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Center Console Dead, would Softdash console fit?

7K views 18 replies 5 participants last post by  miggit 
#1 ·
I'm going to throw this idea out there!!

I have a very, very, broken center console and I have discovered that they are rare in complete form, so what to do?

I did stumble on a chap who was making bomb proof consoles out of half a tree, but he's stopped posting updates 7 years ago.. so I'll assume that he's given up, or got too many splinters :lol:

Not having easy access to a workshop, I'm keen to find an alternative replacement, rather than go down the hammer and nails route...... So I've been looking at what is available for the RRC... and there are a few softdash consoles available. Having studied these consoles I have become aware that they bare more than a striking resemblance to the console in a Discovery 2.... :roll: LR been raiding the parts bins?

Now I realise that the later consoles have the plastic lower part that holds the radio on mine, included in the console, and there is a major difference at the dash end, BUT, from what I can make out the earlier console finishes just in front of the gear levers and pokes under the radio pod... So could I take a saw to a later console and get it to fit? Has anyone tried this?

Or would a later console just fit if I do away with the radio... as there are plans to move this anyway!
 
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#2 ·
depends on the year of your truck, pre 95 you will have lots of cutting and hacking to fit a discovery style dash. pre 95 dash is actually a piece of metal covered by plastic, also the hvac is different between the pre 95 and later.
any way you go, good luck.
 
#3 ·
Well at least you haven't said NO!! I'm not looking to change the whole dash, just the middle bit between the seats! I suppose the best thing is to cop hold of a cheap one and see how it goes!
 
#4 ·
I restore rovers for a living, this include modifications. to me "NO", "NOT POSSIBLE" or "CAN'T BE DONE" simply do not exist.
if the willingness, time, motivation, idea and money are there then why not do it?
 
#5 ·
While I don't restore LR products for a living, I do believe that if something can be improved, and is life changing or cost effective then it should be done! Like the TV Sat Nav Stereo that I'll be fitting.. Why? cos I miss the reversing camera that I got used to in the L322... Plus towing for a living I can hook up to half a dozen trailers in a day, and more if they are being sited at an event.. my record is 150 trailers in a day 8-0=, but they didn't go very far!! Jumping in and out to get the hitch lined up is a real pain, so a camera just makes it easy.. and safer for the bumper!

I was even toying with the idea of a Discovery 3/4 or RRS console... you can get a fridge for them!
 
#6 ·
Disco I and II consoles are a perfect fit. No modification necessary other than widening the shifter opening slightly. Just use your old one as a template. No need to modify the TS shifter opening.. I grabbed the seat switches from the disco and wired them into my 95 classic classic and got rid of the pods.
 
#8 ·
I meant TC shifter. The disco I and II center dash trim bezel also fits fine with just some trimming of the upper lip of the disco bezel. And yes the disco I and II dash assembly is direct swap also with the 95 classic. I have a Disco II dash and center console in my 95 County LWB. The extra switch positions in the instrument cluster housing of the disco are great spots for auxillary switches for off road lights etc, because all of the switches from the disco that go there are in the center dash bezel of the classic so you have all those blank spots for whatever you want.
 
#9 ·
The way I read this is you have a pre 95 Range Rover wanting to install a 95 RRC console/ D1 style?? If so it will fit however where it meets the dash in front of the transfer box shifter it will need modification as the pre 95 slips under the dash whereas the 95 on/D1 follows the trans tunnel and hides further back under the dash. If I were you I would try and re-inforce your existing cubby box with metal a common practice.. The later consoles are entirely made of plastic and become brittle and also break. hope this helps.
 
#10 ·
I'm beginning to feel that it might be better to just do away with it altogether and relocate the window switches..

My console is in 8 parts with bits missing.. a simple reinforcing job would result in a 95% metal box!!

But you do have a valid point that a replacement even if it was from the last ever D2, is still going to be at least 15 years old, still going to be badly made, and still use self destructing plastic:shock:
 
#12 ·
Update I have taken the plunge and brought a D2 console, it should be here by the weekend, just in time to play! I'm even thinking of making a mold from it so that I could produce one, or maybe more in fibreglass... What do you think the resale potential would be like?
 
#13 ·
DI and DII consoles are a straight fit. No modification necessary other than what I mentioned. I have one in my 95 classic from a D2. The DIi console is actually a better design because of the way the window switches mount into a separate plate so you don't have to remove the whole tray to work on a switch.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Well my D2 console turned up, and I have discovered a few differences between it and the early console in my classic.

Firstly, the rear heating outlets and the ashtray are built in on the early console, on the later it is a separate bit..... but I have a cunning plan, I'm going to try and recycle the lower rear section of my old console, as that is one of the only intact parts!

The other difference is the way it is secured in, the old console is bolted to the tunnel just behind the gear lever, and there are 2 large screws a bit further up which hold it down on to the tunnel floor.. the later one must have a bracket or tab at the front (have yet to discover the secret) and it is fixed to the rear duct support.. neither of which I have, so there's going to be a bit of head scratching and the mechano will be coming out too!!
 
#15 ·
I misread your original post. I thought you had a 95. It's straight swap on 95 only. Slight mod for pre 95 but can be done. For the bracket to mount the rear, just bend a piece of metal at each end and self tapping into the tunnel. There's your mounting bracket. Not as hard as it sounds. If your lower console is good, you should be able to fit the top without too much issue. It's not as hard as it seems.
 
#16 ·
Well it's not as straightforward as I'd hoped.. I started off with a test fit and all fairly good, I had to trim about 3" off the front, to get it to sit nearer the windscreen.... And then the fun and games started, first I took the largest part of my old console and reattached it to the second largest part.. 5 large glue sticks later and I was bolting it back in place.. I then tried to drop the D2 console on top.... And that's the point that it got a lot more involved.

The discovery console sits further back in the car than the early consoles, so out it came and I trimmed the old console down in height, about 2", and had another go.... It's a very tight fit and I did struggle to fit the new cubby box over the remains of the old console, but it gave in, in the end! And that is where I got before low light and falling temperatures made me think that sitting inside with a cuppa would be more fun :mrgreen:

I still have about 1/2" to come off the front and I'm going to have to knock the tops off the 2 high parts, so I can get to my switches and fuses ! So I can see it going in and out a few more times. One good thing is there is a large gap at the back where it meets the old part... at first I was disappointed.. but I have realised that the new cubby is wedged up against the old bit so I can just put a couple of screws through the back of the cubby and it will be fixed to the floor!!

Looks like I'm going to have to open the gear lever slots a little, it wouldn't have been an issue if the car didn't have a 2" body lift... but because it does, the levers are a lot shorter and have a need for more clearance.
 
#18 ·
Nice! love the re-location of the CDL light. why don't you look for the rubber mat that came on the D1's and D2's to cover the shifter area?
 
#19 ·
I've got one but the gear levers didn't line up with the Disco spacing, so I'm going to make a custom one! The original gaiter and cover bit from the classic is hiding a rather large hole.. I had to move the hole about 1.25" back and 0.5" to the right... When I can find a bit of ally sheet I'll make a new top and then veneer it!
 
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