Hey guys. I have recently been wanting a center console. I was going for a full length center console, then saw some shorty consoles.

Now I am torn between what to get. I have seen a few different styles of consoles.

Which is the best in your opinion? I have a manual tranny with a hurst shifter.

Post pics if you have them. Thanks!

 

If I had a manual, I'd get a shorty

 

hurst won't work on a full length console. you will need a shorty. good luck finding one with a not broken arm rest.

 

Are you sure? I've seen a full length console with a 5 speed

 

Full length with a hurst has been done. And I have seen a couple of BEAUTIFUL shorties out of expos in our salvage yard.

Is a level II shorty better than an expo?

 

are the level II shorty's the same as the expo shorty's?

(I think i edited my last post to ask this)

 

been looking at pics, and been thinking. I think im sold on a shorty. With a shorty and my plastic console, Ill have more cupholders.....not that I need them but whatever.

I also like the folding arm rest on the shortys. Anybody know the difference in the level II shorty and the explorer shorty? Ive looked up some good pics with no luck.

 

i don't think there is any major difference. they did offer 2 different cup holder inserts and a couple styles arm rests.

 

 

Does anyone have any pics of inside a level II shorty?

I don't want to get this expo shorty tommorow and regret it because I didn't get a level II shorty.

 

I didn't say they wouldn't work with the 5 speed. I said they don't work with the hurst. Or the Level II arm. The curvature of the shifter arm hits the top of the console.

The console would have to be modded so the hurst doesn't hit it. Maybe a long arm hurst? Maybe that one clears. The shorter one for sure doesn't.

The Level II one has the 8 inch sub spot in the back and the console with be black instead of gray. The armrest are a little different and the cup holders are different.

 

Here is the Level II shorty

You will break the armrest like everyone else though so you need to order the rockauto console repair kit. $40 and it replaces the plastic junk with all metal.

 

^ yeah that looks similar to the expo shortys. Ill probably just stick with the expo.

About the hurst, I custom fabbed an extension for my shifter b/c I am body lifted. Shane also did this, and I think that he has a level 2 shorty console. I shouldnt have any problems.

 

Shorty console won't interfere with the shifter at all. They don't even touch. I was talking about the expo full length.

 

The Expo Shorty Console is the same but… No Black ones !
Dark Grey, yes but the blk is the biggy and is hard to find.
The full length consoles have been used in 5-sp setups on Ranger builds but they need to be mod’d and to me don’t look right but everyone to their own.

Also, they paint up easily.

 

Where did you go with this ?

Shorty, full length, Lvl II, Blk, Blk/Grey, painted… ?

Just wondering ?

 

Oh yeah thanks for the bump lol.

I got a black/gray shorty from an expo. I just finished cutting the console off of the seat and test fitted the console last night. Had to take apart the console and clean it pretty good. Might paint it all black come spring time.

So the console now is sitting in my truck b/t my seats but not bolted down. I need to trim some more foam from the seat and zip-tie the fabric back down for a good fit.

I do have an idea i might try. I was thinking about using the stock arm-rest console to replace the expo arm-rest. It might stick up[ a little too high, but it would be extra storage space, which is awesome.

I will post some pics when I get a chance.

 

I also found out that the level II console is pretty similar to the expo consoles. I got the front cupholer thing with the rounded front that has the two cup holders side by side, instead of the square front similar to the level II piece with the cupholders.

Im also wondering if the expo square piece similar to the level II can be switched with the one that I have.

 

the cup holders in the shorty console can be swapped.

 

I don’t know for sure but I do not think so, different animals.

To me the squared off cup holder in front of each other (like Masteratarms93 posted) is the better fitting unit but all to their own.

Have you read any of my posts on using the Passenger’s Side Seat from another 60/40 Setup for the Drivers’s Seat, it works. Not that your work on the 60% part isn’t going to look ok it is just a little easier to bolt things together.

ltr/luck on the finished project.

 

You don't know what you're talking about...



I don't have any pics but I ran that exact setup BODYLIFTED with an extended shifter for about a month deciding what console I wanted. Also ran it without extention before I was BL'd. Hurst w/ BL extention(and without), Expo FL console. Custom boot would have to be made but that's a given.

You are right on the Fx4 chrome arm and stock shifter w/ BL extention....don't work on Expo FL's. I mention BL's and extentions because they extend the amount of throw the arm has which directly relates to the hole space provided in the Expo FL.

And yes...I know these posts are a month old.

 

Post pics of what ya got, Mr. Taylor!!


From what I could tell in the past, the side-by-side and the front-to-back cupholder parts do not interchange. Also, since you got that style console, does that mean you got a cushy fabric arm rest?? From what I remember, those style shortys (ooooooold....97 and older) the arm rest 'pedistol' is built into the console instead of being bolt-on like on 98+ consoles with the vinyl padded armrest. There was also another style shorty that is just oooooold too that has like a slider that covers the cupholders. But I could be wrong. It's been quite some time since I've yarded.

You should really be running the front-to-back one as it fits better and doesn't look like it came from a 20 year old Explorer. lol.

Lewks liek dis:

(dk grey console from '00 Ranger w/ '05 Ranger black cupholder. This console is now in Ty's truck. lol)

 

haha cope ftw!!

 

Interesting to catch up with what actually happened !

 

Pictures of the finished product… pls ?