The lid is installed BUT!!!!!!!! Before I get into the BUT. I laid the new foam onto the armrest and the inside of the console.
Armrest
This angle show the difficulty I'm going to have getting hands into the little area
Laying the foam into the console was NOT easy. You have to spray both sides (foam and the console) in order to get proper adhesion. MAN... phhhhhttttt... It was not fun...
I would have thought this would be an easy cut - NOPE. I laid a little bit of foam here to protect the console from the shifter plate
OK... Here's the "BUT". I'm very disapointed with myself. I measured the bolts that go into the hinge wrong. When I tightened the bolts to the console they pushed through the other side... UGHHHH. I'm not going to fix it now becuase I want to enjoy having center console again. But... DANG IT!!!!
Proof
I mismeasured both sides
BUT! The lid is now installed. Tomorrow - the armrest
Lifting the lid to show how nice the new foam looks
In the car all installed
From the exterior looking in
Also, I went ahead and painted a few interior pieces the same flat black to help give a uniform look. While the textures might not match at least the color is the same. I'm really happy so far - except for the bolts. GRRRRRRRRR!!!! NOTE: I did NOT paint the pieces inside. It was a little cold so I brought the table inside to stink up the house - but I did NOT paint inside the house.
This weekend? The door panels. I've been looking at how I'm going to attack this project and taking notes... more to come!
[This message has been edited by Sofa King (edited 02-04-2010).]
I got a PM from one of our fellow PFF members. Stryker passed this info on to me. It's a process called "flocking" - - VERY COOL STUFF!. Thanks Stryker for the GREAT info! This stuff would have been perfect for under the lid and inside the glovebox!
this is where to get it in the us,very nice people.most stores sell their product. www.donjer.com
john
Was just roaming around the site looking at this stuff. Looks interesting and it's not expensive. I'm thinking Headliner? - Maybe the Dash? or maybe my Console??????
Here's the funny thing..... Check out this pic I found on the site:
Sorry no updates this weekend. I had to work on Sat and it is Super Bowl Sunday... I gotta eat too much food, watch too much football and then have WAY too much gas...
I should get started this week!
[This message has been edited by Sofa King (edited 02-07-2010).]
Just my .02 but I like your painting better than flocking. I just think if you are going to have something "fuzzy" it should be limited to the floor and the bottom part of the door panels ie carpet. Mike
Just my .02 but I like your painting better than flocking. I just think if you are going to have something "fuzzy" it should be limited to the floor and the bottom part of the door panels ie carpet. Mike
Sorry for the lack of forward progress. It's been really cold, wet and snowy these last couple of weeks. Not to worry, I still plan on moving forward but it's got to warm up just a little bit. However, I have been slacking on getting the armrest installed - I've been enjoying the console so much I don't want to remove it from the car LOL. I'll try to hit that tonight or tomorrow. I've also been meaning to create a armrest/cupholder that would mount on the stock armrest console - possibly for sale?
Originally posted by katatak: Here's the funny thing..... Check out this pic I found on the site:
http://www.donjer.com/cars.htm Top pic....Looks like Archie could tell us about how well it works. Their site left me wondering how this looks in real life....after seeing that pic, and remembering his dash from the 25th Anniversary...I guess I know now.
FINALLY!!!!! I got the armrest attached to the console and wired the new 12v power outlet. I'm kinda embarassed - it only took about 15 minutes. I have no idea why I procrastinated and took so long. I did however decided to just use screws to attach the armrest. If it ever comes loose I'll go ahead and enlarge the holes and attach with bolts, washers and lock nuts. And then, when funds become more readily available, or something else comes up, I'll get the Lunitec paint system and the console will be officially finished - but as of right now - she's done! I also went ahead and painted the cup holder to match the flat black I used on the console.
The first thing I did was tape the armrest to the console
Then just "eyeballing" where to drill
Painting the cup holder
Check out the little red light! SUCCESS!
