One thing that our cars are lacking is stuff we take for granted these days. A place to put a bottle of water or cup of coffee plus a safe spot for your cell phone. Since my car is a 4 speed, I need to have something out of the way of shifting: so something ‘off the shelf’ from the automotive aisle will not work. I decided to design a small console that would fit between the bucket seats – yes that tiny gap! It is just 3 ¾ inches between the seat frames and the cushions squish wider when you sit on them: but it can be done! I also designed it to have a power port too but went old school with a classic 12 v port that I can use a USB adapter in for cell phones or what ever gadget the grand kids may have in the back seat. The unit is easily removable with a quick disconnect on the power feed that tucks in under the carpet so I can be ‘stock’ at a show if I desire.
I had planned on covering it with original seat vinyl but realized it was too bulky and busy looking with the pleats, so I reverted to using some of the non-woven type of all-purpose ‘carpeting’ sold at swap meets. I decided the console would look nicer with a kicked out front. Lower photo: since we installed a factory clock – I had a factory F-85 logo from the filler plate that I could repurpose so I routed and recess section in the console face to accommodate that so it would recess in instead of just sitting on top of the carpeting. It is so narrow I actually had to thin out the sides to accommodate the square center pocket for the cell phone and there is no room for a coolie on your can in the ‘cup holder’ so I insulated that inside the console. If the phone needs charging the power cord does not need to be draped from the dash past the shifter this way!
