PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

Going to dive into repairing my center console today. The sides are bowed out, probably from years of people leaning on it and or the factory glue drying out. The same thing happened on my first Bird ('88 Formula) over a decade ago so I assume its a common issue. My plan is to remove the top of the center console (with the shifter and power window switches), clean it up, epoxy it along where it looks like the factory glue was, do it in sections with the Craftsman clamps I picked up yesterday. Is there a better method? Should I use a different adhesive? Goop? Any advice would REALLY help, I want to get it knocked out today.


Included photos of the Conter Console and tools I plan to use.

91phoenix

iTrader: (5)

Make sure to let us know what you finally use for adhesive as I was planning on trying to do the same to mine.

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

From what I have read - Gorilla glue seems to be your best bet. Also, use a piece of wood between the clamps and the console or you will leave a mark in the console. Clean out the old glue and any loose foam. Don't use too much gorilla glue, as it expands as it dries and it will ooze out everywhere. Do a search. There are some good threads with pics that guys have put together.

80schild

iTrader: (5)

I shaved a little bit of the foam out of mine to make room for the expanding glue.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Clean your glue surfaces with a wax/grease remover product.
I have used windshield urethane with great success.

Speed Racer X

Couple more threads that might be helpful...

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...le-repair.html

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...d-console.html

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...-problems.html


Good luck!

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

I'm doing everything you guys recommended. Thanks. HUGE help.

QUICKCHICKEN

iTrader: (12)

i used F-26 when i did my console and it dosent expand but it DOES stick like a merf!!!

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

I took everyone's advice. Cleaned it real well, took out some of the padding for the Gorilla glue to expand, made it a little damp, applied Gorilla Glue, a piece of wood and clamps. Waiting for it to dry.

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

The driver's side came pretty good. Waiting for the passenger's side to dry.

2007xl50

Mine is not too bad at this point, but gettng there, I might had to try this myself. I don't think I have ever been in a used 3rd gen that did not have this issue.

88FormulaKiller

iTrader: (8)

i did the clamp+wood repair and used 2 part epoxy. came out like new, never split again.

mav75

Man, I thought you had to take the whole console out to do the clamp + wood repair! It's good to see that you can get the same results just by lifting up the shifter plate! I'm going to start my repair soon. You all just saved me a ton of time and aggravation!!!

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

mav75 - There maybe other ways to do it but the Wood-Clamps-Gorilla Glue method worked perfect for me! Mine was in BAD SHAPE too.

mav75

Punish3r, I'm totally sold on Gorilla Glue + wood + clamps. It's just that until this morning, I thought I'd have to remove the entire console, but now it looks like all I have to do is pull up the shifter plate. From what I've been reading, that sounds like much less of a hassle. As it is, the clip on the front of the shifter is giving me a problem, but I'll get it eventually. And while I have the shifter plate up, I'm going to see if the shift indicator bulb is burnt out, or if I have a wiring problem. Please, let it just be the bulb!

Great job on your console, BTW!

91phoenix

iTrader: (5)

I could use gorilla glue but prefer epoxy. What kind did you use?

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

Thanks man! BE CAREFUL WITH THE GORILLA GLUE! IT EXPANDS LIKE F'N CRAZY! Clamp it good and don't pour the whole bottle in there! Take some pictures of your work and completed product.

algershick

iTrader: (1)

I've got my GTA console stripped apart for cleaning and repair. I used the wood clamp and Gorilla Glue method detailed here. Tomorrow morning when I get off work I'll pull the clamps and see how the first side came out!

mav75

Started working on mine today. I only had about 20 extra minutes to play with, but so far, I have the shifter **** off and the shifter plate unbolted. The shifter plate seems like it wants to come out, but it's stuck under the radio and HVAC. I tried unbolting the console at the rear to get a better angle for pulling out the shifter plate, but it didn't help much. Tomorrow I'll have more time, so I'm going to hunt for the other bolts holding down the console. I'm pretty sure there's one under the shifter plate, and there may be more along the sides of the console.

