Thanks! I'm a little bit worried about it being flimsy, but there are lots of options to stiffen it up if need be.

 

More progress on the center console this weekend. I got the upholstery on order, and have started making my cutting template. The plan is to wrap the console in painters tape, Cut along planned seams, then peel the sections whole to lay down on the vinyl. From there, I can cut around the tape and mark my seam lines.

I also printed the ABS portion of the E-Brake Channel to test with. I don't want to print the TPU part until I get the upholstery done. That said, I should definitely have slotted the holes on this part. There is some imperfection in the fit between the two parts that have the mounting holes, so the part doesn't fit great when tightened down. As mentioned in my previous post, it is a little flimsy too, but that can be improved with some minor changes. We'll see what is necessary shortly.


E Brake Channel ABS from the top


E Brake Channel ABS from the bottom


E Brake Channel ABS from the bottom with car mount


E Brake Channel ABS from the bottom with car mount


Taped Console Top View


Taped Console Passenger Front View


Taped Console Driver Rear View

 

Catching up after being off the site a while, this is pretty amazing. Your doing awesome work, wish I was that skilled at 3d modeling. I hope when this is done your willing to sell the files, I'd love to print one.

 

Wow your latest version is looking incredible! Definitely going to stay glued to your progress here not only for interest but also as a potential customer.

Down the road you may be able to work with someone like hawks to reproduce your design and give you a cut of each sale. Not sure if that would be more or less profitable than selling the plans or doing it yourself, just may be able to reach a wider audience.

 

Thanks! It has taken a huge time investment to get as far as I have, and I already have a half dozen changes I'll be making to keep tightening up the design (Clip slots could be 0.020" smaller, Should fix the screw point at the front, Cleaner upholstery layout hinge-side, etc.). I'm still not really sure on selling the design outright, and frankly, I think I've had to put almost as much work into getting some of this awful geometry to print as I have to design it. Just selling the design is asking for complaints.

At this point, I'm pretty sure I'll sell the printed parts, just need to decide where to cut it off. That may be a pile of parts with an instruction sheet, or it could be a welded together but unfinished assembly, or the whole shebang. I trust the people on this forum, but I definitely don't want Mega-Lo-Corp coming along and jacking the design for $100. The law would be on my side, but the finances would put litigating that firmly out of grasp.

Thanks for the praise! I'm really excited to see it come together. The vinyl should be on my doorstep when I get home today, but it may be a week or two before I have a chance to get cracking.

I think someone like Hawk's taking up the mantle could be a great option. I'm a little skeptical that there is a strong enough business case to manufacture these in large quantities, but they might come along and surprise me. Realistically, I think the best result could be had by investing about $3500 into a custom 1000x300x300mm printer, and printing the whole thing in one or two parts. That printer would have to be dedicated to JUST printing these though, print time would be astronomical (black outs would be deadly), and that is a little spendy for me at this point!

 

The Big One

Well, here it is. The post you've all been waiting for. My very first attempt at upholstery, and my very first "complete" center console. It's not perfect. It needs some changes. But I hope you all can see the vision.








Design Changes Needed:
1. Optimize vinyl tuck in glove box. Visible vinyl edge is ugly
2. Adjust partitioning. Rearmost print can be optimized.
3. Adjust Console Lid Arm pass through. It's slightly off.
4. Fix shift plate front mounting screw. It's needed.
5. Add channels for the seams to set into or learn new techniques.
6. The vinyl isn't a perfect match.

Craftsmanship Improvements Needed:
1. I haven't used a sewing machine in nearly 20 years. I need to practice
2. I need to fix my templates. I made a few sharp changes at the very end of the seams that cause errors and made the final result worse.
3. Adhesive application - I need to apply it in a more uniform manner for better adherence. The parking brake pocket won't sit down perfectly due to this.

Thanks for hanging out and taking this ride with me everyone. More news to come eventually.

 

That's pretty dang cool.

I always enjoy seeing what you're doing. You tackle unusual projects that aren't the norm.

 

Wow thats looking extremely promising!

 

Great work!! Looks really good.

 

Thanks guys! I'm pretty hopeful that I can get a second one of these printed off and upholstered to much improved results in short order. Once I get the previously mentioned improvements made, I think I'll print a few of the e-brake pocket section and just upholster that a few times until I'm happy with the results. I'll plan on installing the unit in the car and posting some pictures later today!

 

In the Car

I gotta say. I'm my own biggest critic so I wasn't sold until now, but DAMN It looks better than I had even imagined.

 

Ive been following this from the beginning and am quite impressed with your work, great job! Looks awesome!

 

I've been thinking about improvements to this project today. One change I intend to make going forward with be with the sourcing of my materials. What I'm using so far has worked fine and all, but I live in the middle of the USA. Why are all the materials I've used so far from China?

After spending some time looking around, and I can buy suitable replacement materials from closer manufacturers. Once I use up the materials I have on hand (mostly on prototypes), I'll plan on buying all Made in the USA materials where possible and likely Made in North America materials where needed (More vinyl makers in the great white north it appears). It will cost a bit more, but I think the investment should be worth it.

