Center Console warping I have a fix

[VinnyRusso]

I looked around and as the FNG, I thought I would try and contribute...

Anyone else's center console doing this?

IMG_3350.jpg


Well after finding out it was a $450 part... I decided to try and do something about it...

One side...

IMG_3450.jpg


Both Sides...

IMG_3451.jpg



If this isn't anything new, then I'm a jackass.... If anyone cares, let me know and I'll post how I did it..

[dave6666]

One might say it is kind of new, your fix for it, and posting pics of after you fixed it but not saying more, well then, yes, you might just be a......................


I also have a fix for how to keep the e-brake boot down. Should we swap stories?

[HKViper]

Being a new owner and have this issue, yes I would be interested to know, as I haven't seen the fix.

[AZTVR]

Good job ! I don't remember reading about the issue you had over the years I have been on the forums. The center consoles do have a tendency to crack in the middle where the driver might lean or push off from when exiting the car. There is a fix to help prevent that by adding a pre-formed foam block to support the underside of the console. It was developed by a club member, marketed by Dave's Big Brakes, and now on JonB's web site.

You should add your description of a successful fix for the warpage. Always good for the next guy that encounters the issue

[dave6666]

I've never seen a car that didn't have that, have seen it posted for the decade I've had my car. How could you have missed it? Same thing with the door panels warping by the stanchion.

[AZTVR]

I've never seen a car that didn't have that, have seen it posted for the decade I've had my car. How could you have missed it?

My second grade teacher wrote on my report card that "Jimmy has trouble paying attention in class." Maybe she was right.

[VinnyRusso]

Well I didn't want to get into a huge diatribe if I missed someone else posting a fix.

Since it appears I may be able to contribute to the greater good, I will happily do so.

The fix is easy... I do not know much about the cracking mentioned above, but the warping I can help with.

You will need three things: a heat gun (NOT a hairdryer), a towel, and a fan.

Once you remove the console, turn the fan on near you, but not blowing on you.

Place console in your lap, upside down. Using the heat gun on the highest setting warm up the plastic from the inside of the console. Keep your other hand on the outside plastic so you can feel when it gets warm all the way through.

Move the gun all over the panel, never keeping it in one place too long.

The gun gets HOT, and WILL melt the plastic if you are not paying attention.

Keep waving it over the plastic until you feel the plastic get warm on the other side where your hand is.

Once this happens, start pushing the bulge back towards the center of the console.

Work the plastic as it gets warmer until you are happy with where it is. It may have to use the towel if it gets too hot, but be gentle and don't let it get too hot!

Turn off heat gun, put down somewhere safe and take console to fan. Keep the plastic in the position you want, using the Fan to cool it off.

Wash, rinse, repeat on the other side.

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[VinnyRusso]

I've never seen a car that didn't have that, have seen it posted for the decade I've had my car. How could you have missed it? Same thing with the door panels warping by the stanchion.

I meant I didn't see a fix for the problem... have you?

[VinnyRusso]

One might say it is kind of new, your fix for it, and posting pics of after you fixed it but not saying more, well then, yes, you might just be a......................


I also have a fix for how to keep the e-brake boot down. Should we swap stories?

I showed you mine, now show me yours... LOL

[71firebird400]

Awesome, thank you for posting!

[Fatboy 18]

I have not seen that issue before. I wonder if it happens due to the heat some of you guys get in the Summer months? Unlikely for it to happen in little ole England. This needs moving to the How To Guides Thanks for the helpful post

[Black94rt/10]

A lot of 2nd gen cars I have seen suffer from this. Was this something that was exclusive to the gen 2?

[VinnyRusso]

A lot of 2nd gen cars I have seen suffer from this. Was this something that was exclusive to the gen 2?

Don't know... I think it was... The 1st ben was a little different and 3rd was totally different...
I'd be curious if it more of the RT's vs GTS due to sun/heat...

at least now we know can be fixed... FOR FREE!!!!!!!

[dave6666]

Quite honestly, since it is heat and stress that caused the warpage, a simpler fix would be to clamp a straightedge like a 2x4 to the outer ends, and then slowlypull the center in with another clamp all the while just leaving it in the 130* sun. The same sun that caused it to begin with. Mine's not bad enough to care so I'm leaving it for now, but the heat gun method is risky as in they run at 500 or 1000* F which is way past combustion or adhesive release temp on that material. Making that process risky if you screw up.

[VinnyRusso]

Quite honestly, since it is heat and stress that caused the warpage, a simpler fix would be to clamp a straightedge like a 2x4 to the outer ends, and then slowlypull the center in with another clamp all the while just leaving it in the 130* sun. The same sun that caused it to begin with. Mine's not bad enough to care so I'm leaving it for now, but the heat gun method is risky as in they run at 500 or 1000* F which is way past combustion or adhesive release temp on that material. Making that process risky if you screw up.

the plastic is 1/4 inch thick... leaving it in the sun is not going to do anything... there is no adhesive to release and the chances of you setting it on fire are SLIM as long as you don't leave the gun on and walk away.