I'll post pics once I've made some real progress.

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

algershick - post pics of the final project. Clean in and around the whole thing with Q-tips and a good cleaner, when your done. Mine had like 2 decades of grit in there.

mav75 - there is a bolt under the ashtray, remove it, then kinda push it up, get the glue, wood and clamps on there.

algershick

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I'm in the process right now Punisher. I disassembled the top shifter plate assembly yesterday and detailed it. I popped out all of the window and mirror controls, gear selector, shift boot, etc and cleaned everything. It was pretty disgusting. Nothing is cracked or broken though surprisingly.

The driver's side of the console dried by this morning and I removed the clamps. It came out really good honestly! I did have to trim back a little bit of the Gorilla Glue due to expansion. I've got the e-brake side of the console clamped and setting right now, so by tomorrow morning I'll know how this turns out.

I daily drive my Camaro, and it needs a LOT of work. Runs well enough, but so much of it is a basket case. My GTA is almost refreshing. The interior is complete and clean for the most part. Everything works. Nothing has been hacked apart or torn up. Paint is an issue, but the car is mechanically sound, and the body is great. The Z28 is going to think I'm cheating.

mav75

The bolt under the ashtray is the only other bolt holding the console down, or did you just mean the shifter plate? I want to pull out the whole thing and give it a good cleaning.

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

algershick - COOL! VERY easy fix. I'm super clean and a germaphobe and I pulled some hardcore nasty stuff out of there when I was cleaning it too! The previous owner must have ate his dinner on the center frig'n console every night! Spotless now!

I daily drive my Formula as well. I do live faily close to work, the grocery, etc. I could walk to most stores I need (ie O'Reilly Auto Parts when my car is spewing fluids!). But she's it. I spend my nights and weekends upgrading something. I tore her apart myself so I kinda know what's what.

algershick

iTrader: (1)

That bolt under the ashtray is for the shifter plate.

algershick

iTrader: (1)

No joke, the amount of crud you have to scrub and pick out is just flat out disgusting. Some people take no pride in their property. I had to scrub away multiple layers of what I'm assuming is spilled soda off of my shifter plate and all of its components.

You never know what you're going to get into when you go through a used car for the first time. The rear seats of my GTA were folded down when I first went to look at it. I lifted one up and there was a dinner plate with a fork, completely covered in mold. Come on, seriously? I'm assuming the 2 rubbers I found in the center console were never going to get used; hygiene and cleanliness are pretty big hurdles.

mav75

Got any hints for where the other console bolts are? I don't want to break anything, but I want to really clean it for all of the already mentioned reasons.

88FormulaKiller

iTrader: (8)

i dont remember the name, it came in a black and yellow double syringe, mix'em together in a small tray and go. I feel epoxy is more permanent and a better solution for this repair.

mav75

OK, I got the shifter plate off. The quick disconnects for the windows and mirrors were a bitch. I also lost a small screwdriver and the screw to the e-brake handle somewhere near the shifter. Hopefully taking that metal plate off will help me find them.

But the damned console won't budge. Is it bolted down anywhere else besides the rear? Did anyone have to pull out their radio, because that's where it seems to be stuck, or do you just wiggle it like a loose tooth?

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

Mav75 - you are sure going through a lot more trouble, than I think you need too. Becareful with those power window switches, they are the worst to unplug, made of low grade plastic and a pain to find if you break them. Just clean it up real good like algershick did, and Gorilla glue or epoxy it.

mav75

Punish3r, you may be right. I may be going too far, but I wanted better access to the console for cleaning and gluing. The workspace inside of a Trans Am is awkward at best, and I didn't want to just half a** cleaning the console. So far I haven't broken anything, and I know what you mean about those disconnects for the window switches! I just want to make sure I don't break the console by pulling too hard where it's bolted down somewhere that I missed or can't see. Now that I'm at a point where can't turn back, should it just be able to wiggle out or do I have to pull out the radio and the HVAC controls? More importantly, is the console bolted down anywhere else other than in the back?

I really appreciate all of your help and advice!

