Console Repair- Various problems solved

I'm sure some of you have had similar issues with your center consoles, so I have decided to share a few techniques I have used to have a lasting quality repair.

First up is a real common problem with the Chevy center consoles.
Under the black(or woodgrain) shifter trim piece, the console mounts to the shifter with 2 screws, this area tends to get cracked. This is a very simple repair that can be done with fiberglass. Ruff the area to be repaired with @150 grit sandpaper, lay some masking tape on the underside, and follow the directions on the fiberglass resin package.
This one I did using Bondo brand Fiberglass Jelly, which is what I recommend for this type of repair. On this particular repair I used two layers of the WOVEN Mat (do not use stranded matting unless you enjoy frustration). This stuff is very easy to use, and like a weld, when done properly the repair itself will actually be stronger than the areas around it.

Here is the under side with tape on it:



And here it is after hardening, with tape removed:



And here is the top side. Remember there is two layers of woven matting in there, reinforcing this repair like re-rod in concrete.


The top side will now be filed down some, just until it's flat. Then new mounting holes will be drilled from the underside, were I can clearly see were the old holes were. I will also now be using Philips head body screws there, they will be counter sunk to be flush, all to compensate for the additional thickness.

As you can see, my shifter trim plate still fits just fine. And my console is stronger there than ever.


Next up...The Hinge!

Here is a pic of the repair after it has been filed flat and re-drilled.

Hinges are also a common problem with the Monte consoles'. Some have a plastic hinge that tends to rip, leaving you with a lid that flops around. I have taken a standard 12inch hinge from Fleet Farm's hardware isle and added mounting tabs to make a perfect fit. I will walk through the steps involved in doing this the right way, but due to the need for welding & cutting, this may not be for everyone.
I do encourage those of you who don't weld to try anyway, a cheaper alternative to a MIG welder(like my little Miller 135) would be to pick up a torch(such as the ones available from Bernz-O-Matic that use MAPP Gas with Oxygen, and complete setups are around $75). With a torch and a little practice, the tabs could be brazed on. If you have access to a welder and just have never used one, try it, it's actually very easy.

OK, here we start with the hinge:


I will be using existing mounting holes on the underside of the pad, I have welded tabs onto the hinge to do so:


I am attaching another piece of steel to bring the mounting screws out from the hinge jam, by bringing it down to side mount it, which is meant to be because there is already(3) mounting holes in the console body for a hinge:



In the black piece I had to drill the left and right hole(the center was already there on both sides). The 3 pilot holes in the burgundy console body were already there from the factory(measure twice, drill once!):

Here it is being fit, a small notch was taken out were it raises up around the prop rod base:

and the final product mounted:


Looking good from the outside as well:

There you have it! A quality all metal hinge built to last!

I will try to get around to posting some other console repairs I have done, I think some of you Cutlass guys will be interested in what I have done with arm rest pads that have gotten extremely dry. I don't have pics for a walk through on that, but I do have a finished example on hand. -Mickie

I've now had several Cutlass center consoles that have very dried up vinyl lids, some so bad that they have the cracks of a dessert and flake when you touch them. One I did actually had an elbow crater I filled with in several stages with multiple layers of fiberglass jelly and matting. I have a couple of examples that are almost finished and finished.

Here is the one for my personal console:



this lid was done in only two layers of fiberglass resin with woven matting. This lid is very solid, there is no worrying when putting an elbow into it. Please consider the condition of your console before sawing an aftermarket shifter into it, you may be better off picking up a cracked one to work with if yours is not cracked. This one was in pretty rough shape so a little trimming didn't hurt. The coin-tray area was very dried and cracking, so I cut a piece of stainless steel to cover the entire front portion. The compartment area and ashtray and shifter surround are all one piece on these, they tend to break between the ashtray and compartment. I have eliminated the ashtray, it cleaned up the appearance of the console, while discontinuing the promotion of smoking in my car. This console will eventually be refinished in Grey.


Here is a finished lid that I had painted. Since it is Fiberglass the paint adheres very well, I simply used a Gloss Black Spray Enamel. This lid is on a console I refinished that had several repairs. The plastic storage compartment section and lower base is plastic therefore was painted with Fusion Paint For Plastic, the vinyl pad portion was dyed with Plasti-Cote brand Vynil & Fabric Dye available at Advanced Auto Parts.



This lid was not only fiberglassed, but the button had a broken return spring too. I sawed off the other spring finger and installed this spring, This spring is a direct fit, I bought these in a two pack at Fleet Farm for $2.79+tx, these work great.:


Here is a shot of the Cutlass console complete, I did this one last winter, it turned out beautiful. I sold this console on Ebay some time ago.

The silver pinstripe on the side was done with this paint marker I bought at Hobby Lobby, it was $3.99+tx. :