 

Looks like it's coming along. Biggest issue I see is the color of the radio pod doesn't match.

 

You’re right, it doesn’t match right. I mentioned earlier being unhappy with the color match, but for now, I think I might as well learn the process on this material regardless of the color. I’ll have to actually go to an upholstery shop with the old console to get the best possible match.

Relatively small new update, I’ve got the first of the focused learning prints done, second is on the printer now. They use about a third of a spool of filament each. So only about $7 to print and test upholstering the hardest part over and over again.

 

Absolutely awesome work on this project. Could I find out what make/model of the printer your using...I have wanted to put my toes into this kind of stuff for a while. But there are so many of them out now its a bit confusing. I am leaning towards the Bambu Labs printers as I have seen and played around with the X1 model a bit...that thing is so stinking fast.

 

Those bamboo printers look excellent.
i buy cheap printers and optimize them and modify them as needed and get VERY nice prints.

I think slicer settings are more important than printer brand/model. Orca is my favorite right now. Changing to that from cura was a massive upgrade for me but everybody is different so you may find other software/hardware suits your needs better.

oh and don’t bother without a filament dryer. I run mine as I print and it increased print speed and quality by a massive amount.

 

Thanks! I use a Bambu P1S Combo that I’ve improved by adding an active chamber heater. The X1 can be a great printer, but I would suggest looking into an H2S or H2D if you can swing it. The newer hot end is easier to work on, and the added print area is nice to have. Also, the H2 series has features otherwise restricted to the X1E.

lots of people get good results off other printers, but the key differentiator to me is the difference between having 3D printING as a hobby vs having 3D printERS as a hobby. More upgradable printers go hand in hand with more time spent on tuning and modification. I dropped my old Creality machines so I could focus on what it was I wanted to get out of the printer instead. To each their own though!

 

Thanks guy for the input...and that statement is very true! I am looking for something to help my projects, not add another hobby addiction
And yes looking at the H2 series for sure!

 

Love how the console is turning out

 

This is what the hobby needs more of... actual enthusiasts looking to make quality reproduction parts.

 

I have an 82 ta, so this console content really apply to me at all. But, I have been watching this the whole time because it is totally awesome. I totally dig your process of designing this and the results are great. You're doing an awesome job w this, it's so cool. In the 90s my friend had an 82 and someone swapped an 85-92 console into it. It was already warped then. These consoles must be really bad now.

 

I've got a 4th gen console, but I definitely appreciate the time and effort put in for this. Had something like this been available 12 years or whatever ago when I did the swap I wouldve definitely been interested in having one made. Bravo!

 

If I had a nickel for every 2006 Honda Accord of mine that got totaled in 2025, I would have two nickles -- Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. That knocked me off the rails for a good little bit, and "practice sewing until you don't suck anymore" didn't have that je ne sais quoi that I needed to get back into it. That said, the train is back in motion, and I've got a little bit of progress to show!

First:
I was using a painter's tape based template to make my vinyl cuts. It was inaccurate as all H-E-Double Hockey Sticks, and none of the lines were actually straight. That was a big contributing factor to my difficulty in producing quality results. I have since replaced those tape-based templates with proper geometrically exact 3D-printed templates, that were painstakingly calculated to make perfect 0.5" oversized parts and a perfect sewing-line to follow.





Second:
The seam allowance not folding down neatly has been a huge headache. Originally, I had intended on just cutting it short (fail). Then, I tried making a poor-man's french seam using glue (too uneven). I finally landed on adding a thin scrim foam to parts of the center console, and WOW. I like it a LOT better. This also makes the whole center console look smoother, since the differences in glue application aren't visible, and the whole center console feels a lot more premium with a little give to it.



Third:
It's still not perfect, but it is much closer to that metric now than it was even a week ago! Looking forward to having more to post soon!

 

Your patience with this is amazing.

 

dang sorry about your Hondas! glad your ok (uninjured?), getting into a wreck is such a big life hassle - especially twice in one year, bad luck.

Great to see more new refinements and process improvement. I am not 100% sure I like the "softer" plush foam appearance, however I probably just need to see it in the car to change my mind. Might as well make improvements if you're making something from scratch right?

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by DynoDave43

Your patience with this is amazing.

Patience is a nice way of putting it! I would have landed myself somewhere closer to bull headed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ughmas

dang sorry about your Hondas! glad your ok (uninjured?), getting into a wreck is such a big life hassle - especially twice in one year, bad luck.

We’re fine, but it hurts the pocket book. The first one was me, the second was my wife. Neither was our fault. Being totaled had much more to do with the value of a 20 year old pair of Honda with nearly 350,000 combined miles.



This is a fair critique and something I will play more with tonight. I moved this direction because the seams were ugly and needed somewhere to hide, but the improved templates may be good enough on their own. I have another test piece about to come off the printer, I’ll try no foam on this one.

In the meantime, here are the pictures of the last no-foam one, and the most recent foam one. Again, no-foam also used the cruddy tape templates, the foam one used the nice cutting templates.

