Jerry Feather

Hi Duckman.

The NAV tray or rack is made with a flange all around the three sides of the front, except the flange along the cross part will be folded into a seam for strenght and stiffness. That wil leave a flange about 3/8 inch or less on the two sides that will be mounted in the console. I plan to fill up the recess along the inside of the console where the HVAC originally mounts from the front so that both sides are up flush with the bottom of the mounting ledge for the upper insert. I'll build that up with ABS plastic and glue it in with Goat Tuff glue. I plan to leave just enough clearance for the 040 aluminum rack so it can be glued in there and leave the ending upper surface at the point of mating with the bottom of the upper insert that I am forming for this project.

The trick is going to be figuring out how to locate the rack and glue it in at the same time. I'll either use ABS glue and have holes in the rack for a firm grip, or use Goat Tuff glue which will bond the aluminum to the ABS plastic permanently. I'll probably end up ruining one spare console trying to figure this out, but that is the nature of this kind of prototyping.

I am open to other suggestions.

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

Thanks M.B.

I have previously considered joining the upper insert with the lower trim piece when Jimmy and I were giving some thought to extra instruments. Bonding the two together, with a spacer to take up the thickness of two layers of leather, and counting the thickness of the plastic in that area, will give about 300 thousandths extra space, which is quite a bit of space. That, together with the space already there in the auto version of the lower trim piece might be enough for the clock you are considering. I don't like round clocks, and that is one of the reasons I started on this whole project, so I am not inclined to spend a lot of time developing around that particular clock. Too, joining these two formed pieces is going to make a real problem in getting the insert into and out of the console, I think.

On the other hand, that particular clock might just be placed in the right upper corner of the auto trim panel with the rear AC controls to the left of it, and work just fine.

Is there some reason that the clock could not be put over there and work out? Or, that clock might actually fit in the left upper corner with the rear AC controls to the right. Or, how about putting that clock on the upper right and the rear AC controls just below it? There is actually a lot of space in this new lower trim piece; it may just be a function of using our imagination.

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

Here is a picture of the shifter boot base for the auto shifter version of the lower trim piece.

I have also unglued the leather around the clock opening so I can rasp the opening out a little to see if I can get the clock to fit.

Jerry

fbarnhill

Jerry,
I also am following this with much interest. I wouldn't mind having one for both my 79 and 88 if the price were right. I am sorry to hear that you don't like the round clock as I have seen the round vdo clocks last for 25 -30 years and still function perfectly. I have one now that is 31 years old and I just love it. I do like the looks of your infinity clock but having an infinity logo in a Porsche just doesn't give off the right vibes for me. It kind of whispers 'Wouldn't you rather be driving an infinity?' And the answer to that question is a big time NO. So, other than that, the one covered in the Tan leather looks just wonderful.

Keep up the good work. I am following your work as it progresses as I am sure many others are. Just have to ask, any idea on price yet?

Thanks,

Champagne

I don't understand this part.

Paul

Glenn M

That's easy for you to say!

Jerry Feather

Hi Frank. Thnaks for your interest in this project. I have the impression the the center console in the 78 928 is different from the later cars. Now, I have to wonder if the 79 is like the 78 or like the later cars.

Is your 79 center console essentially the same as your 88?

Jerry Feather

Hilton

I guess you'll be offering a version with the stock clock cutout, for those who already have a factory analogue clock? (MY90+ owners)

The leather one looks great - looks better than I was expecting and may yet work with the factory stitching (I was anticipating having it stripped, and re-covered with a similar stitched edge to my factory center console).

On the cutout point by Bill Ball above - is it safe to assume you'll be keeping the stock 5-speed shifter cutout? So that the base plate inside the boot clips onto the frame in the same way as stock, thus holding the base of the shifter boot in place?

Jerry Feather

Hi Hilton. The stock analog clock will probably fit into the lower trim piece for the five-speed cars, but not for the auto's.