I managed this fix in minimal time and never felt unsafe.

I would recommend to any one to try this, observing all safety requirements of course.

[dave6666]

the plastic is 1/4 inch thick... leaving it in the sun is not going to do anything... there is no adhesive to release and the chances of you setting it on fire are SLIM as long as you don't leave the gun on and walk away.

I managed this fix in minimal time and never felt unsafe.

I would recommend to any one to try this, observing all safety requirements of course.

I'm starting to lose respect for you above "redneck idea that was kuul." I'll use my 35 years in chemical and mechanical engineering and give you a public spanking here. But without getting banned again

So. Topic #1: 1/4" thick plastic. Really bro? So because it's "1/4" thick" it cannot be thermoformed by anything other than a heat gun? And a towel and fan? Not to be confused with plastic thicker than that by orders of magnitude that is thermoformed by orders of magnitude less than a heat gun? So f I want to thermoform 2" thick HDPE I have to use a HEAT GUN?

My god this is amusingingly easy bro.

*POP QUIZ*

What is the melting temp of PUR?

Better yet, do you know what PUR is? I'll give you a hint. THE ENTIRE INTERIOR IS MADE FROM IT.

Here's some technical info on temperatures. I would suggest you review this data before you make any more uneducated claims about plastics and polymers.

http://www.tcforensic.com.au/docs/article10.html

TOPIC #2: So the sun can't heat things to a heat deformation temperature? Really bro? REALLY? Well then, HOW THE %&#$ DO YOU THINK IT GOT DEFORMED TO BEGIN WITH?

*POP QUIZ #2*

What is the interior temp of a car on a 110* day? And give me the delta between the thermoform temp of PUR and the interior temp of a car.

I'll make it easy. Here's a chart bro.



You following all this tech crap dude?

Topic #3: Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, according to you, "there is no adhesive" on the center console. Really bro? So how do you thing they keep the soft vinyl outer layer stuck to the PUR structure? Unicorn blood? Superman sweat? Do you have the release technical data on that? lol, fail bro.



Dude. You brought a knife to a gun fight and got owned. I'm bored with you now

[Black94rt/10]

Note to self....never get in technical argument with dave.....check! Lol.

[HKViper]

I've never seen a car that didn't have that, have seen it posted for the decade I've had my car. How could you have missed it? Same thing with the door panels warping by the stanchion.

My second grade teacher wrote on my report card that "Jimmy has trouble paying attention in class." Maybe she was right.

Well considering I'm a baby when it comes to the lifespan of some viper owners, and I'm hardly ever here on this forum, coupled with the fact I've never searched out this information because I've never cared enough to do so, it would be pretty easy to never come across this information.

[VinnyRusso]

So, obviously I'm to going to even begin to dispute this... but I will say that you should consider politics as as secondary career path... as some of my statements, that I felt were obviously made clear their intentions, we're taken literally for the benefit of your argument. Kudos to your skills.

so, to briefly defend myself and then we can all move on, and I'll go back to being the FNG....

Topic #1 - Yes, I know what PUR is... Polyurethane... but you could have said that and not used "PUR" as i would bet a large percentage of people here would not know what PUR was... I used "Plastic" as a general term... Not knowing the group here, I was keeping things general. Granted my claims about plastic are not backed by science, but as car guys we regularly take risks associated with our hobby... How many time have we sprayed paint or chemicals without proper ventilation... or worked with the battery connected when we were supposed to disconnect? I'm just saying... I was under the assumption that we shared our findings here, I thought I made it clear that this repair was to be made at your own risk. I took a risk, it worked.

Topic #2: Yes, I'm not an idiot I know the the sun is what caused it... But you being a scientist... why would you think that if it took years for the sun to deform the plastic, that I would be able to put it back within minuted using the same source... I don't now about the other owners, but I don't want my center console to sit outside for 10 years as I wait for 2x4's and straps to push it back into place because I can't be trusted with a heat gun. C' mon... Are you just flaming me to prove a point?

Topic #3: again... My bad on this... my explanation didn't take into account that everything posted here needed to be run through the full scientific experiment model and backed up with nobel prize winning scientists fact checking... Yes, of course there are adhesives of some sort in place I suppose when I said there weren't any adhesives to release, I was trying o make a point that they hadn't released yet... so why would they during repair?