 

No Foam - Tape Templates - Many Sewing Attempts Ago

 

With Foam - Printed Templates -- Crappy surface prep in the middle so it isn't sticking well, I should have sanded it-- - Most Recent Sewing Attempt

 

Here's a better comparison, newest template with and without foam. Note that the foam version did have some adhesion issues, try not to factor bubbles into the rankings! This is a tough one. I am pretty happy with how this foam-less assembly went.

 

Big update. Forget all previous attempts.

 

 

Wow, thats really impressive.

 

The heavy grain looks very nice, and hides a lot of the surface variations under it.

 

How thick is the foam? Maybe thinner foam, but I'd personally go with no foam.

 

Thanks! I'm not totally sold on the heavy grain yet, but this that type of vinyl has precious few suppliers and textures. I definitely like the heavy grain with no seams better than the lighter grain with seams!
Also of note, the surface variations will be much more minimal on the next full-sized prototype. I've just been lazy with my upholstery test pieces and done zero prep to the seams. Final versions will have the seams filled with epoxy and sanded smooth.

The foam on the one sample that has it is 1/4". I can source 1/8", but the main purpose of it was to hide the seams, which aren't an issue with this vinyl. I suspect that adding foam under this one will cause failures similar to the existing consoles as the foam deteriorates with time, so I am leaning far to the no-foam side anyway!


No pictures to post for updates yet, but I have been tweaking the design to minimize tension in the vinyl and reduce the likelihood of glue failure over time. More to come once I get the newest revision off the printer and get it upholstered!

 

Say hello to the three stooges of stretch vinyl. Bubbly, Melty, and Lumpy.

Bubbly - The first attempt. getting the right amount of glue into the wrong size radius didn't go well. See results below.

Melty - Using a heat gun makes the vinyl pliable! And it is easy to go too far. This got it into the too-tight radius, but at the cost of losing texture and having my thumb print melted in.

Lumpy - I got the handle area pretty good on this one! Still a little tough, so more changes on the way, but the real issue was uneven application of glue. This left lumps under the surface that stand out when the light hits it just right.




More news to come soon, but for now I'll just leave you with a screenshot...

 

Well here's the last in a small pile of test upholstery pieces (many upholstered multiple times). This one hits the fine balance between upholster-ability and accuracy to the original that I was looking for.

Time to start the prints on the first full sized (non-prototype) production unit!

 

For those curious about the color match between the radio pod / lid and the new vinyl, see below.


The printer has been and will be working some overtime for the next few days. Plate 2, 5, 8, and 11 are complete, Plate 3 is in progress.


I made some modifications to the production of this unit, the driver side and passenger side can be split apart to allow for easier upholstery and cleaner lines. When p3 comes off the printer tomorrow, I should be able to get the full driver's side welded together and epoxied. Likely Tuesday afternoon at the soonest before I can final sand and upholster. Very possible that I could have a complete unit by 7 March 2026. I can't wait to share the first production unit!

Getting ahead of myself again I suppose, but I have also been working on 2 DIN radio bezels. I think that the layout looks better with the AC controls under the head unit. This will probably require a custom radio pod to complete, but that feels like less of a challenge than the center console. I would like to hear thoughts on if people would even want this.

 

The first finished unit. I think these results speak for themselves.




The ugly nub at the front will be completely hidden by the radio pod. Pictures installed in my car coming soon.

 

Dude, these are awesome!!! You're really done an incredible job designing them.

maybe after this you can make them for 82-84 cars!!! Just joking (kind of).

There is such a market for these.

 

Holy cow that turned out absolutely amazing, that new vinyl is chef's kiss perfect look!! consider me interested if you want beta testers or if you decide to sell some.

 

Indeed, that looks amazing. Excellent work.

 

Thanks for the kind words! I'm pretty excited with the result, looking forward to having it in the car tomorrow and getting to drive it around for a little bit!

I expect to be able to start selling them before too much longer, but I do still need to finish the E-Brake slot and test for heat resistance first!

 

Just a couple quick follow up pics, installed in the car. It is SOLID in place.

 

Very impressive work.

 

That looks great!

 

Well that didn't last long. Very first 80 degree day and the glue failed right where I would have expected it to. Seems as though I'll have to revisit the glue I am using. I am also considering a change to the design here, It would be a LOT more reliable if I made a covered bolt-down piece to hold the vinyl in place... Maybe remove the radius entirely, and have the bolt in piece have it instead? we'll see...

 

Side note, I am incredibly disappointed with the Hawk's Center Console lid. It was installed for a grand total of TWO DAYS, and it is falling apart. It had a crack from the day I opened it, but one of the two hinge mounts was already falling out today. I took it apart to do a post mortem, and EVERY screw location is cracked and broken. Aside from the rubber not pulling back, my original is somehow in better shape. Just awful. It looks like I beat it to death. Am I in the minority here? Anyone else have a good experience with this?

 

They are 100% absolute JUNK. If you look at them wrong they brake into pieces. We didn't even get to look at it wrong.

The one we ordered for the 1989 GTA L98 ASC convertible was broke all to pieces inside the box Hawks shipped it in and the box was in 100% A-OK perfect condition.

Get Hawks to refund your money. We did.