Short question - Centre console

[Sebastian]

Hi everyone,

Its not a big deal but i was wondering about all the time:
On my centre console is a bigger gap between the console and the console lid.
The edge where the hinge is located is higher and so the lid is not flush with the console itself.
On many pictures i can see the console nice and smooth in that spot and wanted to know whats correct.

The gap is caused of the way the hinge is screwed in the console. There is no notch where the hinge would fit in so that the hinge angle would get deeper and sets the lid a little bit lower.

I hope i described it understandable somehow

 

[Steve340]

Mine has a bit of a gap caused by the upward pressure of the hinge spring.
I live with it.

 

[DetMatt1]

As much as I hate to say it the consoles in these cars are garbage. I realize that it’s going on 45 to 50 years for them but it’s hard for me to imagine that they ever weren’t fragile rattle traps.

 

[quapman]

Is it supposed to be like that? Probably not, but like Matt said, these consoles were not the best designed or built units. The majority of consoles I've seen don't line up worth a rat's bum.

 

[EV2RTSE]

The hinge is slightly adjustable, side to side, and up and down. But it's likely that the console door is warped from interior heat & cold, etc. Definitely agree that they are a poor design. If it is in fact warped, it's possible to disassemble the door and straighten it. You could glue in a reinforcing spine made from wood or plastic to help keep it straight. While it's apart also make sure that the screw mounts aren't broken off, this is also a common problem, and also an easy repair. Black ABS cement works well.

 

[Steve340]

As others have replies I reread your post.
Have you got the correct hinge?
Post a pic.

 

[Sebastian]

Thank you for the replies guys.
There is allready a small notch i didnt realize before. Dont know if thats original. But anyway its not deep enough to bring the hinge far enough down.
Without hinge the lid fits well in my opinion. So i dont know if its caused by warping.
I also dont know if its the correct hinge...

 

[Steve340]

That is the correct hinge.
Honestly you may be getting a bit fussy if the pic of that gap has got you worried.
That fit is pretty good in my opinion. Better than mine and I lose no sleep at all.

 

[challenger6pak]

I agree with Steve. It is better than normal. You could remove the spring from the hinge if it is really bothersome to you. The downfall is opening the lid without the spring may turn into a two handed job.

 

[aussiemark]

Mopar consoles are not the best nothing is perfect on mine. Other makes have a padded arm rest as the lid and they seem to fit together better but I don't worry about it at all.

 

[EV2RTSE]

I think he's showing that the door does fit well without the hinge installed. I agree that is definitely the original hinge for a 1970 console. You can tell because of the u-shaped ends. I just remembered something. At some point, I think probably for 1971, the hinge changed slightly, I think the tension may be different and you can tell by it having one square end, and one u-shaped end. If you can't adjust yours to get it to fit better, and it still bothers you it might be worth a try to get one of the later hinges and try that. A few years ago I did that for a console I had and found that the door aligned better with the later hinge.

There's one on ebay right now (I'm not the seller).
Console Hinge - Cuda Challenger Charger Road Runner - 1970 71 72 73 74 | eBay

Edit: I looked around on some other forums and can confirm that the newer hinge has lighter tension. I would definitely try swapping yours for the newer style.

 

[rsheola]

I had a 72 Challenger, brand new back in the day. The console door was a pain then - extremely difficult to adjust. Now I have a 74 and going through the same issues, but possibly worse although I ma MUCH older with a lot less patience.

 

[Sebastian]

Thanks for all your replies!

@EV2RTSE i took a look at those newer hinges but i cant see how it would help to be honest.
The problem is that the pivot point of the hinge cant get deeper into the console itself.
Even if i would install a different style of hinge it wont help until i carve into the console or lid and i dont want to do that.

As far as i see from all your comments its a common thing that the consoles are that way.
I didnt have sleepless nights because of that but i was wondering why there are a lot of pics with smooth alligning lids.
Maybe repops or customs.

So far i will reinstall that original console in my car and let it be what it is - a seemingly normal centre console.

 

[aussiemark]

maybe we should start showing photos of or poor fitting console lids and see who's is the worst.

 

[Sebastian]

I have one further question regarding the surrounding moulded gap on top of the console.
Was it supposed to be silver/chrome like the gap in the standard steering wheel for example, or was it not painted anyway.

If it was painted, what color was it factory?

 

[quapman]

Never painted in the gap, but that would have looked nice.

 

[B5BLUERT]

I had the same problem with my console , after messing with it for several hours try to get it to fit right I came to the conclusion that door it was warped on the hinge side , bought a repop, problem solved! It’s still not absolutely perfect but it’s a hell of a lot better than it was .