Custom Console

[Old Gear Head]

I was thinking about building a custom center console for my 67 Newport 2dr .it has factory buckets and floor shifter ,the po put a late model gm console in it and it looks like crap.
Anybody done this? any pics? Thanks.

 

[polara71]

The only one that will look right is the correct one ...in my opinion

 

[Xenon]

The only one that will look right is the correct one ...in my opinion

Absooolutly agree... !!!
They are not that expensive and there are easy to find..

 

[CBODY67]

In the customized Chevy Suburban "craze" era of the later 1980s, many of the conversion companies did build wood consoles for their conversion kits. The wood work was all pretty nice, but the varnish/coatings they used were "thin", so all of the wood they added looked poorly after a few years. Later ones would use multiple coats, letting them dry for weeks before a new coat was applied. Cycle repeat.

Not to say it can't be done, or look nice when done, BUT you'll typically expend much more in time and money than a swap meet console might cost, by a good bit. Of course, you'll want some really nice wood to refinish. Level of execution counts, big time!

Even IF you do a great job, the next owner might see it as "home-made" and seek to replace it with the correct item. Might as well head toward the ultimate "end" situation now and be done with it? Spend your money on the console and then a little bit more getting it spiffedup with new side carpets, satin black paint (in places it's supposed to be), and chrome polish/wax.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[commando1]

Anything else looks exactly what it is. A Home Depot console.

 

[Old Gear Head]

Easy to find? not in my neck of the woods ,tried ebay ,only thing there was a overpriced 65 , tried FaceBook ,closest i got was a guy that had several ,but didn't want to put a price on them ,kept saying make a offer on my rare pieces ,the word rare scared me away ,not dropping$1200 on a beater console , and yes I have seen some nice custom consoles ,just google it . in my opinion.

 

[Old Gear Head]

Absooolutly agree... !!!
They are not that expensive and there are easy to find..

Where? only ones I found are more than what I paid for my car!

 

[Old Gear Head]

In the customized Chevy Suburban "craze" era of the later 1980s, many of the conversion companies did build wood consoles for their conversion kits. The wood work was all pretty nice, but the varnish/coatings they used were "thin", so all of the wood they added looked poorly after a few years. Later ones would use multiple coats, letting them dry for weeks before a new coat was applied. Cycle repeat.

Not to say it can't be done, or look nice when done, BUT you'll typically expend much more in time and money than a swap meet console might cost, by a good bit. Of course, you'll want some really nice wood to refinish. Level of execution counts, big time!

Even IF you do a great job, the next owner might see it as "home-made" and seek to replace it with the correct item. Might as well head toward the ultimate "end" situation now and be done with it? Spend your money on the console and then a little bit more getting it spiffedup with new side carpets, satin black paint (in places it's supposed to be), and chrome polish/wax.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

And where do you get an original console ,not ebay ,tried that ,tried facebook ,guy has a few but there "rare" and wants me to make an offer ,kinda acted like he wasn't interested in selling. and anybody who goes to swap meets knows it's rare to see mopar parts.

 

[Old Gear Head]

Absooolutly agree... !!!
They are not that expensive and there are easy to find..

Where? I've tried...

 

[CBODY67]

And where do you get an original console ,not ebay ,tried that ,tried facebook ,guy has a few but there "rare" and wants me to make an offer ,kinda acted like he wasn't interested in selling. and anybody who goes to swap meets knows it's rare to see mopar parts.

Swap meets? Not just ANY ol' swap meet will do. More GM and Mustang stuff, typically. So you wait until August and head to the Mopar Nats, Mopars at Carlisle, OR to one of the Mopar show events in your region. Like the Southwest MiniNats in Garland (Dallas Mopar Club) on Labor Day weekend. Seems like there's (or used to be) a sizable Mopar club in OKC? Some in AR and LA, too?

Or contact one of the longer-time Mopar salvage yards across the nation. One in Killeen, TX, too.

I concur, whenever a parts seller starts mentioning "rare" in his description of what he's got for sale, it can usually mean higher $$$$ for mediocre items. What's perceived as "rare" in one area might be more plentiful in areas of the nation were more Chrysler products were sold, by observation. There's also Bud's up in Aline, OK, too, but not a specific Mopar-oriented operation.

Know the differences between a B-body console and a C-body console, if there are any differences, other than the shifter, for good measure.

CBODY67

 

[rapidtrans]

All the parts are available to put together a brand new repro console for about $1500.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

I think a good plan would be to buy a reproduction console housing, then keep a close eye on ebay for reasonable deals on the metal parts. Or an even better plan would be to try to get a decent deal on the metal parts first, because you know that you can always buy the plastic part from multiple sources. You should be able to do it in the $500 range.

 

[68 4spd Fury]

Not 100% on 67's, or the Chryslers, but in my 68 the console is common to B bodies so the parts are out there. There are reproductions I'm sure too. If yours was originally a console car hopefully the brackets

are still on the floor.

 

[rapidtrans]

Good plan Jeff. He could always upgrade the top plates later. I have yet to find a pit free console top for my 65 at a swap meet.

 

[polara71]

I bought everything reproduction for my 70 console from Vans, $1100.

 

[Old Gear Head]

I bought everything reproduction for my 70 console from Vans, $1100.

I went to there web site ,must be something wrong with it , when I went to the contact page it wouldn't let me enter any information.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Looks like prices went up since Dave bought his. Now $1250.

You won't be able to get one that's exactly correct for your Newport, since it would have come with burl woodgrain inserts and silver painted trim.

The '66-'68 console has brushed aluminum inserts with silver paint.

https://vansauto.com/product/66-68-b-body-automatic-console-assembly/



The '69-'70 console has straight grain wood inserts and black paint.

https://vansauto.com/product/69-70-b-body-automatic-console-assembly/

 

[polara71]

Mine was a show special at Carlisle .... saves on shipping too

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Mine was a show special at Carlisle .... saves on shipping too

One of the great benefits of Carlisle. Especially when shopping for big repop sheetmetal.

 

[fury fan]

Does your car have a floor shifter already?
From what I've looked at consoles at my yearly mopar-only swap meet, consoles are out there for $500-$800 -- and they'll need work/money in that price range.
If you don't have a floor shifter mechanism already, the shifter, floor brackets, linkage, etc, are a PITA to find as a complete 'kit'.
If you don't have a floor-shift steering column, then you have to either find one, or just the right collar to swap on, or accept having the naked-nub on your column where your shifter handle once was.

It seems a simple upgrade idea, but it's neither cheap nor easy, unless you get VERY lucky on finding parts.

Here's what I did in one of mine years ago.
While it is homemade, the aluminum cuts out some of that 'puffy and wrapped in vinyl' look that makes these sorts of things stand out as homemade.
Ignore the fugly 6x9 speaker grilles, I should've sourced/made something more elegant/subtle.