TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Seems good so far !







PS. Yes, it does tilt back to access the original storage.

randomsuper

looks a little rough but at least it's functional. the stock one is such garbage. i feel like i'm balancing my forearm on a coat hanger.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Rough? Well, it is a different design from the typical armrest -- some may not care for it. Here are some photos just before the lid was attached and the whole installed.

Mdiesel64

iTrader: (1)

i like the concept! not feeling the seat covers though... but, thats neither here nor there..

Puredrive

You know, I think I may have asked you this before, but what steering wheel cover is that (where did you get it)?

45SSxb2

iTrader: (1)

Looks good trev it looks a lil lower did you make it from scratch?

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

The four seat covers are cheap fitted ones from eBay -- very good for the money and the money was right ! Purely for the purpose of protecting the seat upholstery. I looked around and decided the nicer one's were just too expensive for my level of interest.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Yes you did, a few months back, Pep Boys.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Thanks . Relative to the factory arm rest, yes it is lower. I find the factory rest unusable -- too high. This one is the right height for me, very comfortable. The only problem was the upholstery raised the final height enough that I needed to add door armrest pads to even it out. Finished them last night and installed them this morning (height feels matched now). Here are some photos (finally got some good shots ).






Not quite built from scratch, I reused the original lid frame. I started it last November/December, did other things for about six months, and went back to it in July. It took me quite awhile to think out the design, and there were a few adjustments en-route, but I'm quite happy with the way it worked out and I like the look in the car.

pyroman131

It looks pretty clean and OEM-like, and it compliments your interior nicely.

How'd you go about making it? I have no experience in any form of machining or construction on this level.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Thanks very much, that's a nice compliment !

I'm going to interpret that as a general question. I guess my approach is basically to decide what I want to build and what features I want it to have. Then I have to decide what methods and materials are available to me (looking around hardware stores and maybe fabric stores can help generate ideas).

When I have a general picture in mind, I can start refining it with a focus on simplicity (the more complex something is, the more difficult it will be to fabricate and the less likely it will turn out right.) At some point, I start sketching to help the thinking process. It's important to plan the details as early as practical in order to minimize dead ends (no detail is too small to pre-consider). It's almost certain some adjustments will be needed during construction, but you don't want them to be impactful on what has already been built. When I have the object and likely materials pretty well defined, it's necessary to measure, measure, and measure again. Usually, the very act of measuring spurs further insight into what is needed and possible complications. I try hard not to make assumptions during this process, they have a tendency to come back and bite me !

After all that's done, I collect the materials and start ccnstruction. Main requirement at this stage is to transfer measurements accurately and take the time necessary to avoid as many mistakes as possible. If something takes three or more tries to get it right, then so be it. Patience is key!

My particular project was fundamentally woodworking, though I also used Plexiglass, miscelaneous hardware, dense foam rubber, and a little tailoring ! It's imagination that brings it all together. Just attack it as a series of individual questions that have to be answered one at a time. If you're anything like me, you'll probably still be resolving questions at project completion !

pyroman131

@TrevorS: Nice break down. I suspect that my question was too broad and general. What I really meant to ask is how you actually fabricated it, since I would like to emulate a similar concept to that effect. Bear in mind that I lack the appropriate skills for fabrication, but would be willing to engage this endeavor for similar results.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Pyroman131 -- PM sent

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Oops!

Relative to planning, turns out I did manage to overlook something kind of basic. The arm rest lid has to be prevented from opening too far and possibly doing damage. Fortunately, it didn't take too long to identify a reasonable solution. Here it is !





Also relative to planning, it turns out the center arm rest being slightly higher than anticipated was a lucky break. Having arm rest pads on the doors hugely improves their feel and the slight additional height feels very natural. I heartily recommend them !

pyroman131

PM replied.

Hmm... could you possibly manufacture this entire set for a willing customer like myself? lol

What did you do about the stock armrest? Did you integrate that into your current one?

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

If there's appreciable interest, I'd probably do it, but frankly, I'm not yet seeing it. Given a couple other threads I ran across, I'm getting the impression people prefer the heavily padded big bolster style. A different set of objectives apparently coming to play.

The stock lid consists of two components, an inner frame (includes the latch and hinge) and the outer shell. I just used the frame.

pyroman131

I apologize. I meant the stock folding armrest built into the driver's seat.

When I contemplated the construction of my own armrest, I explored different avenues of integrating a type of fold-down armrest that would slip onto the driver's one. Granted, it would probably hinder access to the center console, but I never planned this in-depth. I figured that it would not be able to support another arm on the rest or something of that nature, because the support would only come from the anchor that affixes it to the driver's seat.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Fair enough, I think of the stock storage unit as just that also, too low for an armrest, however, I find the driver's seat mounted armrest unusable -- too high for my comfort. That in itself disqualified it for me, but if I needed further objections, I had unsuitability for supporting a passenger armrest, and a woeful height mismatch with the door armrest. For my purposes, all I could do with it was remove it.

In my mind, it all comes down to features and what armrest solutions can provide for them. My primary target feature set was:

Comfortable
Armrest for both front occupants
Maximum allowable forward projection (increases comfort)
Good ease of access to cup holders and patch panel area
Even height with the door armrests (increases comfort)
Minimal wasted vertical space (lends to adding storage)
Reasonably sturdy (avoid adding weakness)
Good ease of access to original storage compartment
Complementary appearance

The only attractive possibility to me was to build on the stock pedestal.

pyroman131

For future readers of this topic, a second segue topic is constructed that gauges possible interest of mass-producing these:

Any interest in having an armrest similar to this available?
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=191606