Jerry Feather

I received a leather covered center console from one of our members who is kind enough to let me use it in some further development of this project. That is particularly helpful because I don't have any other way to determine how to accomodate two layers of leather between my new inserts and the leather covered console.

With His console I discovered two interesting things.

One thing is that his console, and 81S Euro, has a vacuum actuator afixed to the upper air vent which is in the way of the NAV unit, and will be more so when the air vent is relocated to the new upper trim piece. I am going to have to relocate it somehow and/or replace it with a similar, but perhaps smaller unit, to someplace that is out of the way and then figure out how to reconnect it so that it still works.

The later cars do not have this actuator, which is rigged to open and shut the flapper in the vent. I wonder when and where the transition took place?

The other thing I discovered is that, where I might have expected that one could remove the leather from the console and have a nice uncovered vinyl console, here the leather is actually put over a vinyl console that was apparently a reject from the forming process. What it appears is that they took the rejects or seconds and simply repaired the cracks and defects and then covered them in leather so the defects don't show. Nice way to make your seconds into premiums.

I am going to continue the development with this console and one of my cars, both with/for the auto trans, and try to finalize the program so it will be merchantable, both in the custom process in my shop and in the kit form for completion in the field.

I am beginning to get some ideas about how to form the air vent gap filler. I am hoping that will become more simple as that development takes place.

Bill Ball

Jerry:

I've been gone for a while and just saw your recent progress. Congrats! It's looking better and better.

Say, I was wondering...is there a way to intercept the instrument panel's shift indicator signal instead of having to use all those microswitches? I haven't had a chance to look at the wiring dirgram yet, but I will.

EDIT: Looks like there are no good intercept points except at the CE panel. The shift indicator signals all go out through plug L on my 89.

Imo000

Why wouldn't he ask for the most money he can get? Everyone else does.

Speedtoys

I dont think that everyone else does. Most things have reasonable prices on the market, SOME things have wildly unreasonable prices on the market.

Jerry Feather

OOPS! It just occurred to me that not only is having a leather covered console to work with going to help me with this development, but It is also out of and will go back into a 928 with an auto. What occurred to me is that the 81S must have a 3 speed auto trans. In That case I think I will need one less shifter position to incorporate in the indicator module. Not only will that be a slight change, but now I have to wonder what the difference is in the shifter "throw" between each position. I am designing around the 4-speed and can measure the throw, but I have no idea what it might be with the 3-speeds.

I guess I am going to have to look for an OB around here to look at.

Another thing that occurrs to me as I write this is that I may also be needing to figure out how to incorporate the shifter indicator system on the right side of the shifter for the right hand drive cars. Talk about a snow ball!!!

Jerry Feather

Speedtoys

One problem at a time..dont let feature creep kill the project.

Id like to buy this before im 50.

Jerry Feather

Feature creep? I am sure learning a lot of new expressions on this forum.

When is your birthday? 50th?

Jerry Feather

Speedtoys

Feature Creep: Its what happens to high tech startups that never launch anything, because they're either afraid to launch without '..that last enhancement...' or ones that never launch anything, because something shiny that they just 'have to do...' comes up, and they fail to just LAUNCH something, that can be updated later.


And..soon, but not TOO soon, actually, plenty of time. But it'll feel like tomorrow when I get there.

Jerry Feather

OK, Great! I'll watch out for Feature Creep. Actually it can be a problem for me from time to time. I'll also keep in mind your 50th as a sort of deadline for you.

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

PM sent.

Jerry

Jerry Feather

With the help and persistence of Jimmy, I have been able to solve another of the problems that has been bugging me about the final stages of this project. You will recall that he and I went through a little sidetrack on this thread about finding some small instruments that we might fit into the face of this lower trim piece. Then with the additional narrowing of the available space, that whole idea seemed to go away.

Then I remembered solving a similar problem some years ago when I made a new instrument panel for my airplane. What I had to do there was make a new case for one of the istruments to get it to fit. With that older idea in mind I took three of Jimmy's gauges and took the insides out of them and then made new cases for them with much smaller faces than the originals which are about 2 1/4 inch with the bezel.

What I decided I could do is put these three instruments on the right of the auto trim piece with the clock at the top and two others just below and in line. Because the panel area tapers toward the rear, I made the instrument faces slightly smaller as they go back. The clock has a bezel that is 1 7/8 inches, the A/F flow is 1 3/4 inches and the oil temp is 1 5/8 inches. The 1 5/8 is a little small but not too bad for this arrangement.

Then today I went to the aluminum junk yard and found a really nice piece of aluminum tubing or more-like hollow bar in a nice high number alloy and made another sample of gauge case which I am showing here. I may make Jimmy's over, because this material gives me enough to leave a nice ring around it that I can use to mount these from inside. The original instruments would have gone in from the front.

For your information, the gauges Jimmy sent me are PROSPORT GAUGES and come in all kinds of instrumentations. They even have two kinds of clock--digital and analog. I think I am going to get an analog one and start finishing up my design around it. If anyone is beginning to think gauges for this conversion, I think this will be the way to go. I'll post a little later my thoughts about gauges and possible placements.

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

Here are two more pictures.

The new case I made has a 1 3/4 inch bezel, (if that's the right word for it?)

JF

Ducman82

I forgot..... Are you doing one for manual cars as well?

Jerry Feather

Yes, and here is a pictutre of the manual lower trim piece with these reduced-face gauges sitting on top where they might be placed.

Jerry

Ducman82

Oooo I like that very much! I wonder how that will fit with my stereo.....:-)