I was never quite satisfied with the look of the gray carpeted console covers in my vette so I decided to do something a little different.  I made these with smooth masonite sides and covered them with vinyl of a contrasting color.  Im pleased with the way they look.

Good job!

Can you take some closer, more detailed pix?  I REALLY like that and I'm starting the interior this year.

That is MUCH better than the carpet.

Thanks,

Looks good! Good contrast with the floor mats. It takes guts to make changes (I'm sort a chicken, afraid of screwing good things up) but that worked out very nice.

   Nice Work! I think it looks great!  

That's awesome! I had that idea awhile back from a thread on here. I didn't know the older C3's were like that it too. It looks so much better than the carpet! I'm going to do the same thing to mine. Nice Job

Looks real good.  Nice job.  How did you secure the vinyl to the Masonite?  With glue.  If so what kind?  I have a similar project, but for the trunk space.  Thanks.. steves742007-12-25 06:32:12

Looks good!

There seems to be some interest in this project so here is a short synopsis. Links to photos are at the top of this post.  Details of how I made the panels is below the links if you are interested.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii226/theshadow41/Console%20cover/consolecompositejpg.jpg

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii226/theshadow41/Console%20cover/DSC06016.jpg

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii226/theshadow41/Console%20cover/DSC06012.jpg

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii226/theshadow41/Console%20cover/DSC06024.jpg

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii226/theshadow41/Console%20cover/DSC06029.jpg

 

 My old console covers were home made and didn’t fit precicesly but the “fuzz” of the carpet covered the minor mistakes.  The vinyl, however, is unforgiving and the covers must fit precisely to look right.  You can see from some of the pics some small pieces of cut heavy paper (file folder) that I taped to the patterns to fill any gaps when I traced the actual panel.

 

Materials list:
Vinyl sheet upholstery material 54 inch wide.  I got mine from a local sewing fabric supply. $6.00 per yard and one yard will easily do a pair of covers.  If you are careful, you may get 4 out of a yard.

 

Sheet masonite material 1/8 inch (but 3/32 would be better if you can find it.  Any home center should have this.  Cost $7.00 for a 4X8 sheet

 

Spray adhesive.  I used a 3M product “Super 77” which I got at the fabric store. Cost $10.00.  The adhesive for carpet available from the corvette suppliers may work but doesn’t spray as smooth as the Super77 and the globs may show under the vinyl.

 

Plastic “screw covers” to hide the attachment covers.  I got mine at the home center.  They had black but they could be dyed using interior dye to any color you like. Cost $.69

 

Hand roller to roll down the fabric once it is glued

 

Unless you are using your factory covers for a pattern, trace your existing covers to make a masonite pattern which fits perfectly with no gaps.  Make sure the screw holes are exactly where they need to be to hold the panel firmly in place once installed to prevent slipping. Extra holes in the pattern doesn’t hurt but you don’t want to be drilling extras in the actual cover.  Extra time here to make the patterns as near perfect as possible will pay off.

 

Use the pattern to trace the outline onto the smooth side of the sheet of  masonite then cut out the panel with a saber saw with a sharp smooth cut blade.  Cut the traced lines exactly so the finished product will fit exactly as the pattern did.

 

Use a sanding sponge or sanding block to sand the rough edges of the panel after sawing it out.  Use care when sanding, leave the cut edges smooth but as close to a square edge as possible, don’t round the edges.  The rounded edges will make it difficult to get the vinyl to stick to the edges and the rounded contour will be visible once the vinyl is glued on.  Roughen the smooth surface of the face of the masonite to give the glue something to hold onto.

 

Cut a piece of vinyl large enough to cover the panel. Cut the piece generously so fitting wont have to be precise at this point.

 

Lay the pattern on the BACK SIDE of the  vinyl and use a pencil to trace the pattern.  Be sure to have the smooth side of the masonite DOWN when you do this (don’t ask why I know this !!)

 

Once the outline is traced onto the back side of the vinyl you are ready to spray the glue.  Spray generously with particular attention to the edges of the drawn outline. I  recommend spraying outside if possible.  Be sure to cover the entire area of the outline.  Once sprayed, lay the vinyl on a flat surface with glue facing up.  You have a short work time after you spray the glue so proceed quickly to the next step.

 

Spray the SMOOTH side of the masonite making sure to cover the entire surface but especially the edges.

 

Lay the sticky side of the masonite on the sticky side of the vinyl staying as close to the traced pattern as possible.  Align one end of the masonite with the traced outline and press it down as you allow it to contact the vinyl the masonite along the entire length.

 

Use the roller to press the masonite into the vinyl then flip it over and roll the vinyl into the masonite with extra attention to the edges.  Sit the panel aside on a flat surface to let dry for about an hour. 

 

Once the glue has dried, use a sharp hobby knife to trim the panel.  Just follow the edge of the masonite to cut the vinyl (this is where the square edges on the masonite pays off).  The vinyl is NOT wrapped around the edges of the masonite.  If you kept the cut edges square and not rounded, no one will ever see the uncovered edges.

 

Be careful while intalling the panels not to peel the vinyl when tucking the panel under the lip of the console.

 

The plastic screw covers are a neat way to cover the unsightly screw heads.