Customs Let's see some Consoles made from improvised items

I built this one for a friend's truck. I hate square crappy looking wood boxes as consoles. I tried to design it as if it was factory done. The base had to flare to cover the square trans tunnel extension he built over his 700r4. The upholsterer covered the hammered metal in vinyl as scuff protection. I modified an original fender trim for the vertical part, and because there was so much chrome on the car dash. The shifter boot trim and cup holder trim I cut, shaped and polished out of 3/8" aluminum. The truck came out cool (for a street rod) and I was happy how the console looks like it belongs.

 

The Screaming Robot

 

Make one! Bend up some tubing and some sheet metal to exactly what you want it to look like. I did this one for a 61 Olds, it matches the shapes on the dash.

 

Like Like Like, gonna steal, steal, steal.

 

'32 Model B pickup, with the basic naked tin interior option...
50 caliber ammunition can, the WWII side opening style. Fits between shifter and seat riser, and the lid will likely get at cup holder of some sort on the inside so it is usable with lid open parallel to floor. The government tin nicely complements the Ford tin, adding a subtle and sophisticated update to the environment.

 

At the risk of sounding negative, I rarely see a console in a pre-'60 car that looks like it could belong. Why? Many of them are overdone with A+++ metalwork & bends, and choice of materials that don't match the rest of the interior, particularly if the interior is close to stock. I think many homemade consoles suffer being influenced by the size, shape, fit & finish of the doo-dad rich modern consoles. I say... dumb it down. Mimic the pressed metal bends of GM, Ford & Mopar. Repurpose chrome plated potmetal parts for trim, emblems, etc. Example, if a '53 Chevy had been offered with an optional center console (ahead of the bench seat)... I don't think it would have been padded. Your console has to have lights? Use era correct bezels or do hidden down lighting - not a billet catalog light bezel & lense.

Since so many of the consoles are built to be (at a minimum) a shifter boot and cup holder... hide the cup holder part, until it's needed, behind a cleverly engineered flip up door or something. People here get in a twist over modern wheels, a stray billet part, or modern transmissions/fuel injection. Stylized cup holders in an old car or truck don't look right to me... just like those other parts.

If your console is mainly just for cup holders... skip it and maybe engineer a retractable cupholder into the center of the lower bench of your front seat (before the bench goes off for upholstery).

hopping down off the soapbox,

Gotta56forme/Scott

 

My cup holder has been in the car for 5 years. it is simple 1/8" x 1" flat bar stock bent into shape, painted black, and has 2 screws holding it to the floor.
The consul is a 18 G sheet metal box, with the tray added. The top is hinged at the front and there is a simple latch on the angled part. The back is angled because the seat back tilts forward. The consul box is held in place with 2 bars bent to match the seat bottom curve at the front, and is held in place by a seat belt. Gene

 

I used a roll of duct tape to keep drink cups in place on the floor board of my T Bucket. Never had one spill.

 

Wow! That reads like a section of "Martha Stewart Living". Some great tips.

 

In my opinion..... no.

 

Take a V8 oil pan, turn it upside down, hole saw a couple of "soda" can sized holes in it and voila, instant console. Cheap,down and dirty.

 

Ha! I did the same for years in one of my cars. It's one of those solutions that develops naturally, and because it works so well, you stick with it way longer than you probably should. At one point, the roll of duct tape started to show its age, and I actually considered covering it in vinyl to improve the looks, which were, um, questionable from day one. The function was fantastic, at least in a car with a flat floor.

 

Now thats a console!

 

I like it!

 

Repurposed
Switch box from electronics surplus store.
Shift boot riser from thrift store, made from small aluminum cook pan.
Trim ring whittled from stock on lathe.
Shift boot is old discontinued Mr. Gasket item.
Corvette e-brake lever cover using B&M auto shifter cover.

 

Nice set up, but technically, NOT a console.

As far as consoles go, I really don't think hot rods should have them, but they do come in handy. I guess they'ed be okay, as long as they didn't have cup holders. For a long time and hopefully it hasn't changed, Porsche didn't have cup holders. I guess the idea was "You're supposed to be driving, not sipping tea." When I see cup holders in a car, I automatically think it's not a serious driving machine. And don't even get me started on shit to hold a fuckin' cell phone.

 

Cel phones.......sheesh!

 

My car has 3 on the tree and a dash mounted handbrake so I just used a cardboard box with a couple of round holes in it on top of the driveshaft tunnel.

 

I like that!

 

Simple aluminum brackets in the El. The drink and wallet just sit in the floor, hardly can bee seen from outside the car. PVC connector with locknut to hold it in place. Used the existing seat shell screws so I didn't have to drill any holes.

 

That’s a really cool idea^^^^^^

 

I wanted a drink holder to sit on the floor of my Model A, so I just glued a drink holder to a timing gear. The gear is heavy enough to keep from sliding and tipping over.

 

I don't have a pic because I haven't put it together yet, but I bought one of the new Cal Custom repop sbf aluminum oil pans to use as a console. Not that original of an idea, my friend built one for his off road truck out of a SBC pan, and I am just taking it to the next level.

 

console "submarine style" with double can-holder

 

^^^^^^I'd paint one that thing yellow .

 

yellow submarine