Radio and Centre Console tweaks.

[rfs1957]

Getting the cheeks of the early radio-console to sit comfortably against the tunnel carpets appears to be a challenge for all of us.





It's so easy to tear the vinyl on the centre console trims when getting the radio-console out, whichever order you dismantle the elements - and on my car I have certainly never managed to extract the Centre C without first removing the Radio C.



I found that using two bit of plastic cheek made from a 5L white-spirit can made the job far less stressful, BUT I inevitably ended up with the side-cheeks slightly wider than I had hoped.



I got Jack at BAS to make me this couple of extra "sausages" along the lines of the rest of the console trims, to go into the gaps at the bottom of the cheeks, and whilst it may be "making the best of a bad job" they really don't look out of place.

Hope this inspires someone.

[marc]

Hi Rory,
it looks very neat indeed.
How did you manage to get the long central console to sit low enough on the tunnel+trim, and the aluminium part around the gear lever also low enough? On my car, the radio console doesn't get space enough between gear lever surround and legend bar and looks like it needs to be shortened a bit at the top, or the ashtray located a bit lower, or both corrections: not very satisfying...
Any advice?
thanks!

[rfs1957]

Marc,

I did quite a lot of work before trimming on making all this fit, pre-carpets as it were.



As you can see, my centre console had been botched at some point and I had to do some metalwork and fettling.

Bracing the radio console by the addition of that little angle-section at the rear made a massive difference to the ease with which it could be fitted ; tip - don't bother fitting bigger speakers if you've this sort of console, complete waste of time.



My gearbox cover was lowered where the lever is to take advantage of the 5-speed gearbox's different shape - tho' this only makes the trim around the bezel and the gaiter easier to fit.



So I was able to "tailor" the width of the forked part of the Centre C to suit the Radio C, before getting both parts electro-plated.

You are quite right, however, to take all this quite seriously, and I had many problems when it all started to go back together - despite my best-laid plans - as I had underestimated the effect of the carpets on the tunnel.



These stopped the Centre C going as low as I had hoped, and was exacerbated by my addition of bituminous sound-deadening sheeting.



Eventually I had to cut back considerable parts of the thick underfelt around the tunnel so that the Centre C would go low enough and the Radio C far enough forward and downwards without bending the bottom cheeks.

Even now, perfect as it may appear, folding the dashboard down just brings it into contact with the upper edges of the ash-tray panel, and it has nicked the leather at those points - I should have aimed to gain another couple of mm at that point.

You can't see it but it galls me that having spent so long - what, 50 hours messing around in this area ? - trying to get it right, that it still isn't ..............

I think we have to remember that many of us are aiming for standards of finish that were absolutely not present in the cars when they were new.

I ought to get out more often.