Dictys

Hi Jerry,

What sort of time frame do you expect before you can ship the first units, also any ideas on cost yet?

Mark

928mac

You know you have done such a nice job on all of this, I have to ask if you will have a black automatic console for sale.

Jerry Feather

Hi Mark: I think the price for this conversion is going to be $400 to $500 for the basic components, with the price range allowing for some variables. I expect the shifter position indicator lite module, if it works, will add about an additional $100 to $150. These prices will be for the customer's conversion "kit" set up with their choice of configuration and then covered in black leather. Other coverings will/may be extra.

An additional option will be my making a custom conversion of the customer's center console shipped to me. I think that will add about $200 to @250 to the price. That may also entail shipping the customer's double DIN Nav unit to me, unless it happens to be the same as one I have myself that I can use for fitting.

Packaging and shipping will be in addition.

For timing, I would like to have a few of these ready to ship by the end of November. Custom conversions may have to wait until later depending on my time. One thing that may holds me up is the design and fabrication of the air vent connector which I can't design until I get one of these conversions ready for and installed, at least physicallty, if not electronically, in one of my cars.

An additional major concern I have is final development of the 5-speed version of this project since I don't have one readily available to check the fit of the lower trim piece I have recently fabricated.

The timing published here is really very "soft!!!" I hate working against the clock or calendar in my spare time projects such as this, but I will keep at it and see how it progresses.

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

I haven't been entirely dormant on this FLUSH Console conversion, but have been a little distracted both here and at work.

I have been working on the indicator lite set-up for the auto shifter version of this conversion and that has taken a lot of busy work. Now I need to take my car apart in the console area to see how this is going to work mechanically and then do a little wiring of lites and switches I still need to develop a little "foot" for the shifter shaft for the switches to pick up the shifter position, and then hope I have or can instill enough adjustment for this system to work in the field. I have that in mind and just need to pick up a piece of suitable plastic to machine the feet out of.

I also discovered in casual conversation about this with a good friend who has an 89 S4, but which I has thought was an automatic, that it is actually a manual. I am trying to get him to let me do one of these conversions in his car so I can finalize this conversion more accurately for those cars. Im not sure how well off he is to buy the NAV unit which I think might hold that up.

Here are a couple of pictures. One shows the little lite lenses that I have had lazer engraved with the letters and numbers and which I have painted in the letters with black paint. The other picture shows the switch bar that I have designed to hold the mini micro switches that will be picking up the shifter position off the shifter shaft in the autos. These items will all be grouped together in another piece of plastic for a frame, and the whole thing will become the shifter lite module. Then it will be fastened to the under side of the shifter trim piece to the left of the shifter recess. Final development of that depends on my taking the console out of my car, as I mentioned.

Jerry Feather

S4-on-your-back-door

Jerry your work is second to none! i just stumble upon this thread and as i was reading and seeing the development of this mod I was soooo excited and I to wanted to know when I could purchase this product from you. I must be honest and say the prices of this mod has down-turned my excitement :^(. If I'm correct, its, lets say $450 for panels, $125 for indicator, and $250 for u to do the conversion. I will forgo the $250 for most of use will be handy enough to mod it ourselves, so that leaves us with $575 + shipping. Now i may be wrong ( and i am broke like a lot of Americans rite now ;^) ) but it sounds a little steep to me and will definitely cut down on ur volume. The hard work is done now isnt it ( mold making ) and im sure u can mass produce the molds fairly cheaply. I would think lowering the price to more like $300 or so and moving quantity may be a better business plan. All it will take is someone saying that that cost is out of their range and for them to just make a fiberglass mold using cardboard as thier template for the center console and selling them for $100 and that wouldn't be too hard to do. Thats just a thought but i love the work ur doing thnks :^)