No, it is not safe to assume that I am going to retain any way to use the original five-speed shifter boot. That too is going to be replaced in this conversion. The new shifter boot will be substantially smaller at the base.

The one problem that you bring up that I seem to keep forgetting is just how well my conversion is going to work with a center console that has been itself covered in leather. I find, now that I have covered one set of these pieces, that they are very snug in the bare vinyl console. I don't know where the extra layer of leather is going to fit. I suspect that one or perhaps both layers of leather are going to have to be skived in order to make this system work with a console trimmed in leather. Not impossible, but a lot of work; and if both need to be skived, the leather on the console will need to be skived before it is installed.

Jerry Feather

Dictys

"My thinking at this point is that it is beginning to look like if I am able to bring this conversion to market it is probably going to have to be on a custom basis for each conversion. In that, I would have the buyer send me his or her console and the NAV unit to be installed and any clock or gauges that we have decided on and then I would do the conversion in the console here. I would cover it with leather and send it back for the buyer to arrange final installation."

For me this is a bit of shame, as I would like to have it in kit form to put to together here,my reasoning is that for overseas buyers it is going to get mighty expensive to start shipping large console pieces back and forward.

As mine will be black leather, no clock or rear a/c buttons I think the LED shifter lights are a good idea otherwise this area might be a bit sparse.

Mark

Jerry Feather

Hi Mark.

Your post is the kind of information that is very helpful in my planning for this project. The first test will be to see just how "mighty expensive" it might be to ship a console to you or me and to and from other places outside this country.

I certainly want to accomodate as many owners as might be interested in this conversion and that will include accomodating various levels of skill and of financial resources.

When I say "my thinking at this point" I am trying to suggest that I am still very open on how to present this, if at all. Don't give up hope yet.

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

I continue to develop aspects of this FLUSH Conversion as time permits. I have some plans for further development this weekend, but have a few other projects around here to get done also.

Here are a couple of pictures of the second prototyope auto shifter boot we made earlier this week. My trim guy made an earlier one for me that he found he could not french seam all the way to the top because it was fairly tall and narrow at the top. However, I redesigned it and made the top opening a little larger, because I had obtained a spare shifter handle on eBay, and find that he can now french seam it ALMOST all the way to the top, at least up to where it is turned inside to go over the handle. Whether we will be able to do that on whatever the final version turns out to be still remains to be seen.

Jerry Feather

Jerry Feather

There is still some progress, but not much to take pictures of. I have been working on the system to have indicator lights along the left of the Automatic trans shifter that will light up to show which position the trans is in. I ordered a bunch of different coler LED's on eBay and have received most or maybe all of them. I also ordered a bunch of micro switches to see if I can make some kind of set-up of switches th catch the shift lever position. Those haven't come yet. Whe they do I am going to have to take one of my cars apart to further that development.

In the meantime I have been trying to figure out how best to show the position with LED's. I first tried some white translucent plastic and it was not too bad, then I tried some clear plexiglas that was tinted about 50% gray, but it is too clear and lets the LED project through. I am afraid it will be shining on the headliner at night. Then I went back to the white plastic and worked a little more with the placement of the bulb and the size of the "lens" and have found about what I think will work well.

I am also looking at some small rocker switches to work into the system of indicator lites so they can be turned off at night for longer leg trips maybe and not be an annoyance. I haven't ordered any of those yet, but may tonight or tomorrow.

I have my lathe set up and am trying to pump out some of these lite lenses so maybe I can have them lazer engraved with the PRND32 indications for each position.

I am also working on the forming member for the 5-speed shifter trim piece. I may try to form some of those tomorrow if I get back to that part of the project in the morning.

If I get some of the lite lenses finished tomorrow I 'll try to take a picuure of what I have and post then.

Jerry Feather

Bill Ball

I've been away and missed the pics on 9/11 with the boot. Looks VERY nice. Carry on!

Nicole

This far exceeds my expectations. Keep going - it's going to be a great option for our cars!