Need a little advice on my center consul

coupedegrace

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The console tail panel shouldn't have those two exterior screws in it either. That tail panel attaches to either side of the console by way of two L brackets and rather short/small wood screws. On my car the attachments points on the right side of the panel were shot - too much movement of the small screws in the chipboard material had enlarged the holes to the point where the screws wouldn't hold. I filled in the holes with wood glue and dowels. My first attempt failed on one of the wallowed out holes, but the second one worked. So far everything has been holding together fairly well. Saw dust and wood glue also works, perhaps better than my method.

IMHO that end of the console and the way the shift platform mounts is pretty weak. Only two tiny wood screws hold the shit platform in place.
 

Dick Steinkamp

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@GPD

I agree with @coupedegrace that the console is a bad design and made out of poor materials. Not very BMW like. They are probably all coming apart at this point and have been repaired in various ways (good and bad). I know mine has.

Yours looks like it needs to be disassembled, repaired as coupedegrace outlines where necessary, new pieces found if not repairable, painted, and reassembled. It also has a funky radio face plate which is making it look unfactory like...

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Mine is a no radio car...

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It has the factory radio block off faceplate. I assume that if a radio was installed in new cars, it was installed at the dealer with a faceplate to replace the block off faceplate. That faceplate would have the proper cut outs for the knobs and dial to correspond to the radio being installed. Radios were likely updated as technology changed as yours has been which then requires a different faceplate. I doubt if any were available for aftermarket radios of a different form and fit so the installer improvised.

Your options are to 1. live with it. 2. find a period correct radio and E3 faceplate that goes with it. 3. Find and install a block off faceplate and live without a radio.

I'm happy without a radio in mine. The car makes beautiful music without one :)

One other difference I see is that yours has decals under the AC controls and mine doesn't. I painted my switch control cover but it didn't have any decals on it before I painted it. In checking the 1972 showroom brochure, no decals are present....

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Just another one of the many differences for the same model year cars.
 
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