Well, it took a significant portion of my weekend, but my 4th gen console is in!

A few notes for those contemplating the swap. Even though using the 6 speed console makes the swap easier, it is by no means a drop-in bolt in, at least it wasn't for me. Despite much fiddling and some trimming, I still have a small gap at the rear of the console, where it should be sitting flush with the transmission tunnel. That doesn't bother me, but the upper-right portion of the shifter plate does not sit flush, and I don't think I can ever make it unless I do some serious tweaking. The shifter itself (not the handle/pole, but the part to the right of it) just sticks up too high, for one. I did some trimming to a couple areas that made the fit better, but there is still some intereference somewhere that is keeping the plate elevated in that area.

Here are a few pics:







I still have to make plates for my window switches and my 4th gen mirror switch, but that's for another day. I have had enough of working in 27 degree weather for now.

BTW, I have attempted to abide by the board guidelines WRT posting images in a thread, and have thus kept it to three. If it is preferred that I just post a link to them in my photobucket.com account rather than post them at all, please let me know and I will do so in the future.

I like it.

glad to see you got it in...looks good, but itlooks a tad more "off center" than mine did when i had my 3rd gen dash still in the car though, hmmmm. Did you hammer your floor down or anything? When i was doing mine, we had to do some extensive "massaging" of the transtunnel, and the old shifter mount, then drilled and tapped new holes for the shifter to ensure things were straight, etc...good job, what'da ya think of it yourself?

85 f-bird, I didn't do any hammering or relocating of the shifter or anything like that. I trimmed the console in a few spots, and some of the carpet under it, but that was it. I'm not sure it can be any more centered than it is...the two mounting holes in the rear locate it in the proper position there, and up front the console stradlles the trans tunnel evenly on both sides. I'll take another look tomorrow just to double check. Do you have any pics of yours when you still had the thirdgen dash in the car?

As for my feelings on the swap, I can say that I am very glad that I did it. I like the look of the console a whole lot more than the old stock unit, and the addition of cupholders and a second power outlet will come in handy, as will the slight increase in storage space in the compartment. I don't like not having a shift indicator, especially since I gave the car to my fiance as a gift. I have encouraged her to make sure she knows what gear she is in before hitting the gas. I really don't like the fit of the shifter plate, but there doesn't seem to be much I can do there. Now that the console is black, I am going to have to dye my grey plastic intrior pieces, like the e-brake handle, radio pod, trim along the bottom of the dash etc.

I know some people on here has described this as an easy and quick swap, but it took me a pretty long time, although that might just be because I am an amateur and I work slow so I can be careful.

BTW, did you use a six speed or auto console? I have read that the only time you have to hammer your trans tunnel and relocate the shifter is when you are using an automatic console.

Bull, when it comes to posting 3 pics, that's only for "show and tell" posts. If you post pics with the intention of helping others doing the swap, you will probably get away with more, especially if they're pictures of your problem areas that will help others who encounter those same problems.

By the way, the console install looks very good. If I might make one suggestion though, you may want to consider painting the factory radio/heater pod black to help it blend better with the dash and console. With the stock graphite-colored console, the radio pod blends in nicely, but now that you've got a black one, the radio pod looks out of place.

Hi Jim, and thanks for the compliment.

I agree with you 100% about the radio pod...in fact, I even mentioned it in the post right above yours!

I'll post some pics tonight of the problem areas that I encountered. I sure would have liked to have seen similar pics when I was doing the research about the swap. I did get a LOT of info from the archives, so thank goodness for this site!

Nice job! I can say from experience that having the manual tranny makes it a lot easier. My console plate sits down flush like it should.

I also got a custom shortened shift arm so my shifter hanlde was lowered doen about 1.5 - 2 inches, much better. Of course, that's easier with a manual tranny to do as well.

Like the looks though (of both yours and mine!)

Ok, if it is allright to post more than three pics if it is designed to help people, then I'll post a few more of the problem areas.

Here is how the upper-right portion of the shift plate sits improperly:



This pic shows some intereference between the shift linkage cable and one of the mounting tabs for the console boot retaining ring. With the car in gear, there is no problem, but when you put it into Park then the linkage hits the plate at this location:



This shows the area of interference between the shift plate and the electrical connector on the shifter body (what is it, the neutral safety switch?):



Here's what I had to do to resolve the interference problem pictured in the previous image:



That metal bracket that houses the neutral safety switch (if I am right in thnking that is what it is) might be the reason why the upper-right portion of the shifter plate sits up too high. I can't tell if that is the whole problem, but I suspect it is at least part of it.

