Well I phoned various suppliers asking for a centre console to suit a mid-mounted rear facing tranmission, drew a blank !!

So it was out to the garage.
Alas HFH's tales of fabrication seem to be influencing me, taking too bl00dy long, and making things darn heavy

I needed to house

• a cubby box to hold valuables - I used a small Peli case for this
• Hi/low and diff-lock lever
• Twin handbrakes
• Switch panel
• Twin pnematic switches for the lockers
• Auto shifter (100% stock)

I wanted the console as small/narrow as possible, to give maximum space in the cockpit
I also wanted it not to join up with the "dashboard" so that clambering around is easier
All the levers etc had to have space to move, not being able to use the handbrakes, because the auto-shifter was in the way, was not acceptable.
Top panels had to be easily removable for maintenance/access
There had to be a "recess" to allow space for the drivers seat rake adjust - I'd change my choice of seat halfway through the build !!

Its taken me a week to get this far !!






I'm now tidying up the welds, and getting ready for paint. Hopefully it will be 100% finished by this time next week ( I need to leave the paint to harden for a couple of days)

I reckon by the time its finished - I'll have about 40 hours invested in it !!

Sheesh

Very nice work Andy!
can't wait to see it in the flesh/in action

Maybe at the birthday bash Andy..........?



Go on - you know you want to!

I'd love to, and it might even be drivable.
Alas I've got to get my truck tax'd and MOT'd before I can move it anywhere, so I'm gonna have my work cut out.

Looks good Andy - you have indeed been busy!

Si

Know it oh so well, looks good, was this just :

" the Standard but just long time to do engineering"

or (as we have discussed in the past)

" the dreaded 3 bears style of engineering ? "

Nige

Nige

Not 3 bears engineering, but there were multiple bears involved Clearance is damn tight to the drivers seat.

Anyway its painted and in.

Still need to tidy the silicon sealer - my last tube was nearly off
Label the switch panel
Some minor wiring behind the switch panel
Find space for the diff-lock warning lamp







Pretty chuffed the way its turned out

Oh man! That looks great Andy! All colour co-ordinated, Have you got some nice blingy boots for the handbrake levers?

Came out looking cracking. How does it 'fit' when you sit in the drivers seat - any awkward angles or long reaches to the various levers? As you know I've got a 'fair few' sticks to shoehorn in, so I'm kinda interested in the practicalities...

Nice one. Al.

Al - no boots for handbrakes yet, although its on the wish list. I had hoped to use earlier Rangie rubber gaiters, but alas they dont fit the later handbrakes.
Getting some sewn up will happen eventually, but we don't own a sewing machine, so that isn't going to happen just yet.

Ergonomics - I spent a long time on. For me everything is pretty much perfect.
The difflock/hi-lo lever would be a couple of inches further forward in an ideal world, but its fine where it is, and there is scope for modifing the lever.

The controls for the rear winch are ahead of the tranmission shifter - thats about as far as I can reach comfortably.


Seems I've got space for a rear-steer joy-stick between the handbrakes

I'm hearing that!

You realise we're gonna end up with 4 non-steering portal axles, right?

Do you think there's much call for a no-steer 8 wheeler with excellent ground clearance?

Al.

Just thinking, since your gearbox is facing rearwards now, doesn't that make the hi/lo lever move in the opposite direction to get the desired hi or lo or diff-lock, or have you done something cunning with the linkages to keep the idents on the knob the same? maybe I'm just confusing myself

Well observed, no I really just need to rotate the "knob" 180 degrees and read it upside-down

or you could get a nice alloy one, etched with the correct layout and then you can sit there polishing <ooh err>

thinking one company was making plain hi-lo alloy knobs, could stencil it and lacquer it?

Lovely Job, Andy. Really, really nice!!!

I'm sure halfords stock some nice pink fluffy ones Andy!

that would clash with the orange

Did you manage to get hold of the right transfer lever mounting in then end, or did you have to indulge in some creative modifications?

Why do most of the picies appear to have your lunch box in? Is this why everything takes so long? If you didn't spend so long eating...

Glue

Andy,

when will you have time to pick your nose or shout at your navigator ???

you will be toooo busy trying to find the corret "eject " button .........................

brownie points for looking great thou