Once the paint dries and I'm able to shoot a few layers of clear I'll have a working cupholder.
OK... the door panels. I've been trying to figure out exactly how to tackle this project without destroying the basic shape of the particle board door panel and I think I've hit the final stumbling block. I have several obstacles - the most important is saving the mounting areas to ensure the panel properaly mounts to the door.
As we know, the goal is to create 2 separate pieces with different textures that will join together on the door panel. If you look at the door panel below there are two basic surfaces: the "leather" surface and the smooth white surface - exactly like the center console I just finished. The difference is the lid on the console was a separate piece and hinged to the console. So painting was very easy. But in this case I'm working with two parts that are essentially joined together but have a different texture. As you can see... it's a little confusing.
Do I: 1) create one panel and then mask off the areas to paint? 2) create one panel and try to create a "cut line" making it feel like two pieces or 3) actually create 2 separate pieces?
If I go with idea #1 - that's a cop out and I won't get the look I want. #2 might work but I have to be very careful and ensure the "cut line" looks even. #3 is probably the best way to go but I have to ensure that each piece lines up, the edges are smooth and they're not going to come undone and separate... As you can see - confusing. My gut tells me #2 is the way to go...
If anybody has any ideas at all please HELP! LOL
[This message has been edited by Sofa King (edited 02-14-2010).]
Here it is all installed. It's weird... technically, other than paint, I never have to remove this piece again. LOL Kinda sad when you think about it...
Upclose. The area directly under the cupholder works perfectly for my fingers
Closer
Out of PURE LUCK the lid openned and aligned itself with the shifter plate - very cool! And very lucky
HEY! It's official, I have a cup holder! And I found that if I move the little 12V plastic lid out of the way, both cupholders worked perfectly!
That's it for now. I've got another little project I'm working that I think might entice the masses... Till next time!
[This message has been edited by Sofa King (edited 02-14-2010).]
BUILD, AND SELL THE CUP HOLDER/ARMREST THING! That is too perfect. I can see folks wanting that look, along with funcionallity. The last pics are gamechangers.
Looks awesome! Are you going to keep the door panels the grey and white? I think it would look good if you kept it that color scheme instead of the black and white. From what I've learned about black and white interiors, it tends to look cheap and like a skunk, haha. Just some of my thoughts. Keep up the good work!
Just my opinion but, I would stick with the flat black paint. It really looks good. I realize the textures don't match but I don't think the Lunitec stuff really does either from the pictures. I think if you experimented with spray on bed liner a little bit you could match the surface better than with Lunitec. To my eye, that stuff looks kind of cheesy with sort of an antique leather grain. The smooth flat black is clean, simple and modern and highlights the beauty and quality of your work. (Which by the way is incredible)
[This message has been edited by Rivethead (edited 02-14-2010).]
Was just roaming around the site looking at this stuff. Looks interesting and it's not expensive. I'm thinking Headliner? - Maybe the Dash? or maybe my Console??????
Here's the funny thing..... Check out this pic I found on the site:
[This message has been edited by Archie (edited 02-14-2010).]
BUILD, AND SELL THE CUP HOLDER/ARMREST THING! That is too perfect. I can see folks wanting that look, along with funcionallity. The last pics are gamechangers.
Hey T,
Thanks for the kind words. I have to admit that I did NOTHING all weekend (except for the armrest). I actually sat and watched classic movies - you know those right passage movies? Stripes, Caddyshack, Back to School, and some old films from the 30's and 40's... Like I said... I did nothing and I enjoyed it.
Tonight will be different. I have a stock armrest that I'm going to use to see if I can mockup an armrest similar to mine that will incorporate a cupholder. I'll take detailed pics of the foam core build as I go. My only concern is the glovebox lid. But I think I can work around that.
Looks awesome! Are you going to keep the door panels the grey and white? I think it would look good if you kept it that color scheme instead of the black and white. From what I've learned about black and white interiors, it tends to look cheap and like a skunk, haha. Just some of my thoughts. Keep up the good work!
