breathment

you can see where it has seperated, and if u look closely u can see where it seems to be torn, and it won't tuck back under. and right now i don't wanna get a 4th gen console, and its hard to find consoles at junk yards that have the power window buttons and power window controls.

any clues?

383 Smoka

I would say, go buy some epoxy... Its a liquid hardener... Its better than super glue... I used it on my dash before for a problem just like that and it worked great... Apply the epoxy to the cracks than hold it for about 5-10 minutes or clamp it... After it dries, it should never give out again.. That stuff is solid!

un4givin89

Glad my camaro isn't that cheap when it comes to the center console. Everything is nice and tight and bolted in place, not glued.

breathment

????

Drew

iTrader: (58)

This is an easy one. The 85-92 Firebird consoles all are plastic covered in padded vinyl. With age and exposure to the environmen the vinyl shrinks and pulls away from the frame.

So, depending on how bad it is, *yours looks bad* you might be able to glue the vinyl back to the console. Usually this doesn't work. Next option is to replace the console. It doesn't matter if the donor console has the switches or not since the top plate comes off the console, and even GM used the same plates regardless and cut holes when switches needed to be installed.
Most used firebird consoles are in some way or another screwed up from the vinyl shrinking, the only sure fire way to get a good one is to hitup your local GM dealer and order a new one. I'll tell you right now its not cheap, but its nice to have a mint condition console when 90% of firebirds have warped POS consoles.

TwigBird89

i had the same problem and my console looked similar on my '89. the only thing i sould get to work was epoxy... i fixed it about 6 months ago and its still holding strong. epoxy all the way! its good stuff

Mikos_89

Drew is right.

You'll be better off buying a new one than trying to fix that. Now, if was just the one side, like near the PRNDL area, you can generally repair it like I did on mine with some strong super-glue to fix the gap. Unfortunately, your console is separating on all sides to such a large degree making any successful long-term repair very difficult if not impossible to do.

If you do decide to get a used one, try to get one from a '90+ year model Firebird. Not only because they're "newer" but also because they are slightly redesigned to help keep the rubber from separating on the top edges. The '90+ consoles had little "pegs" molded into the plastic underneath to help keep the rubber/vinyl material from separating on the top sides near the PRNDL on the trim plate.

The main problem with the '85+ Firebird consoles, as Drew has stated, is that they tend to "shrink" over time. The rubber urethane material that is "applied" over the plastic support frame at the factory shrinks which causes the rubber and foam padding to separate from the top and bottom edges. I think constant heat/cold temperature cycles over time is the main cause to this problem.

I've always wondered if the consoles in "climately controlled" stored Firebirds have the same problem with separation. Maybe a rare 3rd gen Firehawk owner, who has their 'bird in this type of storage environment could speak up on the condition of their consoles too.



-Mike

MNformula350

iTrader: (2)

My Formula had the same problem,so i used weather strip adhesive on it and held it togehter overnight with vise grips.
I did this 3 years ago and it still has not come back apart and looks great.

okfoz

Well Superglue did it for mine, in 97, still looks like new.

I removed the console from the car. Once out, I tried contact Cement, did not work worth a hoot. So I cleaned up the surfaces best I could. On mine there was some sort of thin foam. I rubbed it off with my thumb, then I took a little stripe of superglue & put it together.

Mine looked about like yours.

John

breathment

cool, thanks for the replies guys, i hope i can get this fixed.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

A few more details, in my experiance all 85 up firebird consoles I've seen that haven't been replaced are either seperating or have a rippled edge. When they're new the edges are completely straight. Another thing you may want to think about is a 90 up shifter plate. They were redesigned with a shift indicator so you can tell what gear you're in, and an improved shifter boot design.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Also, the firehawk uses a different console... so finding a firehawk owner won't really prove anything.

FWIW I replaced my console 2 years ago and Super Glued the edges. When I leave the car somewhere I use a reflective sunshade, any natural shade available, and in the summer I throw a towel over the console to keep the sun off it. Heat I would imagine has the most effect on these pieces.

Also if you buy a new console it comes with a new armrest.

okfoz

Drew, you are correct, the Firehawk had a different looking Center console. It was actually just some sort of cap that they replaced the 5 speed manual part with. I am not sure how they attached it. But both of the Firehawks I have looked at appear to just have an extra piece on top, & it had the 6 speed indicated rather than the 5 speed If I remember right...

John

Mikos_89

Drew, I thought the Firehawk used the same basic vinyl/foam/plastic console as the '85+ Firebirds except for the black plastic trim plate on top?

Since all 3rd gen Firehawks were 6-speeds, the trim plate on top of the console was modified to accept the 6sp shifter. Right?

However, the problem I was referring to in the Firehawk "storage senario" was not the trim plate, which usually holds up pretty well (if not cracked or badly scratched that is), but the vinyl/foam/plastic part that contains the storage compartment and lid that has this "shrinkage/warpage" problem.

I believe the consoles were the same in the 3rd gen 'hawks except for the modified 6sp trim plate on top. No?


Thanks.



-Mike

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Thats just it though, the firehawk doesn't have a shifter plate. The gray vinyl that covers the sides of the console also covers the top, except for the hole with the shifter boot. If you look at one, they slope down from the glovebox armrest and flatten out, then they slope up at the front where our ashtrays are located. My guess is it had something to do with the geometry of the ZF6 shifter setup.

RedFirebird

That looks pretty bad but 5 min epoxy is some good stuff. I would certainly invest $5 and 10 minutes of time in fixing it before I give up and spend $250 for a new one from GM which will do the same thing anyway. My console in my '87 firebird started doing that and i got some epoxy and i never had the problem again.

jobryan26

Does anyone have a pic of the Firehawk Console? I've never seen one and it sounds pretty cool.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Go ahead and try to fix it, no reason not to try, but if you want it 100% perfect the only real way to fix it is to buy a new one. A new one wont do the same thing if you treat the car right. If you're going to drive the car everyday and not take precautions, then don't buy a new console.

onto the firehawk....