DIY: Floating Console Modification

[Six Speed Stephen]

Thank you @kitkat for the 3D printed shroud for the gear shifter!

I wasn’t able to remove the cage bc of my tool being too large but I’ll visit the Home Depot soon. The instructions were extremely clear even though I’m not very handy, but I was able to do it no problem. Felt awesome to be able to disassemble the car and reassemble it.

It’s a huge visual change for the car - I think I need to get rid of the green paint. I’ll see how I feel about it when I drive the car!

 

[Rapture]

Thank you @kitkat for the 3D printed shroud for the gear shifter!

I wasn’t able to remove the cage bc of my tool being too large but I’ll visit the Home Depot soon. The instructions were extremely clear even though I’m not very handy, but I was able to do it no problem. Felt awesome to be able to disassemble the car and reassemble it.

It’s a huge visual change for the car - I think I need to get rid of the green paint. I’ll see how I feel about it when I drive the car!

The paint comes off pretty easily with a bit of paint thinner. It's a very cool mod.

 

[B r I a n]

Thank you @kitkat and @Porter!

I love the look:

 

[Rapture]

Thank you @kitkat and @Porter!View attachment 55613
I love the look:
View attachment 55612

Where did you get the shift knob? That looks very nice.

 

[kitkat]

Thank you @kitkat and @Porter!View attachment 55613
I love the look:
View attachment 55612

Never thought I’d see this combo, and somehow it looks cool — like a classy mechanical artwork linkage you’d find in a pagani.

 

[B r I a n]

Where did you get the shift knob? That looks very nice.

Lotus of Silverstone (ordered on line) "Wooden Type 25". I believe it was part of the special edition Type 25 package on the Exige.

 

[ADC]

Wanted to chime in that this is great work, and thanks @kitkat for sharing the love. I'm holding off even considering disassembling the interior until summer returns, but the look is appealing for sure.

I think my favourite thing about this thread is that "mustache plate" is now part of our lexicon

 

[Six Speed Stephen]

Been enjoying the exposed linkage more and more. Got two compliments on it at a car show this weekend.

 

[Nova]

Okay I did it! Thanks to @kitkat for the shroud and thanks to @Porter for holding it for me. It took me several hours to do this mod because I am a slow worker. The results are definite well worth it. What follows below are some of the things I'd like to share from experience.

Removing the bezel covering center console, make sure you check that all of the metal clips on the back are still there. In my case, a couple of them, plus one silver screw for some reason, fell off during the prying. I had to pull these out of the center console and reinstall them on the bezel.

The knee panel and trim piece around the climate control has two clips in the middle thin portion. There are no metal clips here, just plastics tabs that kind of lock in place. They are tough to pull out. I kind of grabbed this thin part with curved fingers digging in to the bottom edge of this thin trim piece. It's easier if you unclip all of the other clips first.

All of the other connectors had little tabs that you squeeze to unlock the connector. The ODB port's tabs are two small tabs on either side. You can release the tabs by pressing on them with a plastic trim tool. It doesn't take a lot of force, just a press and it will release.

 

[Speedy Emira]

Never thought I’d see this combo, and somehow it looks cool — like a classy mechanical artwork linkage you’d find in a pagani.

I agree, I didn't think I would ever say that about a wooded gear knob but it does work with the interior colour. Pity Lotus don't sell a range of these including a carbon fibre version.

 

[Blackthought_]

Just wrapped this up and it looks crazy! Huge thanks to @kitkat. It’s mods like this that make the Emira stand out

 

[Blackthought_]

Okay I did it! Thanks to @kitkat for the shroud and thanks to @Porter for holding it for me. It took me several hours to do this mod because I am a slow worker. The results are definite well worth it. What follows below are some of the things I'd like to share from experience.

View attachment 55928

Removing the bezel covering center console, make sure you check that all of the metal clips on the back are still there. In my case, a couple of them, plus one silver screw for some reason, fell off during the prying. I had to pull these out of the center console and reinstall them on the bezel.

View attachment 55929

The knee panel and trim piece around the climate control has two clips in the middle thin portion. There are no metal clips here, just plastics tabs that kind of lock in place. They are tough to pull out. I kind of grabbed this thin part with curved fingers digging in to the bottom edge of this thin trim piece. It's easier if you unclip all of the other clips first.

View attachment 55930

All of the other connectors had little tabs that you squeeze to unlock the connector. The ODB port's tabs are two small tabs on either side. You can release the tabs by pressing on them with a plastic trim tool. It doesn't take a lot of force, just a press and it will release.

View attachment 55932

Good pointers! The one thing I struggled with the shifter knob going back on straight. One thing to note-
you don’t have to tighten the knob
all the way, if you do, it’ll end up like this

After you turn the knob back a few turns, you can use the little screw to hold it tightly in place like this

 

[KJD]

I’ve taken this a little step further.

