For any of you that are restoring your console,and installing a new chrome top plate on your lid,this might be helpful. The repop lids have a pretty good arch to them,and do not sit flat on the lid. I know there are pins to melt,and you can glue the whole underside,but will the top plate still want to pull up? Here is my install. I did smear a decent amount of contact cement on the underside,to bond with the lid,and I used quickie-clamps to squeeze it together. Let that sit a day. Next day,with it still clamped,I used a hot knife and melted the pins over,then let sit the rest of the day. Next day,removed the clamps,and all was good,but I was still wondering if it would ever pop up over time,or from any flexing or twisting of the lid. I took a single #8 x 1/2” flat-head philips screw,and found a good spot in the center of the lid to make this all work. I used a 7/64 bit and drilled from the bottom,up through the top,for the pilot hole. Then carefully and slowly drilled the countersink in the top with a 5/16 bit,a little at a time,and checking fit and depth as a went,until the screw was perfectly flush with the surface. Scuffed that area with some fine grit,just to make sure there were no burrs or high spots,then applied the woodgrain. This should stay on long after we are dead. I originally thought of using multiple screws,in random locations,which you could,but I don’t think this is going anywhere. I just needed to make sure there were no bumps or impressions that would show after the woodgrain was installed. All is good. Only 12 million more pieces to go!
That's a masterful fix, Brian. Nothing like working on a simple repro piece for an extra hour to make it work, huh? Who's wood grain is on that?
I got the top plate and the woodgrain from the parts place. The chrome on this plate is very nice and there is an actual layer of copper under it. I rarely see plastic parts done like that. The woodgrain is basicly a big sticker. I mocked it up first,to make sure it didn’t need any trimming,and it did not. The best thing to do is start at the front,with the lock. Peel off a small amount of the backing,and get the woodgrain centered around the lock hole and side to side. It is sticky,but only having a little down will allow you to pull it back up. With the rest of the backing still on the woodgrain,lay it out and make sure it is still nice and straight at the other end. It’s like carpet. If your an inch off at the beginning,you will be a foot off at the other end. If all looks good,peel the rest of the backing off and lay it down.
Wow. A good review for tpp. Sort of. They've been getting hammered pretty hard recently on here and rightfully so in some cases. Good to hear some good feedback . I used their top plate too with good results.
Let me know if you have any other info to share on restoring the entire console. Mines been in a box for about 5 years. restoring soon. The shifter was the easy part.
