I'm still having fits with the console of the '76. I've got the dash put up there as good as it's gonna get and the console is still sitting just far enough back to make the car not want to go all the way into PARK. I can force it though, so at least SOME progress has been made in the past day or so.

I can probably trim something (the console is not the OEM one but a reproduction) if I have to but there's another assembly question I have. The tounge that slides forward with the shifter when you go into PARK is hitting on the A/C&Heater control assembly. The one that fills the slot that the shifter is inside of. In order to go forward into PARK what I have to do is lift the top plate of the console up high enough for the toungue to slip over the HVAC cable controls.

My order of assembly was to place the console on the floor, then work the HVAC control set onto it. After placing the controller wheels for the HVAC over the top of the opening in the console, I put the final shifter plate cover (the wood grain one) over the assembly. Seems like the logical assy order because if I leave the HVAC controls under the opening in the console, there's nothing to hold them up. So I figure they must HAVE to sit on the top of the opening in the console. Logical?

But in doing so, that toungue plastic slider thingy guy-dude has no place to go. It can't clear the HVAC controls and it stops the shifter from moving up. I figure I must be missing something real obvious but just what IS IT???

Thanks again folks because your help has been a great tool to me when re-doing this interior.

 

Easy with those pieces. Now i do have a 4sp but will try to help. I recall the center console gets set down first and I used long scews to draw the holes in and even redrilled a couple to aline my hard plastic replacement. Next goes a steel reiforcemet piece that gets scewed into the console but i recall it took several tries at line up. That climate control just lies ontop and is sandwiched by a trim plate (last piece) and 4 scews that can take a few tries to line up so they screw down all the way.
All that stuff has to fit up including the parking brake console or the scews won't seat. My solution was to assemble as far as i could get and make adjustments then dissasemble again to start over. I didn't have to trim anything but i recall it took three tries to make it acceptable.
Okay i recall now those control cables are inplace first and the console sets ontop with the cables pulled up through the big hole in center. Then that steel reinforment piece slips over the cables and onto the console. Next the climate control itself but most likely this was still connected to the cables and everything else slid over the control and cables. Now one of those tonges is gonna cover the control under the trim plate and the upper will go between the trim plate and gear selector insert.
It looks like the autos have a lower and upper plastic shifter seal (tonge). Just keep posting ttt until you get a good answer Paul.
Good luck. cardo0

 

Thanks again. Yea it's been a very frustrating weekend! Three trys to get the dash in place, then the console won't work. Repeated trys but I'm willing to keep going! I drove her to the store for a six pack of Bud just now and it felt so good to be on the road again!

It drives me crazy to not have the inside stuff line up right though. I'm a neat freak by nature and that's the whole reason for the new carpet. Little did I know that the new carpet would turn into a major interior job .... and now it's 99 percent done and not right yet.

To top if off, I just tried to shoot some progress pics, and the battery in the DigiCam is too low to work the flash. So life goes on! On this Sony, it takes overnight for the charger to make it work. I gave it an hour while we had dinner just now, and the thing still won't work the flash - all it gave me was pics too dark to post.

So ending the weekend still frustrated with the car. :o I do however predict a great week next!