Didn’t like the exposed unfinished stainless steel tunnel that gets revealed when the cage is removed (or the unused rivnuts).

This bit:

There are also gaps between the console sides and this tunnel that stuff could conceivably fall into.

So, came up with this:

Plastic sheet (covered in matt black wrap).
The holes sit over the rivnut heads under the shift mechanism.
It’s wide enough to cover the side gaps and the foam stops any stray stuff rolling fore or aft.
The shift mechanism itself holds it in place.

Installation is straightforward.
Unbolt the lower bolts holding the mechanism to the tunnel, then remove the gearshift surround panel to allow the whole mechanism to lift up. The gear cables have plenty of movement.
Then slide the new cover underneath. A bit of fettling of the holes might be needed depending on how accurate your hole drilling is. They need to sit around the rivnut heads and not over them otherwise the mechanism won’t clamp down properly.

Looks like this when installed:

Also sanded off the printing lines on the 3D printed surround and painted it matt black which came out very well, I think.

In the spirit of sharing started by @kitkat here’s the measurements:

Considerably less hi-tech than an .stl file but you get the idea!

Best I can do without disappearing down the rabbit hole of 3D printing (which I’d assume someone is working on frantically as I type this).

 

[kitkat]

I’ve taken this a little step further.

Didn’t like the exposed unfinished stainless steel tunnel that gets revealed when the cage is removed (or the unused rivnuts).

This bit:

View attachment 56499

There are also gaps between the console sides and this tunnel that stuff could conceivably fall into.

So, came up with this:

View attachment 56500

Plastic sheet (covered in matt black wrap).
The holes sit over the rivnut heads under the shift mechanism.
It’s wide enough to cover the side gaps and the foam stops any stray stuff rolling fore or aft.
The shift mechanism itself holds it in place.

Installation is straightforward.
Unbolt the lower bolts holding the mechanism to the tunnel, then remove the gearshift surround panel to allow the whole mechanism to lift up. The gear cables have plenty of movement.
Then slide the new cover underneath. A bit of fettling of the holes might be needed depending on how accurate your hole drilling is. They need to sit around the rivnut heads and not over them otherwise the mechanism won’t clamp down properly.

Looks like this when installed:


View attachment 56501

Also sanded off the printing lines on the 3D printed surround and painted it matt black which came out very well, I think.

In the spirit of sharing started by @kitkat here’s the measurements:


View attachment 56502

Considerably less hi-tech than an .stl file but you get the idea!

Best I can do without disappearing down the rabbit hole of 3D printing (which I’d assume someone is working on frantically as I type this).

Interesting, I like it — the big aluminum section doesn’t quite bother me much but having it all black is nice. Any issues unbolting and rebolting the shift assembly back down?

 

[KJD]

Interesting, I like it — the big aluminum section doesn’t quite bother me much but having it all black is nice. Any issues unbolting and rebolting the shift assembly back down?

Nah, it’s no problem.
Potentially the black plastic part could be separated to give a bit more space but it’s not really necessary.
Just need to ensure the plastic sheet goes around the rivnuts or the assembly will clamp it and not go back down properly.

It was partly to cover the steel that I did it, but also as much to cover the side gaps.
Got a bit obsessed about it after I dropped a little bolt down there when trying to fill the unused holes.

 

[Tomwa]

The shiny bits of aluminum don't bother me much, but I do think that a good form fitting piece down there would be nice.

(its extruded aluminum in there which is why its shiny and not a cast alum matt look).

 

[chirowolf]

Very cool. really appreciate the work and the esthetic

 

[KJD]

It’s actually stainless steel not aluminium.
You can see the marks where it’s been bent into shape.

If it been an aluminium extrusion it might not have bothered me as much.

 

[Tomwa]

It’s actually stainless steel not aluminium.
You can see the marks where it’s been bent into shape.

If it been an aluminium extrusion it might not have bothered me as much.

You are talking about the tunnel floor? The thing you are covering in black?

100% it's aluminum. Those Rivnuts you can see, and talk about making sure the holes in your sheet are big enough.

If it was stainless, they would not have used Rivnuts. They would have just tacked in a treaded nut because you can weld steel to steel. Since it's aluminum you have to use things like Rivnuts to get a threaded section (as threaded aluminum isn't great, and is sucky from a manufacturing stand point. (Big long tube/sheet. Better to rough in some holes rather than throw the whole thing out because you messed up some threads)

I don't think other than brake lines there's a single piece of stainless on the car. Exhaust shield maybe?

 

[Nova]

The entire exhaust system is stainless, no?