Jadz928

Holy tedium, batman!
Jerry,
Were you not in the 90th percentile design (and mfg.) well over a month ago?
Would it be fair to say you could make a few covers, of both manual and auto, and get them in the hands of people who can try them out on their cars?
You could really learn alot from some "in the field" research here.
May I humbly suggest you offer a few up as "prototype samples" at a reduces price - just to get it going.
Clearly, it is your project and you chose your own course. No one is disputing your will and determination.
My concern, as already stated prior, is you are designing something to satisfy a small market share of automatic owners - the ones who don't have the gear indicator on the dash.
The ones the do have them own the earlier cars, and may not have $500 to throw at a custom dash insert, They are busy throwing money at 25-30 year old leather interiors.
Also pay attention to the fact that prospective buyer are watching.
Do you think all the folks with autos, that don't want the shift indicator, are going to want to pay a higher price because your development cost willbe embedded across your sales?
If you are having fun and enjoying your work... great! If you would like to make money, it may be time for reassessment.
I aplogize if I appear harsh. I call it honest. I have to make recommendations like this often with my clients "to keep them on track".
I also understand you don't take well to these recommendations, which may be why you didn't respond to my last one. I'm okay with that. I'm just trying to help.

Herman K

I don't have an automatic but I think that if you recess the light below the surface of the leather or other finish they will much easier collect dirt in those area's and will be much harder to clean.

My advice would be to make them flush with the surrounding surface area.

Nice work my compliments

Jerry Feather

My thanks to S4OYBD, Jim D., and Herman K. I am deliberating on all of your input, but will say a little about Herman's here.

The final version of lthe indicator lites will have them flush with the upper surface of the leather. However, I am still concerned about that tiny "gap" that appears more pronounced in the photos than in real life, but is nevertheless there. I am sure it is going to collect dirt and spilled coffee over time, but it will be subject to removal for thorough cleaning from time to time without interrupting the adjustment of the lite module. The only way to avoid that woud have been to pursue the first concept with having the lenses mounted on top of the leather. Since that version seems to be less desirable I have continued the development with the lenses coming up from beneath the trim piece and through the little holes that have been lined with leather.

Thanks for you thoughts. It is always a help to know what others are thinking and might desire for this project.

I am going to continue to think about the other two posts and try to have something so say about them this evening.

Jerry Feather

S4-on-your-back-door

how about rounding them out so that they still protrude but the center will be high and the ends will be flush with the leather. like how water beads and sits on a flat surface

Jerry Feather

Hi S4OYBD. If I made them that way and installed them from the top that would not be too much different than the first version I showed. They wouldn't be flush but would be like a bead of water on a flat surface. Then I would still have to change my lite module design and actually build the lite and switch system into the lower trim piece, rather than the seperate module I seem to be committed to now.

I guess there is really no way to get away from the edge of leather wrapped "roundly" around the inside edge of the hole and pushing the straight sides of the lite lens up through the hole to flush with the leather surface. I think we are going to live with the dust and dirt that is going to accululate in there much like the crap that accumiulates around the keys on your keyboard. Since you won't be punching on them so much, or any, I don't think it is going to be too bad.

Look at all the nooks and crannies in your present center console and see if you can tell that my design is going to better or worse.

Jerry Feather

S4-on-your-back-door

lol definitely not worse lol. wat are your plans for the automatic shifter? how do u plan to extend it?

Jerry Feather

I have not discovered a need to extend the shifter for the Auto cars!!!

Here are three pictures of the setting we are talking about showing the first leather covered prototype trim piece in place in one of my cars. This is the earlier version of the auto shifter trim piece which has now been modified to extend the shifter recess a quarter of an inch farther foreward, a quarter inch to the left and a half inch to the rear.

I wonder what the basis is for your question?

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

P.S. These pictures were taken with the shifter in park position which is the one that puts the shifter handle the closest to the console. JF

S4-on-your-back-door

i was just thinking how short my aftermarket shifter was an that this flush mount would bring the surface up by a 1.25inches, so wasnt sure it that would cause problems or not. i guess not now :^)

Jerry Feather

What do you mean by how short your aftermarket shifter is?

Jerry