The plan right now is fairly simple. The center console(s) , like the dash, will remain black. The carpet and seat covers are grey and my original idea was to keep the door panels grey as well. However... I have to admit, I absolutely love the black /grey and Tuscan leather look. See below
If I had my way and money was no object I would change out my seat covers to a two tone black and tuscan leather, the carpet would be black and the door panels would have the tuscan leather. All the rest of the interior would stay the same to include the white lid on the console and the white on the door panels - although I'm not sure how that would look.
As I have always said, this is ever changing and evolving as I go forward so in the end, I have no idea what the final look will be. I do agree with you - it is very tough to do an all black interior - especially gloss black.
Just my opinion but, I would stick with the flat black paint. It really looks good. I realize the textures don't match but I don't think the Lunitec stuff really does either from the pictures. I think if you experimented with spray on bed liner a little bit you could match the surface better than with Lunitec. To my eye, that stuff looks kind of cheesy with sort of an antique leather grain. The smooth flat black is clean, simple and modern and highlights the beauty and quality of your work. (Which by the way is incredible)
Hey R,
I agree with you 100% I think the flat black look really sets off the interior. And thank you for the very kind words. If done correctly, I think the Lunitec Paint system could work miracles for the interior. The trend for interiors now is going with that hard plastic look similar to the bedliner. And while I do like the look, I'm trying to stay true to the period, look and feel of the car. That's not to say I'm not going to test the bedliner texture or anything else that might help. I think the bedliner texture would work on the pillar and door sill pieces - again staying with the flat black. hmmmmmm.... now you got me thinking...
Thanks again for the kind words and please keep those ideas coming!
[This message has been edited by Sofa King (edited 02-16-2010).]
It turned out very nice Greg. Can't wait to see what's next!
Pat
Thanks, man. I'm just waiting for it to warm up - even a little bit. It has been REALLY cold. And you know how tough it is to work with resin that flows like molasses ...
I likes. But brown? Is that gonna fit with the rest?
I think it will. Look at the image right above the door panel - it's a Hyundai Veracruz interior. I think the black, silver trim and the tuscan leather work really well together.
I started to mock up a armrest/cupholder for the "stock" console. I don't have a complete "cup holder" to use so I have to eyeball this one using the part I can remove from the cupholder I used. There are a lot of irregular curves to the stock console so this should be a very interesting build.
Foam core is a great thing - I still have lots of cutting and mod'ing to do
Another angle
Side view - What is difficult to see is how the glove lid interferes with the armrest. It opens down causing a little bit of stress on the armrest. Because the foam is so thick, these issues would be addressed with the actual fiberglass piece
Head on view - you can see how irregular the shape is
Well I'll Be... it does pay to work with foam core... I wonder how long it's been in there?
That's it for now. The weather is "supposed" to warm up this weekend. Let's hope it's warm enough to get back to fiberglassing
What a great day it was today - NICE AND WARM. I was NOT going to let a day like this pass me by. I did A LOT of work. I removed a lot of the interior this afternoon. I've decided to paint the trim flat black. I really like the look. Krylon now offers their "Plastic Spray Paint" in flat black - sweet. I also removed the headliner. I went to the local hobby center yesterday a bought a square yard of black vinyl - 7 bucks! So, I'm going to redo the headliner. I had to reinforce the headliner with a little bit of fiberglass. Tomorrow I'll sand it down so it's nice and smooth and then get the new liner placed. I also laid glass over the door panel. Like the console, I'm just going to wing it! I could think the process to death and never get anywhere - so why not just move forward, right?
