How to Customize Center Consoles

Add a television screen or cell phone holder to personalize your console.

Customizing a center console can transform your vehicle from mundane to personalized and reflective of your personal interests. Many car and boat enthusiasts like to customize center consoles by putting in television screens that allow passengers to play video games or watch movies during the ride. Other car enthusiasts like to move heating and cooling systems from the dashboard to the center console to allow more room for television screens or audio systems. Customize your center console by deciding what features you'd like in the console, what materials you should use to construct the new console, and what the overall appearance should be after the modifications.

Things You'll Need

• Electric hand drill
• Phillips screwdriver
• Four 2-foot by 3-foot pieces of cardboard
• Hand saw
• Four 2-foot by 3-foot pieces of Masonite
• Carpenter's pencil
• Console accessories and screws for installation
• Razor blade
• Four 2-foot by 3-foot pieces of vinyl (optional)
• Fiberglass coating
• Tape measure
• Duct tape
• Wood glue

Instructions

1. Remove the center console by locating the screws that secure it in place and using a drill or screwdriver to loosen them. Lift it up and out of the car. Get a piece of cardboard and trace the shape of the floor while holding it vertically, then cut out the shape using a razor blade. When finished cutting out the shape for this piece of cardboard, it should be vertically flush with the floor.

2. Cut out the top design on another piece of cardboard for the top profile view of the console. Make sure cuts in the cardboard profile for TVs are at the correct angle so that the screen will be positioned for viewing. You may want to try to fit the TVs in and turn them on just to see the angle in which they should be positioned. Consider which customization options you want to have when cutting out the top design, such as cell phone holders, shifter or emergency brake, and leave space accordingly.

3. Trace your outline of the floor and the top profiles onto a piece of Masonite or other smooth wood. Then, place your cardboard profile of the side of the center console on top and use a handsaw or other wood cutting tool to cut the shapes out of the Masonite. You'll need two sides, one for the right of the console and one for the left. They should both be flush with the floor. For further customization, you can wrap these pieces in vinyl or cover them with fiberglass later.

4. Put the two pieces in your car between the driver and passenger seats. Use a tape measure to measure the distance between right and left pieces of Masonite then cut strips of wood to mark horizontal dividers between the two vertical sections. These strips of wood are just placed to give you a guide for the top.

5. Take another piece of Masonite and lay it on top of the two vertical pieces you have cut. Use a ruler and razor blade to cut thin lines horizontally in the Masonite so that you can bend it into a smooth curve. Cut holes that match the spacing of the wood pieces you have previously spaced. Measure and cut holes for the shifter and emergency brake. Cut holes for television screens, if applicable.

6. Apply fiberglass to the top and side layers. You won't have to do this if you used vinyl instead of Masonite. Nail the vinyl shift boot cover to the underside of the console before you attach the top and sides. Tape off the edges of the side panels and apply fiberglass to the top layer. Then, remove the top layer, fiberglass the side pieces, replace the top piece and glue the top to the sides.

7. Install any additional customization accessories, such as cell phone or video game controller trays, or television screens. Gently drill holes into the console and use screws to secure additional accessories.

Tips & Warnings

• It isn't necessary to drill holes into sides of the console and secure it to the floorboards. You may wish to secure it tightly by measuring so that it will fit tightly, rather than screwing it in. This will allow the console to be easily removed for further customization if desired.

References

• Team Louish Extreme Sports: How to Make a Custom Center Console

Resources

• Car and Audio Electronics: Redo Your Entire Center Console