center console

[DoubleChevron]

Hi Guys,

has anyone worked out a workaround for the center consoles (that all appear to be trashed). if you google it you only seem to get up 8year old threads about a wooden version someone made!

seeya
Shane L.

[Homestar]

I made a wooden one for mine too, was the best I could come up with. Works ok, looks better than a trashed old plastic version IMO.

[pop058]

There was a company that was making alloy replacements. I cannot recall their name ATM but it will come to me. IIRC Inc. was also interested in one ATT, so he may recall them.

[loanrangie]

Plywood and pine worked for my old 2dr.

[DoubleChevron]

Well that has answered that question..... Everyone has made there own!

[gavinwibrow]

Well that has answered that question..... Everyone has made there own!


Wot about this one?

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/parkerville/other-parts-accessories/range-rover-classic-consul-cubby-box/1158126667

[Meccles]

I’ve got a spare early two door one

[DoubleChevron]

Thanks Guys,

this is a '92 with a manual gearbox and LT230 ( so the exact console may not exist .... as the cutout of the LT230 diff lock doesn't exist ).

I found a really nice one here .....

Replacement Centre Console (http://www.lrautomotive.com.au/contents/en-us/p426.html)

My initial thought was "wow that's expensive" ..... You know, given the hours in having them hand built. Is probably cheap. It woudl work with mine as the cutout appears to be for the LT230 .... as obviously the borg warner will work with the larger cutout ... only you never use the side to side action :)

seeya,
Shane L.

[Vern]

I modified mine from an auto with borgwarner to an lt230 with isuzu msa. Just cut the whole out for the lt230 slightly wider so it fits. Mines a 94 rr though

[DoubleChevron]

I modified mine from an auto with borgwarner to an lt230 with isuzu msa. Just cut the whole out for the lt230 slightly wider so it fits. Mines a 94 rr though

I've done the same thing.... ie: chopped the hole out. Its quite ugly though as the center console is so broken! The hole can't be readily cut as they put recesses beside the transfer case lever.

http://www.zombiemotors.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/IMG_20150317_135657.jpg

I have a broken up version of this.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LN-wbr9S7c4/hqdefault.jpg

This is the one I'm going to have to build/find. If I'm putting the effort into painting and tidying up my ****box rangie .... I might as well fix up the trashed bits of the interior too :)

Depending on how this works out, I might even buy a new one from LRA.

seeya,
Shane L.

[DoubleChevron]

I emailed LRA about there Range Rover Classic console. Talk about lightening fast response. They replied within a few hours explaining that isn't a stocked item any longer (bugger it). Google finds it on there website by the looks of it, but it's not longer list on there site if you search for it.

Back to the drawing board :) My guess is the center console will be a "project for later" ... ( does later every arrive ? ).

seeya,
Shane L.

[DoubleChevron]

well i'm revisiting this one ..... I have finally got around to looking at the hold ****box.... maybe I'll even fit an unsmashed indicator stalk and the lower dash shroud that has been off for about 8 months [bighmmm]

I'm trying to come up with a simple console that will be simple to trim and easy to R&R (so it'll be in at least two parts). How have others that have been down this path betore mounted the rear of the unit? It is crazyness to go back to the firewall like the plastic junk that is there. Possibly I could put a couple of rivnuts below the heater box.

I'm thinking something like this:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=158499&d=1583734744

this is just roughing it out. for now. Does anyone have pictures/ideas of what has been made in the past? I want ot replace the housing that holds the fuses box, switches and radio as well. as it's a fragile broken piece of merde.

I'll probably need to get a plunge saw too. you can't get edges straight enough with a jigsaw.

seeya,
Shane L.

[Homestar]

Will post a pic of mine tonight - it’s not the prettiest but it works.

[DoubleChevron]

no wonder these things cost so much when they are just a bit of crappy ply with vinyl stuck to it.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=158666&d=1584238889

it takes a couple of hours for each attempt ... 1st cardboard ... then ply ... I was thinking I'd need to buy something like a scroll saw and plunge saw (detail and straight cuts). Even using a length of wood as a guide, cutting straight lines with a jigsaw is not fun.

anyway, my brother said 'get a multi-tool' ... I always thought those things were **** ... simply because anything you see on TV such as "the renovator" it guaranteed to be crap. But its brilliantly. you can cut straight lines iwth it easily (I just grabbed the ozito multi-tool to match the batteries I already have).

