The body of the console is simple. I used some 3/8 inch plywood. The reason is that its lightweight, easy to shape and work with. With the cardboard templates I made, all I had to do was transfer the templates to the plywood, mark it off and cut it out.
This is the rough version 1 of the new console. Took no time at all to cut the body out, the templates made it really easy. Next with a little work on sanding with the demel tool, I got it to fit just right. I did discover that it needed some bracing, so I add some braces for the front.
Just some 1x2 inch strips to the back of the front piece allowed me to attach the front and give it some added support. Ill learn later, that I should have gone a step further, but that would spoil all the fun.
Lastly, I got to thinking of a finish. I had all the placement for the parts I wanted to mount on the front, but I didnt know if I wanted to cover the console in either a vinyl, to match the interior of the car, paint it to match, or perhaps use a plastic paint. After reading the reviews on the plastic paint, that was ruled out. Covering in vinyl would make it look cleaner, but I didn't want any seams, and I'm not that great with that medium. So I came up with this....
I figured to help strengthen the console, I could add car bonding compound. In reality this was the best choice and the biggest headache. While the bonding compound nicely hid the wood grain, it also was a bear to apply, and sand. I was forever sanding and filling small holes that I had left. In the end, Im going to go about this differently in the next version, but Im under a bit of a time constraint here, so it'll have to do for now. Still looks good, just time consuming......
So what was the lesson I learned in supporting this console and making it stronger? After only bracing the top piece, sanding, and more sanding.....it was time for primer. So I cut the holes for the added parts, and took it to the garage to paint. I applied 4 coats of primer, sanding between coats....it was looking great...then the dog....
I have a hyper....very energetic rat terrier that likes to jump. The console was in the garage and apparently he got overly worked up....long story short...he jumped, hit the stand my console was on, the stand and the console crashed to the cement floor, cracking the top and a few other bruises....SO back to the car bonding compound, more sanding, and more primer. This time though I had to build up on of the corners that was smashed when it hit the floor, matching it to the other side, Im now a week behind where I originally was.
In the mean time, the console switches arrived, the fabricator sent me the power supply boards I designed, and the parts are here for the supplies. Time to heat up the soldering iron, and track down the TFT screen I'll use.
Happy coding!
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