I'm not trying to start a fight here... but if this is how my first attempt at contributing to this forum will be met, then I suppose I will be better served sitting back and observing... I was really hoping that, like the Jeep clubs I am a part of , this would be a very close knit group of car guys, all on the same page as helping each other out and sharing what knowledge they have...

But it appears it is more of a exclusive club, looking down at those of us trying to fulfill a dream of becoming a Viper owner if they don't meet the requirements of the "cool kids"


Your response could have been handled a lot differently, but you choose to show your true self.... I hope that you do not represent the majority of the owners on this site, its enough to have me reconsidering ownership to avoid having the rest of the world group me in with owners like yourself...

or maybe you just had a bad day... who knows...

[daveg]

Warpage typically happens in HOT weather states and leaving the windows up with car in hot sun. Put windows down a bit can help. Fortuitously we don't typically suffer this in colder states.

[My98RT10]

So, obviously I'm to going to even begin to dispute this... but I will say that you should consider politics as as secondary career path... as some of my statements, that I felt were obviously made clear their intentions, we're taken literally for the benefit of your argument. Kudos to your skills.

so, to briefly defend myself and then we can all move on, and I'll go back to being the FNG....

Topic #1 - Yes, I know what PUR is... Polyurethane... but you could have said that and not used "PUR" as i would bet a large percentage of people here would not know what PUR was... I used "Plastic" as a general term... Not knowing the group here, I was keeping things general. Granted my claims about plastic are not backed by science, but as car guys we regularly take risks associated with our hobby... How many time have we sprayed paint or chemicals without proper ventilation... or worked with the battery connected when we were supposed to disconnect? I'm just saying... I was under the assumption that we shared our findings here, I thought I made it clear that this repair was to be made at your own risk. I took a risk, it worked.

Topic #2: Yes, I'm not an idiot I know the the sun is what caused it... But you being a scientist... why would you think that if it took years for the sun to deform the plastic, that I would be able to put it back within minuted using the same source... I don't now about the other owners, but I don't want my center console to sit outside for 10 years as I wait for 2x4's and straps to push it back into place because I can't be trusted with a heat gun. C' mon... Are you just flaming me to prove a point?

Topic #3: again... My bad on this... my explanation didn't take into account that everything posted here needed to be run through the full scientific experiment model and backed up with nobel prize winning scientists fact checking... Yes, of course there are adhesives of some sort in place I suppose when I said there weren't any adhesives to release, I was trying o make a point that they hadn't released yet... so why would they during repair?


I'm not trying to start a fight here... but if this is how my first attempt at contributing to this forum will be met, then I suppose I will be better served sitting back and observing... I was really hoping that, like the Jeep clubs I am a part of , this would be a very close knit group of car guys, all on the same page as helping each other out and sharing what knowledge they have...

But it appears it is more of a exclusive club, looking down at those of us trying to fulfill a dream of becoming a Viper owner if they don't meet the requirements of the "cool kids"


Your response could have been handled a lot differently, but you choose to show your true self.... I hope that you do not represent the majority of the owners on this site, its enough to have me reconsidering ownership to avoid having the rest of the world group me in with owners like yourself...

or maybe you just had a bad day... who knows...

I appreciated your initial post a lot. So do I this one ☺ . Being someone who is reading in the various Viper forums and also contributing from time to time I can say that Dave6666's "style" is rather the exception than the norm of how we are interacting. There is a reason why he has some "history" in the community, I believe.

So please keep up your efforts to involve yourself like you did. I am 100% sure that the vast majority of people here appreciate your contribution as much as I do !

[Sybil TF]

I'm starting to lose respect for you above "redneck idea that was kuul." I'll use my 35 years in chemical and mechanical engineering and give you a public spanking here. But without getting banned again

Oh brother. All this crap over a warped console...

[Lemay88]

lol, mine is also warped...warped exactly the same on each side... I thought it came out like that.
I like the warped look, makes it look more cockpit like...I'll keep it like that, never know, Canadian cold winter might bring them back to normal... lol

[VinnyRusso]

I appreciated your initial post a lot. So do I this one ☺ . Being someone who is reading in the various Viper forums and also contributing from time to time I can say that Dave6666's "style" is rather the exception than the norm of how we are interacting. There is a reason why he has some "history" in the community, I believe.

So please keep up your efforts to involve yourself like you did. I am 100% sure that the vast majority of people here appreciate your contribution as much as I do !

Thank you for speaking up!!

[BrianACR]

lol, mine is also warped...warped exactly the same on each side... I thought it came out like that.
I like the warped look, makes it look more cockpit like...I'll keep it like that, never know, Canadian cold winter might bring them back to normal... lol

Haha ya mine is the same on both sides too! I thought that was how it was supposed to be. I'm thinkin I'll just leave it. Unless this coming deepfreeze is gonna help me out....

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Yes, your contribution to the site is much appreciated