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=158667&d=1584238889

attempt one ... I had cut the holes in the wrong spot after I'd trial fitted it a couple of times.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=158668&d=1584238889

attempt 2... I cut the lid out on an angle, that will looked nice once covered. But it made it extremelly hard to assemlbed (as the area you screw the thing together with has been cut away, meaning you have to add blocks of wood behind it to screw it together from behind. Once fitted... I could have the radio, or the faceplate for the demister controls. They would both fit if they were together, but there was no way of fitting either the faceplate or the radio once the other was in place.... No wonder the radio never fitted properly in the factory housing.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=158669&d=1584238889

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=158670&d=1584238889

So I made the whole thing 2cm deaper. moving the radio further forward. However no like the factory setup, you cant get the radio in without it being angle and not fitting. I reckon the easiest fix for the radio is a few heavy hits to the tranny tunnel with a sledge hammer [bighmmm] [bigwhistle] (no don't worry I won't do that). I'll have to make a shim for the back of the radio to angle it as shown.

And I still have even started the console... this is just the radio surround.... what a lot of stuffing around to get nowhere!

[1950landy]

158671Just need to get some wood veneer same as on the door & glue it on & clear coat. I made a wood dash for my MGBGT using ply & veneer.

[DoubleChevron]

158671Just need to get some wood veneer same as on the door & glue it on & clear coat. I made a wood dash for my MGBGT using ply & veneer.


This was only supposed to take me a few hours .... and I still haven't even started the console ... If I ever get this finished I'll keep the one in the car as a template and make a second (once you have all the measurements .... and a template ... it'll only take an hour to cut and and assemble one). I've got some black vinyl here from the C pillar trims, so I'll just use that for now :) Veneer will make this car look like a rat with a gold tooth [bigrolf] In a classic MB it would look specacular veneered [bigsmile]

[Tins]

anyway, my brother said 'get a multi-tool' ... I always thought those things were **** ... simply because anything you see on TV such as "the renovator" it guaranteed to be crap. But its brilliantly. you can cut straight lines iwth it easily (I just grabbed the ozito multi-tool to match the batteries I already have).


Multi tools are fantastic. The different blades you can get make them seriously versatile.

Grab some of these:
158672

They'll fit, and you can cut all sorts of soft stuff. They cut carpet like butter. They'll cut the vinyl you want to cover the console with. They cut shapes into things like buckets.

Random FYI. Multi tools were originally developed for medical use. They cut plaster casts off without breaking the skin of the limb under them. Obviously you wouldn't use the blades pictured for THAT[bigsad]

[POD]

This is going back maybe twenty years, but I made a couple of new sections for the console in one of my Rangies by using the original piece as a mould to make a fibreglass replacement. You need to do some basic repairs to the original, i'e glue it where it's broken and patch it for a smooth surface, then take a fibreglass 'negative' from it and use that to cast a nice robust replacement part, reinforced as necessary. Cover with vinyl to match the original upholstery.

[Mercguy]

When I was searching for one of these some time ago, I happened across a used one from gumtree or FB thanks to another member.

It was from dept of the interior in Carlton, about 30 mins up the road from me. funny...... because I travelled to canberra to pick it up [bigrolf]

[DoubleChevron]

Its close now ... I need to mount everything firmly in place. It is very strange to be able to wind the windows up/down and not have the switch panel move around..... I've never been in a range rover that doesn't have the window switch floating around.

159030159031

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/classic-range-rover/159030d1585445863-center-console-new_console.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/classic-range-rover/159031d1585445863-center-console-new_console2.jpg

Don't try to peel the vinyl off the lid for recovering either .... the lid is also plastic ****. The vinyl is attached to a large shaped bit of foam that is glue to a fragile POS slither of plastic. I'll probably need to make a new lid to.

I have managed to get a standard sized radio to fit in by angling it .... but gee's there's NOTHING in it. To get the radio and heater faceplate in there has a fraction of a millimetre clearance.

seeya,
Shane L.