I hope the pics are somewhat helpful now or in the future for people doing the swap.

you can only attach 2 pics by the way. if you just link them with the [img] thing you can put on as many as you want...cause tgo isnt hosting it.

looks great man, might have to keep that in mind for the futur if im ever at the junkyard.

looks good bull. Yeh, i've got the automatic 4th gen console (did it cause i wanted it to seem factory, aka shift indiator) also, it had only been done twice i think when i was doing mine, so someone had already done the hard work, plus i could be "somewhat unique"...i'll have to scrounge around to see if i have any pics of that, but....im really not sure, i remember wanting to take some pictures, and i guess i drove the car for about six months- year b4 swapping dashes, but honestly, i simply don't know if i ever had pix of the new console and dash. i'll look.

With the help of fellow member deadbird, I figured out how to wire up the Ford Contour switches to the 3rd gen power window switch wiring. If any of you are interested in using these switches, I can let you know what wires to connect to what...just make sure you get the Ford harness with the switches you buy. I like the switches a lot...they are compact, have a nice feel to them, and the green LED is not only cool but with the switches hidden in the ashtray slot, seeing them at night will be no problem. The fact that they are compact also makes it fairly easy to fit them in the ashtray space.

I'll post pics this weekend once I have them fully installed...I don't have the right connectors to wire them up the way I want, have to order some.

i would LOVE to see pics of the switches. what year/model are they from. i have been looking into solutions for my 4thgen console needs. my GTA has power windows & mirrors. i need a solution for those switches. i want to keep them on the console. i would also like to see photos of the automatic console. i thought you had to use a 4th gen shifter for that?

glad to see you made it through the ordeal...i hated doing that mod, and even though Ive gotten mine to the point that it looks stock Im still not satisfied with it....Im reading up on doing the whole 4th gen interior swap now just so I can sleep better at night


looks good though

Here's a pic of the switches:



Please, understand that the wooden plate that they are mounted on is like a practice run, or a set of training wheels for me. I plan to make a more perfect, symmetrical one from ABS later.

I'll post a pic of what they look like lit up as well, once I get them wired up this weekend.

Excellent job! I got the LS1-style manual console also for my auto, just haven't trimmed it and installed it yet. Yeah, definitely an upgrade!

Finally gathered the courage to go out into the frozen garage today to finish wiring up my Contour switches.

Here is a pic of how they look with the temporary wooden mounting plate, which has been painted black and looks halfway decent for now:



And here is a shot of how the LEDs look at night:



These switches look and feel great...definitely a huge improvement over the sloppy stock monsters.

Looks pretty good for temporary .
Aside from them just being nicer switches.. I like the lite-up feature personally.

good guide Bull. I just put in my 6speed console for my auto yesterday. Cut at the same places and it fit very well. For the gap in the rear and other gaps in the console, i'm going to just put more insulation under the carpet.

Bull - you're dead on with your pics of the problem areas. Those are the same areas I ran into (and dremelled away) about 3-4 years ago when I put mine in. They're also the reason I've been writing that this is by no means a bolt-in installation if you want it to look right.

VERY nice job on the install. I wouldn't do the Contour switches....my wife drives one and they just feel cheap now. But very nice job on it all!

Many thanks for the complimentary words, 3.1. As a regular amateur hack, I am glad to know that others with more experience feel I did a decent job with the console install. I agree with you 100% about this not being a simple, flawless bolt-in. I still don't know how to fix the fact that the upper right portion of the shifter plate sits too high

I guess the Contour switches are a matter of personal preference, which I understand. I really like the way they look and feel...you just barely have to push them down for them to actuate the window, whereas the stock units, and the 4th gen ones I also had access to, have a lot of play in them before they actually engage the motor. What switches did you use?

Thanks again.

I had all the same problems you did, except my console sits flush with the tranny tunnel all the way around. But the upper right portion of the plate sits high and I cant seem to fix that yet.

Here are some pics:



Painted certain parts to match, nice touch I thnk:


Here is what I did with my switches:


Here is where it sits too high:


I trimmed quite abit off the inside of the console in a couple different places. I recommend the install. If your semi-mechanically inclined, you can do it. Just need a cut off wheel and a dremel.
Hope that helps.

I definitely dig the silver accents in your interior, very cool.

Yep, your plate is up too high in just the same spot mine is. I might just try to learn to live with it!

Very nice interior, even the door panels have silver accents

yeah nice silver on the console.

fyi, you can mount the stereo further back inside the pod, if you remove some of the plastic on the back of it.

I used stock switches, and mounted the mirror controls sideways (interesting helicopter syle controls resulted) in the front hole. My console sits a little high in that spot, though not near as badly as yours or the other posted. I think it may be because I moved my shifter over a bit to help clearance.

