Custom console attempt. What do you guys think so far?

[scherp69]

So I'm taking a shot at making a custom console out of round bar. I then plan on wrapping the entire thing with sheet metal and either painting it or wrapping it in leather. I know it's a lot of round bar, but I figure better safe than sorry. I still plan on adding a lid on top that opens as well. Here's some pics.

Arm rest

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000883.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000882.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000887.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000890.jpg

Front part. When it's done, the front is going to come down on more of an angle. I plan on putting a 7" LCD in it.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000881.jpg


http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000889.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000885.jpg

And the two together

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000891.jpg

There's still lots to do on it. I plan on using round bar to connect the two parts and have one solid console. What do you guys think so far? Any suggestions to make it better?

[XcYZ]

Have you tested to see how it's going to fit over the carpet and sound deadener?

[RECOVERY ROOM]

Good one Scott, pad and carpet will add up to a 1/2 to 3/4 inch. I wouldn't commit to a full finished part till those are installed or mocked up with scraps under the part being made to check thickness. Hate to see you get it finished and find out it is to tight to go under dash :thumbsup:

[scherp69]

Thanks guys. I did leave 1/2", but I think I'll cut it to have atleast 1" clearance. I don't have my carpet yet, but I think I'll also run up to one of the local upholsters and see if they have some scrap carpet I can put over the tunnel to try it out.

Tracy....if I plan on using DynaMat, do I need to put any other foam under the carpet or will the carpet go right on top of the DynaMat?

[RECOVERY ROOM]

Still put pad. Always use a good jute pad. Your upholstery shop will know.

[scherp69]

Thanks Tracy. I actually have another question for you after doing some reading up on fiberglass. I originally planned to use sheet metal to wrap the entire console. On another forum, someone suggested wrapping the entire thing in fiberglass (similar to a subwoofer enclosure) and then wrapping it in leather. That got me thinking as I could do some smoother and custom curves that would be easier than with sheetmetal. After reading about bonding fiberglass to metal, this might be an issue. Have you done much with fiberglassing over a metal skeleton? If I was to do it in fiberglass, I would do the entire console all at once so it would be one piece. I was thinking that I could then weld in a few pieces of sheetmetal and possibly rivet the fiberglass to the sheetmetal in an attempt to hold it in place better. I'd then wrap the fiberglass with leather so you won't see any of the rivets anyways. Any suggestions on this? Or am I better off just using sheet metal like I originally planned. Thanks in advance.

[Bakaruda]

I am very interested in seeing more.

[The WidowMaker]

why do you need to bond the fiberglass to the metal? why not wrap the whole metal frame in cloth and then resin it. you could then glass over the top. you could then flip it and glass the inside sandwiching the metal between the layers of glass. i havent dont it before, but i watched it done a few times.

[RECOVERY ROOM]

You would have less time in final finish work to do it in metal. You can glass it but there will be time in bondo work getting it smooth, If there isn't any foam going on it you will have to make it very smooth before covering. Again talk to your interior guy about that

[scherp69]

Thanks Tracy. I went an upholsterer today and talked to them about the console. I also got some scrap carpet and underlay to test fit it. I think I am going to stick with wrapping in sheet metal after all. I agree that it will be easier to keep it straight with sheet metal. The upholsterer also recommended using sheet metal over fiberglass.

[scherp69]

Got more done on the console today and yesterday. First thing I did was mock it up with some carpet and underlay. Found out that it was too high so I took off about 1/2" more. I also had to make some modifications around the a/c unit. It will be snug now, but once it gets bolted down, it should look good. The other issue I found was regarding the depth of it. I was talking to a friend of mine who manages a electronics store. For the head unit I want to put in, he recommended close to 10" depth. Well I had a bit of ways to go. I got it to about 9 1/2". I was looking at the specs of the Alpine units, they are just under 6 1/2" deep, then wiring. I think I'll be good with it now.

Here's some pics. Let me know what you think.

Added to the front

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000893.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000892.jpg

The only thing I might try and change is to shorten the top part to put it on more of an angle so I will be able to see the screen better.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000898.jpg

I then connected the two pieces together

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000900.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000903.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000904.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000910.jpg

Oh and..............................cup holders :willy: :willy: :willy:

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000911.jpg

For those that were wondering about the weight. I think in the end, this will be lighter than going with mdf. So far I'm only at 8.3lbs for the skeleton.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000913.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000915.jpg

What do you guys think?? I'll be out in the shop again tomorrow and will get some more done. Will post more pics then.

[Devil Dog]

Looking good... :thumbsup: What is this going in?

And, are you planning on making any to sell?

[GrabberGT]

Very nice. What are your plans for an arm rest/door?

[scherp69]

Looking good... :thumbsup: What is this going in?