When I removed the trim piece that goes around the upper part of the door toward the windshield I broke the two clips that connect to the roof and cracked the piece almost in half. Can anybody tell me how I'm supposed to remove this without breaking it? I still have the passenger side to do and I don't want to mess it up (I'll post this on the Technical Thread as well). I live about 10 miles from the Fiero Factory so I'm going to make a parts run on Monday and get a new part and a few other goodies. I'm also toying with the idea of putting a push button starter in the car. Check this out. I don't have a window defroster. So I'm going to use that slot to install a push button starter using a standard power window button - I'm still thinking the idea but I think it has potential.
Interior trim painted - you can see the difference between the stock color and the black
Both looking nice and painted
Door Panel with Glass
Starting to remove the old headliner
TaDa
With a layer of glass - when I smooth this out and get the vinyl placed it'll make all the difference in the world
A little teaser for ya - can you guys figure out what I'm thinking about doing here?
MUCH more tomorrow. It's "supposed" to be nice again so I'm going to get started early!
[This message has been edited by Sofa King (edited 02-20-2010).]
I was really moved by everybody's kindness and generosity helping Tyler get his dream car to become a reality. It says a lot about the human spirit. When Tyler left this world, I was upset. Upon reading the announcement I actually hit my desk and said "No!"... Naturally, what we all feel about Tyler's passing is NOTHING to what the Shipman family must be going through - and all my prayers are with them. When I was outside today enjoying the first beautiful weather of the year, I thought about Tyler. I stopped what I was doing and I thought how friggin unfair and cruel life can sometimes be. I'm going to be 41 in just a few weeks and these past few months have been pretty rough for me personally. But I'm more than twice Tyler's age when he left this world. At nine years old Tyler had lived half his life. That alone helps put things into perspective. At least for me.
I'm not trying to be preachy or gushy or anything like that. Tyler meant a lot to all of us even though a majority of us never knew or even met him. But his fight was our fight. His cause was our cause. That's the human spirit. I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter how bad things get or you're frustrated because you can't find a part or afford a new paint job, or you had a fight with you wife or girlfriend... think about Tyler and his family. Appreciate the things you have. More importantly, live life to the fullest.
Finally, I have no doubt Tyler is cruisin' in style... and not a single stop sign or traffic light as far as the eye can see...
I was able to get most of the headliner finished today. I didn't get as far as would like and I might have to get a new piece of vinyl. The piece of vinyl I purchased was near the very end of the role and has creases that I can get out. Total price for the vinyl and padding was under 10 bucks. I also installed the painted trim pieces but didn't get around to the other side so I have multicolored interior. This is where I am right now...
I sanded the healiner down for about an hour - I actually enjoyed it
Another
This is the vinyl... I thought I could get the creases out
Up close - not good. Can't really get it out
After cleaning the fiberglass I sprayed with adhesive and started laying the padding on the headliner
Nice
Another
Up close
Whoever said laying vinyl is easy was... WRONG. This is not easy at all. But the creases are really bothering me. I may just start over
You can really see the creases - not finished yet
From afar - you can see the work beginning on the door panel
Tomorrow I'm headed to the Fiero Factory to get a few goodies. I'm also going to see if i can find another piece of vinyl. The hobby center I got the vinyl from may not have ordered or received a new shipment so I may have to run around town.
I know what you mean about recovering the headliner.
I recently recovered my Grand Am headliner with some leather. It's extremely hard to get every curve and humps without creating wrinkles. I did my headliner in 4 sections, and that worked pretty well. (divided it in half horizontally and vertically)
I know what you mean about recovering the headliner.
I recently recovered my Grand Am headliner with some leather. It's extremely hard to get every curve and humps without creating wrinkles. I did my headliner in 4 sections, and that worked pretty well. (divided it in half horizontally and vertically)
It's looking amazing! What kind of paint did you use to paint the interior panels? Thats on my to-do.
Krylon now offers their "Plastic Spray Paint" in flat black. Be sure to the clean parts before painting. I used acetone and the results were amazing. The paint laid out perfectly and it looks really nice all installed. Now go forth and paint
The installed pics are awesome. 
Nice look.
