Center Console replacement cover: Reviews

[Nitrate]

1981. 2000. I'd welcome comments from members who have covered their existing center consoles with the aftermarket cover. Good and bad. Does it look good, is it difficult to install, is the moulding accurate, is there a lot of trimming? Thanks, RB

[spidernut]

Plastic console cover:
- Fits fairly well but not perfect
- You'll have to trim for the holes (fan switch and small, square fiber optics fan indicator) Not too hard, but you must do it very carefully
- Glues down easily

Minuses:
- Texture of the faux leather is rather course compared to the original console
- The area where the fan switch is located does not lay flat enough against the original console, so the switch didn't quite fit right
- The bottom edges of the console might need to be trimmed off since the console sides tend not to reach all the way down to cover them. I chopped down some of the top padding on the console too to make it fit better
- The opening for the heater temperature controls doesn't quite fit right. It took some work to get it to lay flat properly
- Hard plastic feel

Plusses:
- WAY better than the busted up console
- Inexpensive and rather quick fix

Hard plastic replacement console:
- Fits exceptionally well
- Has a stippled texture instead of a leather texture
- Takes a lot of work cutting and carving to get the fan switch and indicator to fit

[Nitrate]

Thank you for that review John. Is the stipple finish on the hard plastic replacement closer to the original finish. RB

[DUCeditor]

When I bought my `77, way back in `88, the first thing I had to give attention to was the interior. It had been a Florida car and the heat had dried out and cracked almost all the plastic. To do it I bought some fairly inexpensive materials. A vinyl reupholster kit and covers for the dash and upper and lower consoles.

That was over 25 years ago so I do not remember detail of the installation, but it came out well enough to please me -- and for the car even to win several show awards.

What is most surprising is that those covers have held up beautifully. The car is no longer exposed to the elements as it once was, being a weekend driver that is stored in a garage. But still I'd not have expected such longevity from such an inexpensive and easy "fix."

-don

[spidernut]

No...the original had a vinyl pattern. The stippled ones aren't horrible, they just don't look like the stock original console. I have the stippled one in my restored 79. I'm fine with it as is - stipple and all.

[Warren]

I've had the hard plastic tan console for many years and like it.