2008.08.03 - Interior Bits
- Modified shorty console
- Cleaned up the '91 door panels
- Painted speaker grills for '91 door panels
- Fabricated rear bracket for shorty console
- Installed '91 door panels
- Lubricated passenger window channels
Last night I broke out the Zippo and propane torch and started hacking up the shorty console once again. I removed the rear lip since it was so prone to cracking and didn't particularly look very good. I then did my best to reshape the back edge to achieve a clean smooth rounded edge. And I managed to only burn my thumb this time! After getting it more or less smoothed over, I used some vinyl cleaner and cleaned up the doors panels that I picked up the other weekend in Houston. I also applied some black silicon adhesive sealant to "repair" the small tears in the vinyl on the driver panel.
This morning I cleaned up the speaker grills and put a fresh coat of black paint on them. I had planned to strip them down to the bare plastic, but not only had someone sprayed them with a silver-on-black speckle spray, but someone had also laid down a thick coat of white beneath that. So rather than fighting with them to remove two coats of paint, I opted to just prep and paint them again.
I picked up some new door panel clips (since a few were missing), but unfortunately the ones that I bought were just slightly too small to stay firmly in place. =( Then I suddenly realized that I didn't need to buy any clips in the first place, because I could just pull some off of the old door panels. DOH! I also picked up some sheet metal and some more satin black Krylon Fusion paint.
Once I had the sheet metal, I traced the template that I made for the rear shorty console bracket onto the steel and cut it out. Very carefully, I marked and drilled the mounting holes and ensured that everything lined up properly. I cut a couple of small metal tabs from some of my scrap steel and then bolted the bracket and console in place. I mocked up the tabs and tack-welded them into place (and slightly melted a small patch of carpet...), and then removed the bracket from the car and finished welding the tabs. I cleaned up the welds a bit and now I just need to smooth over the surface with some JB Weld for a nicer appearance and added strength. I'll do that tonight, and then perhaps tomorrow I will try to prep the console and bracket for paint. And hopefully I'll get it back in the car soon.
Before calling it a day, I decided to swap the new '91 door panels into place. While doing so, I took the opportunity to lubricate the passenger window guide channels.
$3.37 - Door panel clips (BK 665-3282 -- ARE NOT BIG ENOUGH)
$4.30 - Satin black Krylon Fusion spray paint
- Cleaned up the '91 door panels
- Painted speaker grills for '91 door panels
- Fabricated rear bracket for shorty console
- Installed '91 door panels
- Lubricated passenger window channels
Last night I broke out the Zippo and propane torch and started hacking up the shorty console once again. I removed the rear lip since it was so prone to cracking and didn't particularly look very good. I then did my best to reshape the back edge to achieve a clean smooth rounded edge. And I managed to only burn my thumb this time! After getting it more or less smoothed over, I used some vinyl cleaner and cleaned up the doors panels that I picked up the other weekend in Houston. I also applied some black silicon adhesive sealant to "repair" the small tears in the vinyl on the driver panel.
This morning I cleaned up the speaker grills and put a fresh coat of black paint on them. I had planned to strip them down to the bare plastic, but not only had someone sprayed them with a silver-on-black speckle spray, but someone had also laid down a thick coat of white beneath that. So rather than fighting with them to remove two coats of paint, I opted to just prep and paint them again.
I picked up some new door panel clips (since a few were missing), but unfortunately the ones that I bought were just slightly too small to stay firmly in place. =( Then I suddenly realized that I didn't need to buy any clips in the first place, because I could just pull some off of the old door panels. DOH! I also picked up some sheet metal and some more satin black Krylon Fusion paint.
Once I had the sheet metal, I traced the template that I made for the rear shorty console bracket onto the steel and cut it out. Very carefully, I marked and drilled the mounting holes and ensured that everything lined up properly. I cut a couple of small metal tabs from some of my scrap steel and then bolted the bracket and console in place. I mocked up the tabs and tack-welded them into place (and slightly melted a small patch of carpet...), and then removed the bracket from the car and finished welding the tabs. I cleaned up the welds a bit and now I just need to smooth over the surface with some JB Weld for a nicer appearance and added strength. I'll do that tonight, and then perhaps tomorrow I will try to prep the console and bracket for paint. And hopefully I'll get it back in the car soon.
Before calling it a day, I decided to swap the new '91 door panels into place. While doing so, I took the opportunity to lubricate the passenger window guide channels.
$3.37 - Door panel clips (BK 665-3282 -- ARE NOT BIG ENOUGH)
$4.30 - Satin black Krylon Fusion spray paint