The Console

April 12, 2007

In recent years, I have moved on to higher level cars, which have pretty nice consoles.  I had always wondered why the SHO, being a sport sedan, didn't have an emergency brake on the console.  After having read "Taurus, The Story of the Car that Saved Ford", I know why ("Cheep, Cheep, Cheep!!!!").  But that hasn't stopped me from trying to make a console that has that feature.  The creation (I hope) of that console will be illustrated here.

This is the console in my GS-300.  The pad is VERY comfortable, and the storage under it is divided into two levels, with a separate latch for each one.  The pad is JUST wide enough to fit between the two SHO front seats....the bolsters make those seats wider than these, even though the two cars are about the same size inside.  Picture this console being about a foot longer, with the cup holder and shifter quadrant moved backwards about that much from the dash.  The shifter would go in the extra space, and where the quadrant is on this console, the emergency brake would be.  It will take up more space than this shift quadrant, but there is lots of room.

This is the X-5 console.  It is laid out just about like I'd like BD's to be, with a large cup holder assembly to the right of the e-  brake.  I don't need it to be this wide..there is plenty of room in the Lexus armrest, and its width is more proportional to the SHO interior.  This armrest also has two layers, and slides back and forth to suit smaller drivers, which I would not need.  The upper layer is very small, and not really useful.  I think a combination of the two components, the Lexus armrest, and the BMW e-brake, would be just the ticket for BD.

The Beginning.......

Ten minutes ago, when I took these pictures, is when I first took a look at the E-brake assembly next to the armrest, and also in the car.  I can see it is a bit too tall as originally made, so I will cut the legs down so that it fits next to the seat more appropriately.  But it's gonna do the job.  I need to get under the X5 to see how the cables are routed, and how they go through the bottom of the vehicle without allowing water and dirt to get in.  All that will come later this spring.

Here's the brake handle sitting next to the seat.  It is too high, and also the rear mount for the factory console is in the way of its rear leg.  The two front legs are of different lengths, to allow it to sit on the left side of the tranny hump.  The BMW is AWD, so there is a driveshaft going to the rear....the small hump in the Taurus floor is sufficient to allow the handle to mount properly, except that it sits too high.  There is a slot between the bottom of the factory mount and the floor which will allow the leg to slide under and inside, but it needs some modifying.

Here's the view from the other side.  You can see the three legs of the E-brake frame, and how it will bolt to the floor.  The rear leg is on the other side of the rear SHO console support.  I just need to find the best way to get the cables here, and how to keep the elements out.  The exhaust might be a problem.  It looks like the legs need to be cut down about half their length.  The handle shouldn't be any higher than the seat when released.

A week ago, I started peacing together an approximation of the shape of the whole console, so that the guy who will actually build it will be on the same page as me.  This is as far as I have gotten so far...I'll work on it some more next week.  The builder may or may not actually use this frame....all it is really for is to just give us both a picture of what the overall shape the finished product will have.  Both the Lexus and the BMW have dashes that allow a noticeably sloped (down and to the rear) radio panel to blend into it....this dash is less forgiving, and a radio panel with much of a slope will feel crowded, and it will also interfere with the shifter.  So I'm trying to stay within 5 to 10 degrees of vertical, to give the shifter room to function.  There will be no ash tray.  I was going to move the EATC down, but I think I will leave it alone.  Three gauges, oil pressure, fuel pressure, and volts,  will be at the very bottom of the vertical portion.  The two halves, vertical and armrest, will meet and blend under a wood bezel at the shifter.  The wood will be the same shade of Red Oak as the Lexus. The angled piece of wood at the bottom is my first attempt at making the bottom portion of the front section, which will rest on the center hump.  It is currently too big to fold into place.   .....next week. The main portion of the console that is not wood will be fiberglass, probably covered with black leatherette, and will be molded to fit snug against the dash, and follow all its contours.  There will be no ugly gaps.  This is just a rough frame to let us picture the finished product. OK...home at last.  Actually I've been back 3 weeks now.  It is taking shape, but going a bit more slowly than originally estimated.  It should be done the end of the second week of July.  I just found out I cannot go to the Kalamazoo convention, either by flying OR driving, so I'll spend the rest of the summer taking a couple of trips to Seattle in it to show the NW SHO guys, and also to get some parts to fix Lowrider....I have a friend I am going to give it to. Pictures are being taken of the console construction....they'll be loaded here as I get them. 7/3/07 Finished