Jerry Feather

I suspect that when this thread trails off for a few pages some of you are wondering what the heck I am doing on this project. Actually I have been working pretty steadily on it making adjustments in the trimming guides for the router and glueing up some of the inside doublers. None of that lends itself very well to pictures and not even much to verbal discription.

Nevertheless, I have the guides almost exact, and will make one more tiny adjustment in the one for the middle opening in a little while, then I am going to try to concentrate on some of the rest of the development of the lower trim piece. For it I still have to fabricate the part of the forming machine that will be needed to form the 5-speed version of that part, and then I need to figure out just how to develop the openings for whatever is going to put in the panel parts of it.

Given the nature of the lower trim design, I have a lot of possibilities for configuration, but with some limitations, particularly as it relates to the limits on use of the original clock. Too, I don't have much idea yet what the possiblilties are going to be for additional instrumentation in that component.

If I get done what I am shooting for this weekend I expect to have the two pieces of this conversion face done well enough to try to cover them in leather, then I'll post some pictures of that mocked up in one of the spare consoles I have to work with. I may even have the rack for hanging the NAV unit in the console done and even mounted in one of them to show. We'll see.

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

This FLUSH Console conversion "System," if that what it becomes, is starting to take some final form. I have a prototype of each of the components that I have fitted stuff to and am going to take it down to my trim guy's place for some help in covering them. I hope he is working today.

Here are a few pictures of what I have to this point.

In the first picture, with all the white background I didn't get a flash so it doesn't show up too well. I expected that so I took the next two a little closer so maybe you can see what I am showing.

In the last two pictures I am showing the first and second prototypes of the NAV rack. The second one has the bottom flange folded completely over to form a hem since there is not enough space between the NAV and the HVAC for a flange. I also made the second one out of 040 aluminum rather than 050 which I did the first one with. I like 040 better, and I think it will work into the build-up of the mounting location better.

hans14914

Looking good Jerry!

Jerry Feather

You might be able to notice that I did a little bit of restoration to this center console I am working with. The lower sides were very much delaminated, the worst I have seen to this point, so I relaminated them the best I could. I think they will stay, but the length of time they were in the curled-up state is going to leave scares in the vinyl, probably forever.

Here are a few more pictures.

The first one shows the second prototype rack loosely on the NAV, This NAV is a Pioneer AVIC-Z3. It is a little different than the other two I am going to be working with, the 910 and 920, but the front opening is going to stay the same for all of them.

The second picture shows my little Infinit clock in it's opening which I have placed centered on the shifter recess.

Third shows the Air Vent glued into the top of the upper insert; and last shows the top of the air vent with the little patch I made and glued into place which fills the void that is going to be left when these are cut out of the console, but leaving the two mounting holes fixed to the console.

Jerry

Jerry Feather

Here is a little better picture of the whole concept.

And another. This black stuff just isn't showing up very well in natural light.

Jerry

Jerry Feather

Back in the day in the Air Force we used to define progress as movement in any direction. Now I am beginning to see that there might be some real meaning to that phrase.

I have the two prototype components covered with leather and they look really nice. The problem is that now I have to move backward a bit to correct for the thickness of leather where I have not quite allowed enough in my tooling.

Fortunately, I had this possibility in mind while calculating the leather allowance and kept the tooling on the short side of the allowance so now I only have to mill out a tiny bit here and there rather than throwing any of it away and starting over.

Here is a picture of the two covered components with a couple of the items in place, sort of. The ones that are left out don't fit, yet. Actually they probably will never fit, since this is as far as this prototype will ever go. I will make the adjustments in the tooling and bring a second prototype to this point, and then hopefully beyond.

I covered this prototype in tan leather both so it will stand out better for this picture and because this is the color of leather that we put in my DD S4 some time ago. It is not a Porsche leather color and will not likely be put on anyone else's conversion, but it does show one of the possibilities in regard to contrast.

On the other hand I suspect that if this conversion makes it to market most of them will be covered in Black leather. For that purpose we have found one large hide that has a grain very much like the simulated leather grain in the vinyl in the console and elsewhere in the 928s.

I think I will cover the next prototype in some of that black leather.

Bill Ball

WOW!

You appear to be close to done, but having followed your saga for so long, I know you aren't satisfied yet. Anyway, these last 2 pictures have me salivating. Are you taking pre-orders yet?

