Center Console Repair
 

One thing I have learned on this forum is that you guys & gals are some pretty resourceful folks. So I'm in need of some ideas to fix my center console. All the tabs that hold the switch plate have broken off by PO.

Almost everything I have seen on ebay have broken tabs and still wanting $125 and up+shipping

What have you all done to fix this? Ideas and photo's would be appreciated.

I purchased a single piece wood console that olds the buttons and goes under the gear shifter and the transmission shifter. I should probably take a picture of it. There was apparently a small fire under there and the entire box holding the buttons was just flopping around. Sometimes I would try to roll down a window and I would end up pushing the thing halfway in the hole, because all of the tabs were broken that are supposed to hold it in place. I didn't even glue the wood in place, in case I ever have to get in there again. That piece seems to be pretty rare, so it might be hard to find.

I rebuilt my using JB weld, put 4 dollups on and let it dry a few days. Sanded it semi-smooth, drilled some pilot holes for the screw no problem. You could also use nuts and bolts, allowing the nut to setup in the jb weld, but i wasnt into it that much. You could also use a couple of strips of 1 inch wide sheet metal and slightly large than the hole, JB weld it to the inside of the console and use self tapping screws to hold the face back on

This is what my center console looks like now. I wish I had a picture of what it looked like before. I'll see if I can pull a picture from the video I have so you can see the comparison. It really looks like two different cars.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/taurusp...45/, on Flickr

I was able to pull this picture from a video I took when I first got my SE7. This is what part of the console looked like. I didn't have the entire center console on the video.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/taurusp...45/, on Flickr

Years later these threads pay dividends... thanks for the ideas.

My center console switches look like an electricians nightmare.
I’ve been meaning to do some sort of bondo work or plasti-weld the broken plastic areas to get the window switch assembly to mount and look somewhat nice.

Magnets are your friend here. Epoxy small rare earth magnets on the back of the plate and have them meet up with magnets on the frame it sits in. Removable and secure.

Oh holy crap - magnets might just save me here!!!!! I'm so glad these threads stick around!

I just got done my fix. It's a pretty straight forward job.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...b017066ee5.jpg
1st scuff the area where the tabs should be with coarse sandpaper. Then lay tape and curl the ends up so that your epoxy doesn't run. Note the packing tape to provide the correct angle.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...d3b2e02945.jpg
(Excuse the mess) Position the console so that the epoxy can cure horizontally. The epoxy I used was JB weld plastic bond in Tan which I already had lying around.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...a4a8790aa1.jpg
Let that cure, remove the tape, scuff the back with sandpaper (both the plastic and the epoxy) and lay more epoxy.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...81a89a1cb5.jpg
Trim to fit. Also keep in mind which side your parking brake opening happens to be on. Once it's all cured drill 2 pilot holes then screw into the epoxy.


Not the best color match but its easy to work with, adheres well, sands well, and all this is hidden anyway
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...45bf750399.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...87354c4bfd.jpg