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

Gorilla glue is urethane - the same material that the foam core of the console is made from, so it will bond better to the material then epoxy.

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

mav - Man, I think I pulled the stereo face plate and stereo out. The stereo is just sitting in there (former owner installed at a local stereo rig shop. I have a Double Din faceplate being fab'd up for my indash Nav!). It should come up after that bolt under the ashtray and those 2 by the center console lid, with some wiggle action. Make sure you clean the living sh*t out of it (i.e. sheep skin condoms from the 80's, a G.I. Joe action figure torso, a hot pink Lee-Press on nail, etc). About to go home and do my Smog pump delete...guna skip out on my section's trip to Hooters this afternoon. I must LOVE my Formula!

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

mav, one more thing. While you're at it, get some leather cleaner and leather conditioner and hit the shifter boot with some rags and go around/under the edge with a Q-tip. That leather care is like magic on leather. My shift boot is glowing!

spdhawk77

Clean the factory foam insulation off the rim of the vinyl. Regular old super glue the rim down on the plastic surface. Super glue creates a molecular bond between these two materials. If you have any cracked plastic you can use plastic weld epoxy underneath. I repaired mine in this manner and it looks brand new. And f.y.i. You may want to play around with some rust-olium vinyl spray paint(flat). It's awesome when applied correctly. I'll post pics of mine if you like but mark my words "its better than new"

spdhawk77

Just to be sure you understand to glue the vinyl down to the console plastic,DO NOT glue the shifter bezel down. screw it and clip it down the factory way.

spdhawk77

If you havent already found this out on your own there are the two screws in the box compartment in the rear, there is a metal L bracket just behind the shifter where you'll find one or two nuts holding down the center of the console(be cautious when reinstalling this point as overtightening will damage the console). the radio console does not need to be removed, the main console merely slides into a groove under it.

mav75

Thanks, Punish3r. I'll just keep playing with it. I don't want to break it, so I'm going to take my time, even if it means pulling the radio out. You talk about window switches being expensive...I think a decent refurbed console goes for like $400!

I might take care of the shifter boot, but it's already pretty clean. I'm not much for the wet shine look, except for my tires. I plan on cleaning everything out really well, which is the main reason I wanted to pull it all out.

Pics to come.

mav75

Well, I got the console out! Here are the pictures at various points along the way:

Before:


Removing the shifter handle. I tried once for about 15 minutes to pull the clip out with a needle nose pliers and got nowhere. Then, I used a really small screwdriver to pry the bastard loose in about two minutes.



Shifter plate removed. In order to do that, I pulled the faceplate over the radio and HVAC controls. Disconnecting everything was a pain in the a** because the quick disconnects are held together with a tiny square cutout that fits over a notch. But I'm proud to say I didn't break anything! Reconnecting everything should be fun.


Console removed! There is, in fact, a third bolt holding the console down, right where spdhawk77 said there would be. Now, this is where it gets interesting for me. I think the previous owner had been in here already, doing what, I don't know. But I found the bolt screwed in diagonally, not horizontally. Or maybe that's just GM's fine build quality from the 80's. Getting it bolted back in should be a piece of cake.


Down to the guts. You don't see this every day!


OK...we all know that no job goes perfectly, and mine is no exception. I lost a small screwdriver (and the screw that holds in the e-brake handle!!) when they fell inside the console, out of sight and out of reach. I thought pulling the console out would help me find them, but they've vanished into thin air. I think they're under the carpet somewhere, but I've pulled the carpet back as much as I dared to with no luck. Is it just floor pan around that area? More to the point, could it be dangerous if I don't find them?

Also, here's a question for the stereo guys: This connector is dovetailed to the line that provides power to the radio. I didn't notice it before, but when I was holding the head unit in one hand and pulling out the console with the other hand (not much slack in the wiring...thanks, GM!), the head unit got away from me, and that's when I noticed this little bugger. Can anyone tell me what it is and where it goes?


That's it for now. This week I'm going to use the Gorilla Glue/clamp,wood method to fix the console. The goal is to have the console looking good and everything back where it belongs by Friday.