Just a thought, does anyone here know if you can swap out the trim pannles in the rear too? I'm going to literally try to do a full swap of as much as possible of the interior soon, picking up a junked 96 ws6 for about 1200$ it runs, sorta, but I'm just scraping all the interior. Any idea exactly what will fit other than the seats, dash, console?

Other than that, the door panels will fit with modification.

The door panels will, with some modifications. Steering wheel with a minor re-wire for the airbag.

nice work

too much work for me tho lol. im too lazy and dont do very well when it comes to doing something that's not a straight bolt in.

anything can be done with enough time and patience

Check out my latest addition!:


What do you think?

I plan to finish changing over the rest of the interior to black soon. And since those earlier pics I got black leather seats too which I cant find a picture of.


Sorry for reviving an old thread.

Thats pretty sweet. I did something like that a long while back to my old car, a bit more simple though, I just took off all the original fabric and used a better leather and imbeded the emblems in the two front doors. So, by saying "full black" interior, that means you're going even for the trim pieces? I'm still looking into trying to do that, only using 4th gen stuff... but I unno if it'll work or not.

right.
Ive done the console, seats and door panels. Next is the arm rests which I will just buy in black rather thasn trying to dye them (a big pain from what I've heard).
Then all the interior panels I plan on painting with black Krylon paint this weekend.
I ordered a black headliner like 3 months ago, but i think the ***hole is gonna stiff me for it on ebay. So I have to find one somewhere else. Last thing is the carpet which I probably wont change for awhile for the simple reason that it is still perfectly fine looking and not worn yet.

Wish me luck!

any one have pics of it done on a manual tranny? i mean those all look good, and they're very helpful, if you have an auto.. am i gonna have to be the first to post pics of the manual?

looks good

Do yourself a favor and buy the SEM paint instead of that Krylon junk. The SEM looks far, far better.

Hawks. Get that ABS one, VERY nice. i ordered mine on Sun night and had it on Wed.

LOVE the silver accents on the interior, very nice touch.

Not hardly.....

was it pretty straight forward? was there a lot of cutting involved?

Loose the floor mats! AHHH

Console looks awesome though

No cutting at all. Really simple and pleasing (at least to me) mod

Man I can't wait to get a fourth gen. console. They're really a great mod. Definitely on my next thing to do. Looks good in the pontiac but definitely about the mats, lol.

Are all 4th gen consoles the same? Does it matter if it is a firebird or camaro? If there is a difference which are better, firebird or camaro and what years are good to go with?

Firebird and Camaro are the same.

Model changed about 1997, I actually like the later ones over the earlier ones, but that's just a personal preference.

Other than the model change, only difference is whether its for a manul or an automatic tranny, and that difference is all in the shifter plate. Manual tranny versions are easier to use for a 3rd Gen swap.

Yeah, guys, I know the floormats are hideous...they were in the car when I bought it. When I get a spare $90, I'll buy a new set.

That's sweet. now I wanna do that to my car...and I just got it!

It's actually easier to use a manual tranny 4th Gen console (or shift plate since that's the only difference) if you have an auto tranny cars. The gear indicator won't work regardless, so just buy a manual tranny console and you're set.

I don't understand what you guys with the auto tranny and raised front corner are hitting. Something has to be holding up that corner from underneath, but since I have a manual I can't see what it would be. Seems like a Dremel ought to be able to take care of the problem though!

Vern, if you take a look at the pics above, look at the sheetmetal part that sticks up to the the right of the shifter shaft. That is where the problem is, as I recall. It just sticks up too high for that top plate to sit down flat. If a Dremel were to solve the problem, I think it would have to be used to cut that metal piece, but I'm not even sure that is feasible.

Yep, I see what you're saying. I forgot the pix were up there, sorry!

I don't run into that problem with the manual tranny. It rhere any chance you can clearance the back side of the shift plate a little bit so it will sit down flat? Mabe try some white grease pencil or clay or something between the shift plate and that bracket and see where it is actually hitting? My guess would be on the part of the bracket closest to the rear of the car....

The clay idea is a good one. Would you just place a blob on the metal bracket and then press the top plate into place?


As for trimming the back side of the plate, I can't recall exactly what it looks like, and if there is room to trim. To tell the truth, I never notice the imperfection when I am using the car, and so might end up calling it "good enough" while I move on to other projects.

Yep. I'd put a long roll like a straw on the entire length of the metal bracket and see when it flattens out completely.

Your set up looks nice enough to finish it this way if at all possible IMO.