And, are you planning on making any to sell?

Thanks. It's going into a 68 Acadian (same thing as a Nova but says Acadian on it instead). No sorry, not planning on making any to sell. This one alone has taken me probably 15-20 hours to make by the time I measure, cut, weld, clean and on and on. Not that I am comparing in any way, but now I can see how some of the custom stuff that Fesler and other places do cost so much. The labor is the killer.

Very nice. What are your plans for an arm rest/door?

I'm hoping to use the Fesler door panels. I've also debated about taking a shot at making my own. We'll see.


Got a little bit done today. Moved the shifter back into it's original location. I like it better there. Also had to cut a few pieces out and I made the ebrake hole.

I know the one side is a little bit off, but it's a one off piece. It all can't be dead on. Plus with the leather, it will never even be noticeable.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000925.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000927.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000928.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000929.jpg

I'm not sure if I like the cup holders I have. I think they are a little too big. I want a set that when I put a regular pop bottle into it, it doesn't flop all over the place. The ones I have have about half an inch all the around still. Does anyone know of any that fit a bottle snugly.

[Devil Dog]

Hey Scherp,

Tell us about that e-brake handle... Who makes it and how does it hook up to the rear brakes?

I like the idea of having control of slowing the car with my hand and not setting off the brake lights :unibrow:

[scherp69]

Hey Scherp,

Tell us about that e-brake handle... Who makes it and how does it hook up to the rear brakes?

I like the idea of having control of slowing the car with my hand and not setting off the brake lights :unibrow:

It's a Lokar handle. http://lokar.com/product-pgs/emergency-brakes/ebrake-pgs/floormount-ehandbrake.html Here's a pic that I borrowed from Roger at Ironworks. The hand brake bracket that I have is one that he sells. This is from the Goodguys car they built and I kept this pic to show how it hooks up.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/IMG_5884.jpg

If you look here, Roger has another pic of how the handle hooks up to the cables. I'm going to run my through the floor the same way.

[70rs]

Looking good Mike!

Grab a soda bottle and head on down to your local marine supply store. They usually have several on display to choose from. If you like I can look around here too. We have TONS of those stores.

[scherp69]

Thanks Eric. I actually have a couple stainless cup holders, just not sure if I like them yet or not. There is a pic of them a few pics back. I'm just waiting for my new shifter to show up and then I can get back to work on it and figure out where I want to put them.

[70rs]

Thanks Eric. I actually have a couple stainless cup holders, just not sure if I like them yet or not. There is a pic of them a few pics back. I'm just waiting for my new shifter to show up and then I can get back to work on it and figure out where I want to put them.
I thought you wanted different ones, better fit for soda bottles.

[fesler]

Your off to a great start and as you said now you can see why these cost so much to make, we are doing some stuff now on the plasma cutter so we will offer this as a kit very soon. working on all the details now. it will be a weld together kit that you get from us and tack yourself to cut down on cost. I think it will be a great alternative to what is out there.

[WSSix]

Very inspirational Mike. I will eventually have to do something about the console in my TA. This gives me some ideas. Keep up the good work.

[scherp69]

Thanks for the comments guys.


So I've had a few questions about building the console. Here's a response that I put in another thread and thought I would add it here in case more people are wondering what I've done.

As for the building of the console, it's actually very simple and no high cost tools needed. The biggest thing about building a console like this is time. It will take alot longer than building one out of mdf, but the nice thing is it's a custom piece that fits exactly how you want it to. It's all trial and error. Measure, cut, tack, test fit, fix, text fit and carry on :devil:

One of the tools is a ring roller, or a roll bender. Mine is a Magnum brand which I picked up from KMS Tools, a tool store that has a few locations throughout the province. I think I paid about $75 for it on sale. Here's the one that I have, it's very similar to the Baileigh one, I just didn't have to pay for the Baileigh name. I'm sure mine isn't as good as the Baileigh one though.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000875.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000874.jpg

What this tools does is allow you to roll round bar or flat stock. You can roll it to a complete circle or just make a piece curved. I used this tool to do the pieces that fit over the trans hump in these pics

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000885.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000898.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000929.jpg

This allowed me to build the console so it would fit nicely on the hump. I thought about just using large barrel or tank to help shape the round bar, but for anyone that's seen my build knows..I like to buy tools so I decided I'd rather have the tools. I plan on using round bar in a few more areas of my build.

The second tool I've used is this.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/8000447.jpg

They just call it a universal metal bender and I think I paid $40 on a sale. You can change the dies and it allows you to make circles in the metal. I paid $10 extra to get a DVD that shows what the tool does. Looks like guys use these to make round bar art when there are lots of bends. I used mine to make the piece around the parking brake in this pic. I'm also going to use it to build some pieces to hold up the cup holders.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000927.jpg

Those are the only two specialty tools that I've used for the console. The other tools I've used are: a hack saw, hammer, vice, measuring tape, welding magnets and of course a welder.

