Console lid fit and finish...what the heck?

[kawahonda]

Need to figure out how to make my console lid sit flush on the passenger's side. I can make it flush on the driver's side by lowered the lock catch, but the passenger's side is quite a bit lifted. There ain't much vertical adjustment points, only the lock catch (slides and up down).

This makes me think there's something wrong with that much part gap.

I'm sure many of you have been through this before. What gives?

[RUNCHARGER]

Yes: Sometimes it's just the hinge loose but most likely the two halves are separating. They weren't the highest quality piece.

[kawahonda]

So using some good two-part bumper epoxy and some c-clamps is what it takes to fix the day?

[kawahonda]

Here's the problem. The waviness around the mounting holes on the inner peice. This keeps the hinge from setting flat, which in turn will "kick up" the peice.

Is there a process for straightening this area out so it's flat again?

[RUNCHARGER]

Yes, that should work.

[kawahonda]

This is what I think is causing it.
It's the inner panel that mates with the hinge for the console lid. The areas around the fasteners are bulged. This creates that lift away from the hinge, therefor, creating a higher surface area on the hinge side.

My thought is to stick a blow dryer on it and put it in the vice with a towel on each side. Risk of cracking?

"Living with it" is certainly OK, but since I'm installing the lock, I thought I'd at least take a stab and investigate.

[RUNCHARGER]

I wouldn't live with it. Tonys Parts makes a repro if you can't get your's repaired.

[JS29]

I wouldn't live with it. Tonys Parts makes a repro if you can't get your's repaired.

I can speak for the quality of tonys console lids, so if it does not survive the repair you have an alternative.   

[kawahonda]

Bad ass. Tony's Parts looks like a great resource!

I used a heat gun and successfully made the inner console lid hinge flange "flat". Kudos!

Turns out, that wasn't what was creating the "lift."

My best guess as this point is that after 50 years, sun, plus elbows, is that these plastic parts will deform, both inner and outer, over time.

I'll mount it back up. There's other fish to fry. But I'll contact Tony's when it's time to get into the nitty gritty. Suspect that grabbing some sort of vinyl compatible orange spray is the best way to repaint?

[Jay Bee]

Member AARuFAST used paint from Herb's Auto. These are pictures he took, they're from CC.c

[cudaragtop]

I ended up bending the Hinge to get a better fit on my console.
A lot of trial and error. Make sure you have the correct orientation of the hinge to console... having the hinge 180* will make it sit wrong too. Been there too.

[EV2RTSE]

After reading this post this morning, I went downstairs to the basement to grab an extra console door I have and take pics of it for comparison, only to find the basement floor starting to get wet from a broken water pipe just outside the wall. So, thank you for posting! Otherwise I might not have gone down there for another day or so and therefore not discovered the problem until it had become much worse.   

So here now are the pics, there should not be such a large separation around the area of the console lock. As you've already mentioned you've obviously got some warping going on but I wanted to also wanted to say for others with the same problem that this could also be resulting from something as simple as someone using screws that are longer than they should be, and forcing the two halves apart. For the lock they should be a #6 x 1/2 pan head. I've restored quite a few consoles and have seen all kinds of mismatched hardware over the years from people using whatever they had on hand to replace a screw that got lost or whatever.

I had one console door where a clever individual took a small piece of sheetmetal and bent it to 90 degrees to make a small bracket, and put a small screw in each side to reinforce the area and keep the two halves from separating like yours has. Problem solved on that one.

One other tip I like to mention is to use a hinge from a 71-74 console on a 70 if you are still having problems, after you've fixed everything else. The 70 hinge has a u-shaped end to the spring on either side where the newer style has one u-shaped end, and one square end. The sheetmetal they used on the newer one is I think a little thinner gauge and seems to make the door fit better, I believe the tension of the spring is also somewhat less. 

[kawahonda]

Very interesting, thanks for doing that. Happy to hear it saved you major leak damage!

Only the area below the lock has a gap on mine. What this does is lower the lock button, but I could probably fathom a guess that if I somehow fastened them together (using an L-shaped bracket) that I would still have the fitment issue where the hinge side sticks up way too far...

I confirmed that all screws are 1/2" and matching, they look correct.

Interesting that the 71-style and above hinge differed. May be worth playing with.

At this point, it seems like it would be best to replace the lid with Tony's unit. Does he's have the Chrysler logo stamping on the backside?

[EV2RTSE]

Yeah I only ended up with a wet carpet in one corner of the basement, it definitely could have been a whole lot worse!

A while back I bought one of the repop console doors on ebay, it didn't come from Tony's but I assume they're all made by the same supplier.  As already mentioned it is a really nice piece, looks and fits good. Mine didn't come with the logo, I assume this is to save the cost of licensing. The one other minor fault was mine didn't come with the sheetmetal lock retainer that the originals have, I guess this piece helps keep the console lock screws from stripping out, I salvaged one from a broken door I had and glued it in with ABS cement.

But before you lay out 80 bucks or whatever they cost for a new door, are the six screw attaching points all intact on yours? Any stripped out so the screws can't be tightened enough? A lot of these, usually any of the top row of 3, get broken over the years and that can also cause fitment problems. If they're broken they can be easily repaired with plastic dowel rod and some of the ABS cement. Same if they're stripped, just fill the hole with cement and drill a small pilot to start the screw again. If they're all intact, how does the door fit with the two halves screwed together but just laying on the console without the hinge? How about just with the top half of the door laying on the console? 

[kawahonda]

Here's some pics laying it in without hardware. Sits flush in the rear. Still has a bulge on front hinge side.

I'm actually thinking that it's this black material that is causing the lift now...might try shaving it.