depends on the final shape you want. If you want a lot of curved surfaces, fiberglass makes sense to me. YOu can carve the shape out of foam, cover it with fiberglass, and dissolve the foam away. There are instructions for foam and fiberglass construction on the internet. Wood can also be used, or a combination of materials. It's much harder to get compound curve shapes with metal.

[Bihili]

http://www.classictruckconsoles.com/...etoverhead.htm


http://www.cupholdersplus.com/

[warren57]

http://www.classictruckconsoles.com/...etoverhead.htm


http://www.cupholdersplus.com/

Thanks, that helps...

[NickP]

I think a lot of the material selection depends on the final shape you want. If you want a lot of curved surfaces, fiberglass makes sense to me. YOu can carve the shape out of foam, cover it with fiberglass, and dissolve the foam away. There are instructions for foam and fiberglass construction on the internet. Wood can also be used, or a combination of materials. It's much harder to get compound curve shapes with metal.

Laszlo did you ever decide on those cup holders you posted about 4 years ago - from a Mercedes or Lexus or Beemer

[Rick_L]

I love cup holders in my pickup, as well as the little well in front of them that I simply use for trash. And those other little nooks where I can put quarters or receipts.

I'm not as motivated for those things for my 55, though I'm sure some are.

You have to make your console what you want.

[chevynut]

Nick, I still have the cupholders but can't figure out how to put them into my Nomad console. There just isn't room with a stick, at least where it's located in my car. I don't really have much room on my console. My electronics are all under the console, and we're going to build a sliding door like a rolltop desk on part of it so it's easy to access fuses, etc. I'm planning a 2-din head unit just under the glovebox. The glovebox is mostly gone because of the Vintage Air, so I need more places to put stuff. I like little cubby holes too.....I plan to keep my ashtray. I'm also building a box for stuff in the console. My door panels may have pockets at the bottom like most newer cars. I like the look. I'm trying to make my interior not look "streetroddy" and a bit more OEM.

[NickP]

There are two factors I see as a deterrent to most "built" consoles - to busy and out of scale (to big). I've seen some that looked like they belong in a semi truck and others that were so loaded up with features it was just plain gaudy. It's a great subject for some great engineering to take place. So what brand were they?