DIY Guide Rear Center Console

Since it's bitterly cold out, I'm stuck doing work inside, which limits what I can do on the car, but I finally got around to gathering most of the materials to build the rear center console

This is a work in progress so the parts lists and instructions aren't complete yet

Parts/Materials List

-16 Ga 304 Stainless Steel 12x12

-4in Dia Stainless steel cup holder

-3 3/16in Dia Stainless steel cup holder

-1cm x 1cm x 2ft craft wood

-(2)1/4mm x 4in x 12in wood

-1/8mm x 12in x 24in wood

Cost to Build

-Stainless steel $14.85

-4in cup holder $14.30

-3in cup holder $6.99

-All of the wood 8.79

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Total -

The design of this has already changed once and it may change once I start making it for real. I started with roughing it out in cardboard and the measurements on it are in inches. I trimmed and test fit each piece individually in the car over and over until they fit the way I wanted, and then just hot glued them together to give me a basic idea of what it'll look like.

http://i1317.photobucket.com/albums/t637/96Brighton/Console%202_zpsu8kwixdu.jpg

This is about how I will construct it, I plan to just use wood glue as the binder and will use the 1cm square tubing as a reinforcement for the top and side panels. The console has to be removable in the off chance I have to fold the seats up, so I have yet to figure out if I'm going to leave the console open bottomed so that it hugs the trans tunnel or if I will build a bottom and mount it to the car.

http://i1317.photobucket.com/albums/t637/96Brighton/Console%204_zpslgtatvcu.jpg

Here's the materials so far, I plan to cut a hole for each of the cup holders and then cover the top of the center console with the stainless steel, I'm not married to that idea yet, but will have to wait and see how it looks once it's all built.

http://i1317.photobucket.com/albums/t637/96Brighton/Console%205_zpsadbtygb5.jpg

That is roughly what it'll look like, the cup holders have a nice lip on the top, which hides all of the sins in the holes I cut for them, but that will also make it easier to get a nice result once it's all assembled

http://i1317.photobucket.com/albums/t637/96Brighton/Console%206_zpswtwrvqfq.jpg

I haven't figured out what material I'll use to cover the rest of the exposed wood with yet, I was thinking of either getting the matching fake leather that I used for the door cards or I use this as an excuse to finally order some black alcantara to redo the door cards and the center console. Either way, they will end up matching.

I'll have a picture of this installed in the car later, but so far it fits pretty nicely, and the cigarette tray on the back of the OEM console even still works, not that it'll ever get used.

Now that it's light out, I can see all of the gaps where it meets the front center console and also meets the trans tunnel but overall it's not bad for a rough cardboard cut out. I've also decided I'm going to wrap it with charcoal alcantara/Ultrasuede. I've ordered material swatches so that I can match the color of the material I'm going to redo the headliner with, and I will also be redoing the door cards in the same alcantara, that way the interior has a sort of consistency to it. But fun fact, alcantara is hard to find and is also $70+ a yard :/

http://i1317.photobucket.com/albums/t637/96Brighton/Center%20Console%20Jan%2018%201_zps0fptdl3v.jpg