Broken Shift Console Tabs...Repair Kit?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 407
Likes: 10
From: Maryville Tennessee
Broken Shift Console Tabs...Repair Kit?
Hi,
On my '75, all four plastic tabs on the center shift console are broken, thus I can't secure down the metal console plate. I see that Corvette Central has a "repair kit" for about $25. I don't see how these broken tabs can be fixed. Is there anything to this repair kit or any other solution? Thanks.
Rob
On my '75, all four plastic tabs on the center shift console are broken, thus I can't secure down the metal console plate. I see that Corvette Central has a "repair kit" for about $25. I don't see how these broken tabs can be fixed. Is there anything to this repair kit or any other solution? Thanks.
Rob
Race Director
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 10,643
Likes: 8
From: Foxfield CO 1970 Convertible
One of the new mags, (Corvette Fever or Vette) has an article on this very subject. Shows how to make new tabs out of a piece of sheet metal. Looks like a pretty decent weekend project.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,372
Likes: 223
From: Beecher Illinois
Originally Posted by Z-man
One of the new mags, (Corvette Fever or Vette) has an article on this very subject. Shows how to make new tabs out of a piece of sheet metal. Looks like a pretty decent weekend project.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 23,375
Likes: 1,067
From: Virginia USA
I just bought the repair kit from Ecklers because I didn't have the right metal stock laying around the garage. It is OK but I think I could have made better brackets if I had the material and time. This kit uses hot melt glue to hold the brackets. It holds good but once you bolt the shift plate down that will hold the brackets better. I also had to modify the front brackets because I have the fiber optics bezel up there and the brackets were not drilled for the attachment studs. I also had to bend a couple of the brackets to make them sit flush with the bottom of the console after the shift plate screws were tightened. Overall I give the kit a 4 out of 10. Do I recommend the kit?????? I don't know........
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,255
Likes: 82
From: Brampton Ont.
Originally Posted by Z-man
One of the new mags, (Corvette Fever or Vette) has an article on this very subject. Shows how to make new tabs out of a piece of sheet metal. Looks like a pretty decent weekend project.
Has anyone found the link?
Thanks
Racer
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 470
Likes: 1
From: Amelia Ohio
I repaired mine with some 22 gauge panning metal from duct work. Cut to size and use 1/8" pop rivets on each side of mounting hole. Mine was FUBAR every one was broken. It is now solid as a rock. I had the stuff sitting around but if you bought it at Home Depot should be 1o bucks or so.
Chris
Chris
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 3,123
Likes: 13
From: Hollywood, Florida
I too bought the kit but I should have made it myself. About $1.50 worth of material in the kit that cost $25. The hot glue gave up after a couple of months and I had to use 2 pt. epoxy as mentioned above
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,431
Likes: 52
From: Florida
When I opened kit and read "hot glue" I thought 
. I used structural adhesive instead and rivets. I roughed surface, cleaned it. drilled 1/8" holes just through the hard blk. plastic and set all four SHORT rivets one at a time till almost snug. Then I went back over them pulling rivets until SNUG. I then cut the nails off the rivets. The padded console does not show the SHORT rivets from underside. It goes without saying but just in case.....you don't want to tighten rivets till they pop and split the plastic....just nice and snug. Thier hot glue was the stupidest think I've read in directions in a very long time.
This is a good kit if you use strutural adhesive and SHORT rivets. Rivets are enough but I glued it for extra protection. They do requre some grinding to make them sit flush. I like the kit because the brackets are shaped appropriately for the most part and it saves me the time to fab my own. Even the console needed reshaping where these sat in my case....flatten them down to get a flush stable pad to rivet to.
Good luck
Jim
. I used structural adhesive instead and rivets. I roughed surface, cleaned it. drilled 1/8" holes just through the hard blk. plastic and set all four SHORT rivets one at a time till almost snug. Then I went back over them pulling rivets until SNUG. I then cut the nails off the rivets. The padded console does not show the SHORT rivets from underside. It goes without saying but just in case.....you don't want to tighten rivets till they pop and split the plastic....just nice and snug. Thier hot glue was the stupidest think I've read in directions in a very long time.This is a good kit if you use strutural adhesive and SHORT rivets. Rivets are enough but I glued it for extra protection. They do requre some grinding to make them sit flush. I like the kit because the brackets are shaped appropriately for the most part and it saves me the time to fab my own. Even the console needed reshaping where these sat in my case....flatten them down to get a flush stable pad to rivet to.
Good luck
Jim
Last edited by jimvette999; Jan 19, 2006 at 02:40 PM.