The round bar that I'm using is 1/4". I got all mine at Princess Auto....it's kind of like a tool junk store that has several stores throughout Canada. Not sure what store would be similar in the US. You can also get round bar at Home Depot and most places like that. You would also be able to get it at most steel supply stores, I just prefer to get mine as I need it. I usually pay $5.49 for a 5 foot piece. I think Home Depot charges $4.99 for a 3 foot piece.

When you start your console, measure the area that want it to fit into and start cutting. If you want to use a piece of cardboard to make a template, that might make it easier to get the design that you want. I just use the trial and error method and changed it as I went. Make sure that you allow for clearance of carpet, underlay and any sound deadner that you might use. When I started to do mine, I forgot to do this and had to cut it down to allow for it. Use the welding magnets to hold pieces in place and tack weld them. I eye balled all my bends and angles until they looked good. Now that I'm doing a lid for mine, I may have to make a few adjustments to make up for the "eye balling".

As for the 90 degree bends, I used a vice and a hammer. Mark where you want the bend to go and put it in the vice. You may want to try a couple practice bends to see where it bends in respect to where you mark it. I start by bending it by hand as the 1/4" stuff bends quite easily by and. The problem with bending a 90 degree by hand is that the bend ends up quite rounded. Once I have it done by hand, I use a heavy ball peen hammer while it's still in the vice and hammer it down to get a nice tight bend. These bends were done by hand and then with a hammer.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000903.jpg

Alot of the 90 degree bends are welded. This piece of the console has quite a few bends and they were all welded into place. You can see how this piece has quite a few odd bends and angles on it. This is because I wanted to make it fit just right. I had to make alot of the bends and angles to fit around the Vintage Air unit that's shown in the second picture

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000895.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1000898.jpg

Like I said in the beginning, the biggest factor in building a console like this is time. I don't even know how many hours I've spent building this one. It adds up though once you tack things into place, fit, weld, clean the welds and test fit again and make any changes that you need to. Once mine is done, I plan on wrapping it with 20 gauge sheet metal and then with leather. The main reason I chose round bar was it allowed me to make a real custom piece that fit exactly how I wanted it to. It was also alot easier to make changes as I could just cut out the area I don't want and weld in a new piece. Not as easy to make changes with mdf or wood and still keep it strong.

With the questions I've been getting lately and seeing other guys make consoles with round bar, it got me motivated to do some more on mine. Here's what I've gotten done over the past few days:

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010514.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010525.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010526.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010527.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010528.jpg

[scherp69]

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010529.jpg

Looks like Mickey Mouse

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010543.jpg

You may have noticed that I'm using different cup holders now. I ended up getting some smaller ones from a poker supply store. They are the same ones that they use in the Vegas poker tables. Thanks again for the idea Rene. Here's what they look like. I paid $30 shipped for all 4.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010459.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010461.jpg

Much nicer than the ones I originally had

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010470.jpg

[Depthrecordings]

Dude,
This is awesome. I plan on doing something similar in my 67. Thanks for sharing on what tools you are using to do this. I cant wait to see what it looks like when it's all finished up. Keep up the good work! :thumbsup:

[scherp69]

Thanks Eric. Hope the info here helps with yours.


Made some more progress on the console the past couple days. I actually think this is the coolest part of the console.

Picked up a shift boot and billet boot ring. I went with the Lokar kit part # 70-BFMB. This thing is sweet.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010548.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010556.jpg

Since the ring is so thick, I wanted to try and sink it into the console a bit. I started with some 1/8" flat stock and cut it to the size I wanted

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010549.jpg

Welded it together

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010554.jpg

Drilled and tapped the holes into the flat stock

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010551.jpg

Added some round bar. The way I added this, I left enough room around the ring to fit the leather (if I still go with leather)

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010552.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010555.jpg

Today I added it to the rest of the console

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010557.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010559.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010560.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010563.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010565.jpg

Tested some bottles of water in the console. It is tight, but I can adjust the shifter some to help give me some extra clearance

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010566.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010567.jpg

Next week I'm going to start working on the storage area lid. I've tried using round bar, but have been fighting with all attempts. Once I used the flat stock, I realized that it will make a good base for the lid. I'm going to drill and tap holes for the hinge bolts. I have two parts done, one piece will go on top of the console and the other will be the base for the lid.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/scherp69/P1010569.jpg

[scherp69]

I've decided to add a poll to help me decide how to finish the console. If you want to vote, here's the link: http://www.lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=36070