Building Custom Center Console

[justin's_94]

I was wondering if anybody out there had any experience building a center console for their explorer. I want to snatch out the old one and put a new one in with arm rests.( I hate cars without arm rests) I also want to mount two one inch tweeters in and possibly a digital EQ. I have a 94 xlt with factory console. Any help or pictures would be greatly appreciated.

 

[leenjen]

i'm rebuilding my system. and i started on the console.
let me tell you, this is such a P.I.T.A.!
all the **** sticking up under it. and the rear vent. i have to relocate some stuff. and it sucks taking it apart. i thought it would be an easy job to make a custom fiberglass console, but it suxx. a fiberglass dask is easier.
oh well. if i find someone w/ a digicam, i'll post some pics when i'm done. i dont want to say what i'm doing yet, but i think it's really cool.

 

[justin's_94]

I plan on building mine out of wood and I didn't know there was a bunch of stuff underneath it. I thought that it just unscrewed off. What problems have you ran into?

 

[zensius]

Here's what I did. http://www.sounddomain.com/id/90125 It's a '95 center console in my '92. It cost $250 from a junk yard. But the amount of time saved was much, much more. And it matches perfectly. The whole piece slipped right in after I removed all the unnecessary vent stuff in the new console. The only piece I had to fabricate was where it meets the dash. The black one that doesn't match well in the picture. The paint match is better now. I put my switches in the ash tray. The armrest can hold so much stuff! It rules.

 

[radek78]

If you like center console from newer Explorer just go to Ebay . I saw few days ago few colors what was sold for $170 and $110 .
Dead Link Removed Dead Link Removed

I think you can fit it in your truck.

 

[radek78]

Like you see above zensius did this.


Dead Link Removed

 

[justin's_94]

Thank's for the info, I really liked that 95 console, was it very hard to do. and how did you make the piece that fits right up to the dash. It is very nice.

 

[zensius]

Well, it took me a while to do. But I suspect it would take the average do-it-yourselfer much, much longer. I work in the movie special effects business so I have skills and equipment that made it easier for me. Plus I enjoyed the challenge. I could make more if there were some interested. I wouldn't make just one or two because my time would be too much in making the mold. The damned things would cost $150 each. But if four or more wanted them I could probably bring the price down to about $75. Which I know is still expensive but five is still not mass production ya know.

 

[justin's_94]

Thanks for the info. Let me know if you will ever do that. If I haven't gotten my lazy ass to do it yet, I will still be interested. How did it look before you made the piece to go before the dash, was it a huge gap or something that I could live with.

 

[4Wheelin]

zensius - Where did you get the switches in your console?

 

[zensius]

Justin, the gap without the piece is pretty big, maybe eight inches. The problem is the piece that's supposed to go there in the '95 turns up pretty severly so it would be out away from the dash blocking the ashtray and altogether looking pretty bad. 4wheelin' got my switches from Radio Shack. They were originally 110 volt switches (they light up). I took them apart and changed the LED inside to a 12v one I also bought at radio Shack. So now they work off 12v. It was pretty easy.

 

[justin's_94]

thanks a lot, as a senior in High School with a limited budget, I think I will stick with building it out of wood.Thanks