SUNP0127 (Medium).JPG
334 hits | 36.84 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Basics. Here you see some of the cardboard templates, scissors, a pen, and some silver solder (also ...

SUNP0128 (Medium).JPG
281 hits | 33.08 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Silver solder is ideal for a contour guage because it bends readily but will easily hold it's shape

SUNP0129 (Medium).JPG
292 hits | 29.83 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
This is the console that we are replacing.

SUNP0096 (Medium).JPG
263 hits | 25 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Currently my "mini console" is wedged between the seats and sitting on top of the ebrake handle. Thi...

SUNP0131 (Medium).JPG
325 hits | 39.4 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Here is the first piece I cut. I fiddled with cardboard cutouts for many hours before making this fi...

SUNP0136 (Medium).JPG
293 hits | 37.75 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Now, on to how we are going to make the back of the console match up to the contours of the dash.
...

SUNP0137 (Medium).JPG
332 hits | 37.11 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
then you bend it into an L shape...

SUNP0139 (Medium).JPG
307 hits | 33.32 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Line up the short edge of the L with the bottom of the base piece...

SUNP0140 (Medium).JPG
345 hits | 30.22 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
...and push it to the rear. I only have 2 hands, so I couldnt take a picture while I was making the ...

SUNP0141 (Medium).JPG
352 hits | 36.17 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Now you have a pretty darn good approximation of the contour you need to cut in the wood.

SUNP0143 (Medium).JPG
381 hits | 32.95 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
So then we take the silver solder and lay it on a piece of cardboard and trace it. Here we have the ...

SUNP0144 (Medium).JPG
501 hits | 32.94 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Looks pretty good, eh?

SUNP0145 (Medium).JPG
457 hits | 27.08 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Oh Noes!!! What's this?

The transmission hump is not perfectly flat, so the base piece is not act...

SUNP0146 (Medium).JPG
377 hits | 28.82 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Again, I only have the 2 hands, so use your imagination.

What we have to do to correct the gap is...

SUNP0147 (Medium).JPG
434 hits | 28.51 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Now with both pieces on a semi-flat surface (like, say, the hood of your xj), line them up using the...

SUNP0150 (Medium).JPG
462 hits | 28.81 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Now we have the original and the filler piece that will fit together to form the template for our si...

SUNP0152 (Medium).JPG
479 hits | 44.52 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Tape them together and lay them on your plywood.

SUNP0153 (Medium).JPG
441 hits | 49.09 KB | Posted: 8/25/06
Trace the template cut it out!

Now that you know how to do one panel, you can figure out how to d...

Cragars(Medium).JPG
513 hits | 60.13 KB | Posted: 10/29/06
Mmmmm.....Cragars.....

SUNP0106 (Medium).JPG
456 hits | 60.69 KB | Posted: 10/29/06