Console Restoration

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Old Feb 5, 2010 | 09:58 AM
  #1  
507OLDS's Avatar
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,814
From: Erie,PA
Console Restoration

A few of had asked for some pictures of some of my console restos.I have some of a 4-spd console that I did last summer.I didn't take a whole lot of pictures,to show each detail or step,but these are some before & after pictures of the same console.This car was found sitting in a swamp,& was heavily rotted.The interior wasn't any different.There was moss & algae on this console before some of these pictures were taken.Surprisingly,nothing on the console was damaged or broken,it was just plain ugly.I got the console removed from the car,& disassmbled everything.The upper,lower,lid,& 4-spd boot adapter got a thorough cleaning/scrubbing with warm water & dish soap.They cleaned up real good,& I did not find any hidden scratches or blemishes,so all these parts can stay together.Once they were dry,& sparayed a mist-coat of SEM Landau Blackto more or less check for adhesion,then after about 10 minutes,sprayed a good solid coat on,but not heavy because you want to keep the texture nice & crisp.The metal underside of the lid,& the hinge were stripped,wet-sanded,then primed & painted satin black.The latch hook was cleaned & coated it's parkerized finish,which is a charcoal metallic color.All of the fasteneers cleaned-up,& were not pitted.If need be,I replace them with the correct fasteners,or stainless,if someone prefers that.They originals have a black-oxide finish.The rear lense is cleaned,but since this is a 4-spd console,this lense is blacked-out from the factory.It had no flaws,so it was left alone,but I can redye them properly.The two pieces of aluminum trim were free of damage or flaws,just wethered,so they could be reused.I wet-sanded the clear anodized coating off,then polished on a buffer,for a chrome-like finish,to give them some nice pop.There are a few different methods I have used to repaint the black stripe for the upper trim.I found it is better to do all of the wet-sand & buffing before the painting though,to keep the black nice & fresh looking.One way is to mask the whole thing off,they razor-knife the tape away from the black inlay,then paint,or you might also be able to find a thin-tipped black paint marker,but you will need to make a few passes with one of those,to prevent or hide the streaks that a marker usually leaves.The liners(not shown),were perfect from this console,& only needed a cleaning,but I am able to refelt them,if needed.I can also refelt the repop liners,to make them look factory.The two diecast chrome trims for the 4-spd boot were pitted on this console,so I opted for the repopped trims.I've noticed that they have improved them in the last few years,& they look & fit great.The boot is a repop as well.The top plates are originals from another 4-spd console that I had.The ones from this one were brittle & rough.I had the nice set rechromed.However,they have retooled or redesigned the repop top plates,& they are real nice now.I have used them since,on others,& very pleased.The woodgrain is correct 70,with the metal backing,& fit the top plates real nice.Just take your time & place them on straight.I used weatherstrip adhesive,but there are other adhesives that will work too.Once all the pieces were redone & ready,the console was reassembled.You should note on this particular console,where the hinge attaches to the body,there are only two screws used,& they are in the inner holes.This is exactly how this particular console was assembled at the factory.The car was built in Framington,Mass.,so maybe that is how they did it there.When finished,this console was as perfect as one could be.It takes me about 11hrs to do one like this start to finish. I'll post another thread soon,with a dual-gate console resto,including the shifter resto.Enjoy.

Burgundy70Cutlass010.jpg

Burgundy70Cutlass013.jpg

Consoles.jpg

4-spdconsole001.jpg

4-spdconsole002.jpg

4-spdconsole003.jpg

4-spdconsole004.jpg

4-spdconsole005.jpg

Last edited by 507OLDS; Feb 5, 2010 at 10:06 AM.
Old Feb 5, 2010 | 12:22 PM
  #2  
mv213's Avatar
Classic GM Fan
 
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 217
From: Keizer, OR
Really nice, Brian. My console came out great thanks your good advice. I couldn't be more pleased with it.
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