console lid broken clip repair

[ahardb0dy]

So, the female clip inside my console broke and the top lid would not stay down anymore. It seems you can't purchase just the clip from the dealer and the one's normally found at the junkyards are broken as well. Someone suggested using a magnet so that is what I did. I tried hot gluing the magnet to the lid but one day in the Florida heat caused it to come loose, so I had to find another way and this is what I did for now. I say for now because it is working but have no idea how long it will keep working.

 

I removed the female clip from inside the console

cut a piece of metal to fit under the plastic lip where the above clip was removed from

drilled 2 holes thru the plastic lip and the metal and riveted the metal to the plastic

placed a rare earth magnet I had bought from Radio Shack for another project on the metal strip inside the square cut out where the female clip used to sit in

took the top lid apart and used a tapered flat head screw and a plastic insert (the kind found to screw the license plate/tag to your vehicle)

I placed the plastic insert inside the console lid and screwed the flat head screw into it so it would act like a nut, the reason I did not use a nut and bolt is because this was what I had lying around.

 

that was it, when you close the lid the head of the screw touches the magnet holding the lid down

 

I may drill out the rivets and put a washer between the metal strip and the bottom of the plastic tab inside the console to allow the magnet to sit a little lower as the way it is right now the console lid is raised very slightly.

 

Pics below:

 

the magnet is dirty as it still has hot glue residue on it

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2012 by ahardb0dy

[Trogdor636]

Good fix. I have actually found a few working clips in my local Pick N Pulls over the last year, I guess I'll start hoarding them in case people need any.

[ahardb0dy]

Thanks, a few minutes ago I drilled out the rivets and put a spacer between the bottom of the plastic tab and the metal so it sits slightly lower, lid closes like stock now.

 

cleaned off the magnet too !

Edited April 2, 2012 by ahardb0dy

[silverton]

Looks good! My lid has just started popping open going over bumps, especially annoying when out in the woods. I usually drive leaning on it slightly so it doesn't bug me too much in the real world.

[Slartibartfast]

Nice work! Looks way cleaner than my hard drive magnet hackjob.

[ahardb0dy]

I actually read about the magnets in a hard drive and took one apart to get the 2 magnets out, but they were too big. I tried drilling thru one of them and got 3/4 the way thru it before it cracked.

[silverton]

I think a hard drive magnet is much too strong for this measly console lid! a buddy of mine used a hard drive magnet to make the inside door to his garage automagically close when opened, and it would open a bit over 90* with the wall.

[ahardb0dy]

well after driving to work and back today magnet is still holding everything in place. Better than stock