Center arm rest

I met this gent at last years Vintage in Saratoga, He had a very nice center arm rest and storage solution, He will use your substrate and make you a custom unit. He had one in his coupe and it looked like a very high quality job and install. From Google:

For BMW interior and seat repairs in Richmond, Vermont, Richmond Upholstery (located at 157 E Main St) specializes in custom automotive interiors and convertible tops. Run by experienced interior specialist Michael Lemire, you can reach them at (802) 434-3888 to discuss project specifics for your BMW. [1, 2, 3]

Local Shop Details
    • Name: Richmond Upholstery (Richmond Auto Upholstery)
    • Address: 157 E Main St, Richmond, VT 05477
    • Phone: (802) 434-3888
 
I messaged Eric and am going to meet up with him in Seattle to see if we can revitalize his model, just without him having to do all of the work. Stay tuned
 
e9Leveque said:
I messaged Eric and am going to meet up with him in Seattle to see if we can revitalize his model, just without him having to do all of the work. Stay tuned
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Good idea. That was a fairly nice design. The shape and size were quite good, as was the armrest itself. I suggest, however, that the frame be made more robust in a new version. Also, for me the cup holder was not very useful.
 
Drew Gregg said:
Has anyone built an arm rest that mounts between the seats and over the E-Brake boot? Are they for sale using a vinyl/leather that matches the seats?
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This is very similar to the one I saw from Mike Richmond at the Vintage.
 
It broke at the hinge attachment point. I started down the path of making a replacement but didn't finish the project.
 
Eric made the center armrest for me about 5 years ago. He told me it was the last one he was going to make for anyone, and his last one was for himself. The piano hinge opens the lid from the driver to the passenger. I had a passenger pull the cover off from front to back. Then another passenger had his elbow resting on the cover when I went around a right turn corner and that pushed the hinge off. I finally found a glue that has held the hinge in place in the grooved verticle passenger side. And passengers are now asked to not use it as an arm rest... The slide out cup holder was removed since it was too close to the hand brake& shifter. There is a much better cup holder made out of billet aluminum that mounts to the seat rail. The black lid can be covered in matching seat leather by a good upholsterer.
Eric's design is a good one that can now be improved by feedback from those of us that have it in our cars.
I also installed a 12 VDC power port and a USB power port in the front of the console, next to the hand brake.
 

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Yes my hope was to meet with Eric and to get some plans and to use his know-how to get me started, then as a group hopefully we can find a source for making the panels. Questions will be solid wood painted vs vinyl covered on the sides, also then the details of piano hinge and foam for the top. All do-able I think especially if a few of us are interested
 
JC, i have one ... i will try to measure and create some drawings for the armrest. i might use that to develop an even better one for my coupe. might be a few weeks, but i will have some down time due to carpet issues.
 
So, if you are considering changes to the design, consider a rear hinge as opposed to a piano hinge on the side.
 
i think that may be worse Chris ... too much leverage on the side to side movement. i wonder if the problem on the piano hinge is whether the material is strong enough to hold the screws.
 
Yes, my concern as well. Screws are more likely to pull out especially if it’s a fiberboard or mdf material. I’ll see what Eric’s design looks like and then hopefully together we can all modify as needed to make something extra-solid. Sounds like Drew’s passenger may have been the usual passenger who doesn’t realize that the adage of “if it isn’t moving don’t force it” applies extra in our cars. When my passenger-side armrest pulled out from the door (at which point I installed the extra support option) and I posted here about it the response I got was “it’s always the passenger side - the driver knows not to pull on the door in that spot!”
If we were to open from the rear, may need some slides to help support each long edge, which adds complexity.
 
i would like to investigate the mechanism on the armrest in my audi tts. it can slide forward and open the direction that Chris mentions. it seems very stable as i have used it for 3+ years with zero issues. i like the drink holder in Eric Anton's unit (visually) but haven't used it. alternatively, perhaps there's a way to do something like the ones in the porsche 987 boxster / cayman - that came out of the dash and opened up ... but that might be too 'temperamental'.

my thought is to create a unit made of wood and wrapped in vinyl to match the center console. ideally, i would like it to join up to the console and looking like it came that way originally. it would also be good to have a bottom to give a finished look around the handbrake lever.
 
I’m thinking of this as well. Definitely need a drink holder as I always have my Yeti with me. I have some left over blue leather.

Sounds like a great winter project.
 
For cup holders, I bought one of these years ago for my e39, and am using this in my coupe. Holds a large drink securely, and does not look too much out of place. It may require you to get a little fresh with passengers, but that can be a good thing sometimes.

BMW Cup Holders, Porsche Cup Holders, Ultimate Cup Holder - Cupholders / Drink Holders for BMW 3 5 7 Series, Boxster 911 Z4 Mercedes Audi NSX other fine cars.

Ultimate Cupholders (tm) - High quality, functional cup holders / cupholders for BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, and other fine cars.
www.ultimatecupholders.com

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