Been trying to get the center console put together for several months now and have located two donor Explorer units. The first one was just absolutely trashed and broken in all the worst spots. The second one is also trashed, and I can certainly clean it, but it has small things wrong with it too that I can't fix. I can't even build one good one out of all the damn parts I have.

So, I'm weighing the burden of slowly building a custom console for when I do the 40/40 seat mod. (the Explorer seat swap thing is a whole other issue for me that I don't want to even broach today)

At this point it seems like if it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all...

Does anyone have any advice for a really frustrated dude who just wants to improve the interior of his favorite vehicle? I really don't need anything beyond the Explorer console and have -zero- experience putting a project together like the custom console. I'm terribly handy, and can translate youtube videos into finished projects like a madman.

 

I will say, when I got my first fell length Explorer console I got super lucky. I only had to swap cup holders and cubbies with a different one in a different vehicle. The rest of the console was in good shape. I will warn you though, the 96-01 full length Explorer consoles do tend to creak and squeak a lot. Even in perfect shape, there's a lot of flex in the plastic.

 

Thanks Dewey!

I was getting so frustrated by this that I just had to vent. In addition to reaching out to the forum, I also called a buddy of mine who is a junkyard master. He has pointed me to one which is somewhat local and has about 80 different Explorers. Hopefully I can get what I'm looking for there and complete this project so that I can move on!

This whole seat/console swap has been a self-created pain in the butt! LOL!