The 'E' Type Forum

More insight into the PO's frame of mind, back in 1990, when I stripped off the upholstery on the centre console.

Initially I used to feel a responsibility to him, before I got stick into the car he'd restored (to the point of producing a colour brochure when he first tried to sell it) - now all I want to do is rub his nose in his cynical make-over.



Here you have some "adjustment cuts", a mixture of hand hack-saw and a cross-cut with a powered jig-saw, apparently.

Nice - never welded back of course, just left floppy.



Then Araldite thrown in massive dollops to botch the stuff together.



Questions please :

1. Are these basic ingredients indeed the original parts, especially the alloy trim ? Or have I got amateur copies from A to Z ?





2. Is it normal to have found plywood under that alloy trim ? Was the original wood as badly cut/fitted as the c-r-a-p I've discovered ?



3. Is that wooden layer also glued onto the steel box structure, at any point, or are the claws on front and the rear of the alloy skin the only things meant to hold it into place ? I can't see how with only F and R claws the skin can remain held in place along its whole length, especially in the centre areas where it has the kinks ?





4. Whilst I'm refettling the metalwork and sorting out the various cuts, could I have a go at reducing the shoulder width by 10mm at the front so that the radio/speakers console lower ears are easier to slip over when re-fitting ?



5. Am I right in thinking there are no fittings missing that would tie the front of the steel box section onto the top of the gear-box cover, and that the centre console is only bolted to the narrow transmission tunnel area in 3 places at the rear - ie 1 centre, opposite side to the handbrake, and then two at the rear, one at either side ?

Or should I just set fire to the car right now ?

Hi Rory...not the same as yours but recently trimed my S2 2+2 center console........instead of an aluminium top with thin ply under......mine was a steel top with thin pyl under.(ply was a bit rough looking)....on top of tne steel is trimmed with leather.....however it was basically the same as yours with the 2 front and 2 rear lugs holding the top cover to the base..it was not glued down(the steel does have a bit more strength than your alloy)......the entire console is only held to the tunnel by one bolt and 2 self tappers through the base under the armreast...........in the area that you want to reduce the width on mine they were alreasd stepped in slightly...looking at yours i think it looks the same.......fitting the radio consol was a tight fit but a bit of squeezing here and there sorted it

The steel console looks correct (bodge apart) and there should be plywood panels supporting the alloy console cover. Hutson's supply the wood panels and the steel centre console. If not RS Panels make the console.

Is there any other attachment at all - along the length of the alloy+plywood fascia - other than the claws at the ends ?

Seems improbable.

I can't imagine what kind of blind fastener might be used - it can only pass through the wood and then through the steel caisson as far as I can see.

Jack at BAS is in Maastricht for the show and can't see my pictures on his phone ...........

I can't speak to the actual construction of the console as I haven't "uncovered" mine but as for affixing to the tunnel...

" 3 places at the rear - ie 1 centre, opposite side to the handbrake, and then two at the rear, one at either side ?"

Mine does have two attachment points at the lower, rear most, near the seatbelt attachments and then one along the lower edge across from the handbrake as can be seen in your photo and that's it.

Rory, from memory my 3.8 had the alloy held onto the plywood backing panel with the bent tabs, and nothing else. The sandwich was then held onto the metal console with some very short screws from below which did not pierce the plywood all the way. No glue was involved - the only glue was to retain the vinyl trim on the metal console.

A thought for when you are repairing/modifying the metal console; one thing I did was to lower the front y-shaped section slightly relative to the main body by making v-shaped cuts in the sides where the front section turns down into the sloping section, bending the leading edge of the front section downwards slightly and rewelding the cuts. This had the effect of increasing clearance between the top of the console and the underside of the switch panel, which made fitting the radio console easier and helping it sit a little lower to aid the swing down of the switch panel. Hard to describe in words but hopefully makes sense.

.....and as for fixing the console to the car, there are only 3 fixings. These are panhead screws which mate into small captive nuts in loose cages - one each side at the rear of the transmission tunnel just before the rear bulkhead,and one at the front of the main section on the opposite side of the tunnel to the handbrake, just rear of where the tunnel flares out for the gearbox. If you fit seat belts then the inboard lower seat belt bolts also pass through the rear of the console near the rear captive nuts, but do not secure it as such.