Bill Ball

I'd like to give my opinion about cutouts. I've held back to let you go where you may and because there could be so many opinions, and you wouldn't want to try to satisfy everyone. But here goes.

The clock cutout bothers me because it pretty much limits you to a certain style of clock, and I think the Lexus (er, Infiniti, whatever) clock is, um, too girlie for me.

I like the idea of the holes for a gear indicator in the first mock up, but I'm not sure how that would be completed. What are you ideas on that?

How do you intend to finish the shifter cut out? Right now you have a small recess with a slot for the shaft in the leather covered mock-up. How would a boot attach? I have a Jager boot that fits the opening in the stock plate, and it's bigger than your recess. What about 5-speeds? Your recess looks too small.

It occurred to me you could offer uncut lower piece and allow people to configure their own cutouts and finish covering. OR, you could include your finish work, as it looks so good, with some very limited variation in cutouts allowed, say, for a different clock option or no clock.

I thought about an uncut upper piece for the same reason, but your work reinforcing the 2DIN cutout and fitting the climate control and vent is good and I can't see why anyone would want to change it. I suppose if someone had a single DIN unit, they could fit that and find a single DIN cubbyhole that would fit...or a panel for accessory gages. So, I think the top piece is optimal as is.

Anyway, that leather covered mock-up looks VERY, VERY sharp!

Jerry Feather

Up to this point I have been forging ahead pretty much single mindedly. I did have soime good input from Jimmy about the possibility of additional gauges, but that has so far ended in a sort of dead end, except for the 5-speed version of this conversion, and except for the still open need to discover some suitable gauges in about 1 1/2 inch size. I saw a brief reference in a link to Something Sterling did some time ago, but he was kind enough to let me know that the gauges he found were not suitable. They weren't any good!

Part of the project that is still open is the application of a clock, if that is desired. What might the clock consist of. I suppose the little Infiniti clock is of some limited quantity, but I have several of them; and I have a very few of the slightly larger Infiniti clock. I think either of them can be adapted to the lower trim piece, if desired. There is adequate space in the lower trim piece for the rear AC controls in any number of places, and space also for a 12v power outlet. In fact I just bought one on eBay that is out of a VW Jetta, I think, but which appears to have a very suitaqble appearance with a nicely hinged cap.

One of the major concerns I have is how I will be able to get the upper air vent removed from someone's console leaving the correct amount of plastic in the console for mounting it back in the car, and then trimming and glueing the vent into the upper insert before the insert is covered in leather; and, including the need to patch the hole in top left by the plastic not taken out of the console.

I wonder if there is going to be much of a desire to have the little lights along side the left of the auto shifter for gear selection indication? Did you notice the little row of holes I drilled for these in one of the last pictures? I have ordered a bunch of 3mm led's to see if I can make some suitable indicator lights; and then I will need to design and build a switching panel for underneath the lower trim piece that will pick up the shifter location, probably with a series of micro switches.

Another item that still needs development is the air guide to fill in the new void between the relocated air vent and the air box under the dash. I think I will try to make something that can be glued or screwed to the air box that will have a face to it that can mate up to the vent in the new location. I don't know yet how that is going to be made, whether hand fabricated or perhaps formed in some way as these other pieces.

My thinking at this point is that it is beginning to look like if I am able to bring this conversion to market it is probably going to have to be on a custom basis for each conversion. In that, I would have the buyer send me his or her console and the NAV unit to be installed and any clock or gauges that we have decided on and then I would do the conversion in the console here. I would cover it with leather and send it back for the buyer to arrange final installation.

Then there is going to be the question of leather color, at least to the extent that someone might like something other than black, perhaps to match some other color leather in their car. I have a source for Porsche color leather, but don't have a great deal of confidence in how close the colors might match, especially now that the original leather in the cars is so old. Or, how about the possibility that the buyer sends me their own leather? That could be a good lpossibility where they have a new interior and where some of the new leather can be obtained.

I still don't know what the likelyhood is going to be to move anything on the air box as Kieth Widom had to do, but a later person found to be unnecessary, perhaps because of the slightly different model of Pioneer NAV unit he used. That suggests to me that this possibility remains strong. This is one of the things Nicole suggested originally that might be required in this kind of conversion system. I probably wont know the answer to this one until I get to the point of putting this conversion into one of my own cars.

I know that there has been a lot of interest in this project simply by the number of times the thread has been viewed. So, now might be the time for anyone to start posting their interests and concerns so that there is more than just my simple mind involved.

