ReDesign by FEATHER

I have a similar trick in my bag and I ain't even a pro. However, the way I do it is to glue the leather down onto a flat smooth board and then protect the part I don't want to skive and then grind the leather out to a thin finish with my disc sander using a 36 grit 4.5 inch disc. It tapers the leather edge out pretty nicely. It does however make a hell of a mess with the leather fuzz that results.

The problem with trying to do that with this project is that, especially with the console, one does not necessarinly know in advance where the leather is going to end up in order to know where to do the skiving.

Still, that is a consideration. It makes the leather covering effort about twice as difficult.

There is also a leather skiving maching available. I saw one a while back for about $1200, as I recall, and I was temped to buy it, but decided to wait.

ReDesign by FEATHER

I did a few piddly things this morning getting ready to go over to Doug's and do the leather covering.

One thing I did was finish out the doubler I had put on one of the lower inserts to see how it might work to tighten up the gap between the inserts. I found that I can get the inserts in fairly well, but they are very tight. I think that with the leather over the top and all around the edges, and with a tiny bit of flexibility in the final position, especially with the bottom insert, I am not going to do that doubler.

I added some ABS glue to the joing edges so that if I were going to use this feature I can file it out and have a smooth joint that will not telegraph through the leather.

I also finished out the corners of the NAV opening down to a radius of about 5/32, I think using a small chain saw file. This reduces the corners from the original diameter that results from the half or 3/8 inch mill cutter I used to make the opeing in the router jig.

Here are a few pictures. More when I get back from Doug's.

j.kenzie@sbcglobal.net

Hi Jerry,
In my book, you are a pro and then some. I just meant when you send out a console to someone else, they may need a pro to cover it, rather than just gluing it in place.
Dave

ReDesign by FEATHER

Thanks, Dave. You are too generous.

I guess we will see how this project goes and just how much flexibility we can build into it to meet the various desires and needs.

ReDesign by FEATHER

Hi RKD. That is a picture of the conversion the Kieth Widom did several years ago. That conversion is the one Nicole sent me a lint to when she suggested tyhat I redirect my shifter trim project to doing this Flush Conversion. There is a link to that in the Gator Bait thread about his S4 currently residing on this page of the Forum. You can find it in post 93 in his thread.

I have made some changes in my approach and have tried to do mine so it becomes much less of a one-off that Kienth's; and I have gone a tiny step further than he did at least in respect to the relocation of the upper air vent from the console to the insert. You will notice that he didn't do that. You can tell by the absence of the little lever that opens and closes the vent.

My conversion pretty much locates things where Kieth did, but my inserts completely take the place of all or any of the original trim items.

One thing that concerns me is just how to make a shifter boot for the 5-speed cars. One thought I have it the possibility of simply cutting and resewing the original one so that it will fit the new shape I will have for the boot base that will mount into the recess I have designed for it.

More with pictures when I get back from Doug's place.

G8RB8

2-3 hours unwrapped low and slow, fat side up then 8-10 hours tightly wrapped in foil fat side down with a layer of bacon on top. Then open the top of the foil and give it the beans for 20 minutes or so longer if you are a burnt ends fan. Eat it with a straw.

G8RB8

What about this
http://www.jageng.com/garage9/produc...roducts_id=433
or this, which is what I have on my auto. There's plenty of extra material in this boot to work as a manual boot.
http://www.jageng.com/garage9/produc...roducts_id=119
This might save some work too (at least for development)
http://www.jageng.com/garage9/produc...roducts_id=235

I'll be ordering one of your consoles as soon as they are ready.

ReDesign by FEATHER

I went over to Doug's place and did this to the two inserts.

I'll take a couple of pictures of these inserts in the console shortly. Whicle I was doing this work all the SD cards I had with me got filled up.

ReDesign by FEATHER

And some more pictures. I think the last three of these are out of order.

ReDesign by FEATHER

Here is the console with the two covered inserts installed. I stll have the wooden leather forming devise installed because the glue was letting go after I first took it out. I'll leave it in over night to see if the glue takes ahold again.

I tried the Double DIN in the middle opening and it fits very well with probably just the right amount of relief around it. Its loose enough to work ok but not so loose that it looks gappy around it.

I still have a little fitting inside the upper insert to get the AC panels to fit.

Next I'll work on the shifter boot and base and have Doug help me work the boot up.

ReDesign by FEATHER

Duplicate post

ReDesign by FEATHER

Here are a few more with one of my NAV units proped up in it. This is probably the unit I'll be installing with this one in my Silver S4.

G8RB8

...

ReDesign by FEATHER

Look at one of the recent posts above. You will see the two holes put in the lower insert for the rear AC controls. They are just covered with leather and I have not cut the leather out yet.

Livio928

That looks great. I like the wooden jig you used to press in the leather - neat idea. Will you be leaving the rest of the console as standard plastic?