[Wsovonick]

Here's the best I can do with a photo of the whole template.

[Ivy66GT]

I am pretty sure a convertible console was not related to Pony interior. I think anyone could order one.

All the ribbing on the inside of the console would make it really difficult to cut anything from the inside.

I am actually planning to cut a repro console. The original one I have is aqua instead of black and some of the screw holes are broken out on the bottom sides. I bought a repro base hoping it would solve both those problems. Both of the console bases are unfortunately uncut. Unlike many other repro items, the repro console base looks nearly identical to an original. I can't say the same about the repro trim plates. I returned a repro long trim plate since my pitted original looked better than the new repro.

[Veronica]

Hi again. I finally found them. The driver's side one is about 32 1/2 long and the skinny width is about 1/2 inch. The passenger side is about 34 long and the skinny width is about 7/8 inch. The square back side goes flush against the back edge where the courtesy light lense hits, and the upper, long straight edge goes up against the step down the length of the console.. That should be ending up with the same thing the other template does. I made these so that I could tape them to the console, mark the console with a sharpie or something and cut them off with a jigsaw.

[Ivy66GT]

Thanks Veronica. Now we have 3 sets of templates that look pretty much the same. Is that similar to having 3 watches - now we really don't know what time it is?

Blowing yours up to full size and comparing them to mine the differences are most likely in the accuracy that anyone can draw a template from something as lumpy as a console. The differences from side to side are much the same on all the choices. When I started this I didn't realize that there was to be any material cut away BELOW the center screw holes. But all these template agree that there is a small amount, different on each side, removed there. The bogus 'cut here' marks on the repro console base don't indicate any of these subtleties.

The size of the rounded lump around the center screw is larger on your right (P/S) than the left (D/S). Your P/S lump is nearly the size of mine while your D/S is closer to the paper template from the prior posting.

Were these cuts somewhat freehand from the assembly crew or was there a truly, factory made, dedicated convertible console? Looking only at the evidence at hand I would vote for freehand.

If my swamp wasn't full of other alligators I would nearly be ready to start cutting a console.

[Veronica]

Hi again. I made those off of a factory original convertible console, but, it was a little bit warped around the screw hole areas, so I clamped the board onto the outside of the console, iraced the line from the inside, and then cut along the line with a jigsaw, leaving about an 1/8 inch to take off with a rasp to get them to sit perfectly straight and level with each other in my car. There are some variations from an optimum, one-size-fits-all template because of little abherrations in the way my carpet and underlayment are sitting. The overlap of the two pieces of carpet is never exactly the same all the way across in any two given cars, so I cut those for making a console sit perfectly all the way down, with no gaps at all, in a particular car. When cutting out for a convertible, you'll always have to cut it, test fit it, pull it back out, tweek it, test fit it again, etc.. You'll want to do that with front brace already attached to the bottom of the console also, so that it doesn't look like it will fit perfect, but, when you attach the front brace, it tries to pull the back of the console up, or have any area in the middle of the console that won't pull all the way down. That, as a side note, is why many of them are busted around the screw holes.

[Ivy66GT]

Originally Posted by Veronica

...I clamped the board onto the outside of the console, traced the line from the inside, and then cut along the line...

That's how I did mine as well and once I realized that it told me which side of my template was the driver and which was the passenger side.

I had planned to do the job much as you suggest: cut a little, test for fit, trim some more, etc. The new carpet underpayment which will go under my new carpet is also not exactly like an original (another exaggerated repro claim of originality) which will likely make a difference as well.

I'll take lots of pix and post them here, in a new thread likely, when I get it done.