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

Mav75 - Nice break down! Thanks for sharing the photos. It actually looks really clean in there.

mav75

Thanks, Punish3r...the previous owner (I'm only the 2nd!) babied that car. Which isn't to say I didn't find some pennies and a few "extra" bolts in there.

My main concern is that connector that I can't find a home for. That, and not being able to find the screwdriver and small screw from the e-brake handle, or at least reassurance that they can't hurt anything if I can't find them!

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

Mav, its always something dude. When I was doing the finishing touches, cleaning it up real good - a rogue Q-tip, squirmed out of my kung-fu grip and did a kamakazi dive under the console lid. I'm real **** about my stuff but at that point, F**k it, when I give the car to the future son (or robot) I don't have, he'll find that Crazy Q-tip in 2025!

80schild

iTrader: (5)

Mav, being that you're in Houston, it's a miracle you don't have surface rust on those bare metal parts. I know mine sure did.

algershick

iTrader: (1)

Looking good Mav!

I've got a question regarding harness plugs now too. In Mav's second to the last picture, there is a small plug with I believe a black and an orange wire going to it. It is between the window switch plugs in the picture. What is this? It wasn't attached to anything in my console, and I didn't see a place for it to go.

mav75

Punish3r, at this point, I'm cool with that too, as long as it's not a potential safety hazard. I can always buy a new screwdriver set, and I'm sure Home Depot can come up with a replacement screw for the e-brake handle. It's not worth tearing up the carpet for!

Yes, I'm in Houston, but the car spent its first 21 years in a Michigan garage for 10 months out of the year. Do you know how hard it is to find an unmolested Thirdgen in that kind of good condition? I hit the jackpot!

Thanks, algershick...the plug with the black and orange wires powers the bulb to a courtesy light at the rear of the console.

Does anyone have any ideas about the harness plug that was dovetailed into the power supply for the head unit? Is it by chance the connection to whatever early OBD equipment the dealers used? Here's a bigger picture. I don't want to put the whole thing back together only to have to take it apart again!

mav75

Left side clamped down. Not too much glue seepage, but what little did come out sure was sticky! Hopefully that'll be good news for the console.

jster1963

I have a brand new in the box center console I got from a dealer on ebay a few years ago. I have been buying interior parts for about 3 years to do a total restoration. I think I will do this to my new console before I install it. I know this is a design flaw, so I may as well do it before it goes in. Thanks for the info.....

mav75

jster, I wouldn't tear apart a NIB console until it's absolutely necessary. There's always a chance (depending on how old the console is) that they addressed the quality issues from previous years. It's a slim chance, I know, but it's better than cutting into something that doesn't need it just yet.

Anyway, here are pictures from clamping and gluing the right side:

The right side clamped. Funny story: I miscalculated the length of the board, so I decided to cut it to fit the diagonal part of the right side near the e-brake. The battery in my circular saw was dead, so I cut it by hand. With a drywall jab saw. Glad it was just a 2" x 2".


The entire console post glue/clamping. I kind of wish the left side would have finished out a little straighter, but it's a lot better than it was when I started! And there's a bit of spillage, but that's nothing my razor can't fix before I put the console back in. The spillage is also the reason I took the console out of the car; I didn't want Gorilla seats and carpeting. Overall, I'm pleased.


Tomorrow, everything gets put back in and reconnected.

PUNISH3R

iTrader: (2)

Mav75 - looking good!

mav75

Thanks, Punish3r...and thanks for all the help! Can't wait to post pics once everything's put back together tomorrow morning.

mav75

And...the finished product! It didn't come out laser straight like I'd hoped and I wish I would have caught some of the glue before it dried on the right side, but for someone with my skill level, I'm very pleased! Plus, I spent 1/10th of what it would have been for a refurbed console...a nice case to be made for a set of SFC's and a wonder bar.

But most importantly, I did it myself and I didn't break anything. It's nice to accomplish something on my own instead of handing over a credit card to someone else.