Thanks for your interest.

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

Thanks Bill. We seem to be on the same wave length. While you were posting your last, I was drafting mine.

The reason the clock is such a problem is that there is too little space in what is now the "clock panel" for a clock in the auto version of this conversion. The 5-speed version is substantially different in that the shifter does not go as far foreward as the auto. This conversion as done by Kieth Widom would not work for the auto cars.

As to the shifter recess, there is going to be a much different recess for the 5-speed. The one I have been showing is strictly for the Auto cars. I have the form made for the 5-speed trim panel, except I still have to make and install the counter-male form piece that will actually push in to form that recess.

As to the finish for the shifter, each of these will have its own shifter boot, either made of the same leather as the conversion is covered in or perhaps contrasting. The boot will be based on a simple plastic insert to fit into the shifter recess and will be held in by friction or screwed in from below. It will form the base of the leather boot that will be probably glued to it. None of the original or aftermarket boots are going to be adaptable to this conversion. The base for the auto and 5-speed shifters will not even be the same because the recesses are different; and even the leather size will not be the same because the circumfrences of the recesses are different.

Thanks, Bill, for your input, and for your compliments.

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

I am looking at the last picture I posted and I'll bet you are wondering just how I got the color of the NAV screen to match the leather. Actually so am I. I wonder if it is Chameleon?

Jerry

81Euro

Jerry Greetings, and congratulations on the progress of your "System." Your work, as usual, is simply beautiful! I concur the custom approach appears the logical course, and as others have indicated, I'm ready when you are! Although at first I considered a wood finish, after seeing your prototype the leather appearance is much more elegant (black matches my interior). I would however depending on cost like to have the option to cover the entire center console to avoid any new/old contrast. To my disappointment I have been unable to find minature gauges that would complement the pedigree of our cars, but the Prosport Digital series offers a clock that just might work. I'd like to send it and the others gauges along for your evaluation and possible inclusion wherever. Lastly, my Nav is a Kenwood DNX7140 and I believe the measurements are the same as the Pioneer. Please advise your next step. Jimmy.

Jerry Feather

Hi Jimmy and all. I find it kind of wierd that when I measure the thickness of the leather that I am using it shows about 035 to 040 in thickness with a dial caliper, but when it is installed around the edges of this plastic it seems to take up to just about a 1/16 of an inch in space. I had allowed the former in many of my calculations, thinking that with the force of pulling it around these edges it might even get a little thinner, but found that I really should have been allowing more for the end result.

I spent the afternoon re-milling the forming guides for the upper insert openings and have tried them out on a couple of the inserts. I destroyed one insert because I didn't pay close attention to the method of lay-up of the insert in the truimming guide, but then I finished one that is just about perfect, at least assuming that I have the adjustments correct. I'll glue it up later and then cover it with black leather and see how it fits.

In the meantime I guess I have to figure out how to take the air vent out of the last insert to put in the next, or otherwise I am going to run out of spare consoles with fresh airvents to work with.

I also made up three of the shifter boot bases that I am going to cover with the leather boot and post that soon. I have some issues with the rough prototype of boot my trim guy made for me a while ago, but hope to figure out how to solve that with the next version of the boot.

There is going to be only one stiched seam in the leather in this whole conversion project. For those of you who like french seams and other top stitching, this is going to be a dissapointment. I like french seams too, but I find that it is just about impossible to even make a french seam in the leather boots which is going to be the only seam in the whole project. It is gong to have to be a simple seam, and perhaps I will glue the insides of the seam in a butterfly fashion for proper fitment.

I think I am a ways away from merchantability of this system, but when I get there I'll start a thread in my sponsorship and see how it might go from there. I don't have much of an idea of what I will be charging for whatever it turns out I can sell, but I'll analyze that when the time comes and see how it goes. I'll probably have to at least get one ready for final installation in one of my cars before I can tell what I will have to have for the conversion and I hope it is something that the most of you can live with.

Jerry Feather

Ducman82

that nave tray is a great idea! how do you plan to attach it to the console?

Marine Blue

Based upon the pic showing the HVAC controls, if you fill in the area below the controls you might have enough room for the 928 clock supplied on the earlier cars and the wood trimmed cars.

Nice work by the way. Amazing skills! Looking forward to seeing the final product.

Here is a shot of the clock I was referring to.