spirit amx console?

[shredeagle]

i have a console from a spirit amx with arm rest &gauges. will this work for my 81 sx4 4cyl. 4 speed ? my eagle has the mini console with the same gauges in a diferent configuration.

[amcinstaller]

seems to me ive read here that no it wont fit because of the hump.

[captspillane]

The Spirit armrests are awesome, but they don't fit in an Eagle.

The 2wd AMC passenger cars used column shifters for the automatics. With the Eagle the front driveshaft interfered with the column shift linkage, so they used a floor shifter. That is why the floor humps up about 3 inches in an Eagle unlike a Spirit. There is no way to install the Spirit console without removing that hump.

If you have a stickshift Eagle or a fancy Lokar shifter for an automatic its feasible to eliminate the hump. Then there is still a problem with where the shifter comes up. In a stickshift Spirit the shifter is a few inches further back than in a stickshift Eagle. It will take fabrication to make it work.

[priya]

Shredeagle, would you please post a couple of pictures (underside and topside) of your Spirit console?   Everytime I get into my Eagle I feel like it really needs an armrest and I'd like to see what it would take to modify the Spirit armrest to work in the Eagle.

[captspillane]

The armrest is a good two inches too high to fit under the ashtray of the Eagle. You could move your heater controls and make a custom dash insert that goes straight across instead of dipping down with an ashtray. The Console itself isn't easy to modify. Your dash could be made to look totally stock and still straight across.

I'll be cutting out a section of floor and pushing it back down and plating across to gain the three inches. I do love how the armrest section pops out and in as you want it. I plan on making a drink holder that fits in the same groove to be interchangeable.

[priya]

The armrest is a good two inches too high to fit under the ashtray of the Eagle. You could move your heater controls and make a custom dash insert that goes straight across instead of dipping down with an ashtray. The Console itself isn't easy to modify. Your dash could be made to look totally stock and still straight across.

I'll be cutting out a section of floor and pushing it back down and plating across to gain the three inches. I do love how the armrest section pops out and in as you want it. I plan on making a drink holder that fits in the same groove to be interchangeable.

I don't like the idea of modifying my dash, so that's a non-starter.  Could you cut off the front of the Spirit console so it doesn't have to go under the dash?  Also the console not being easy to modify to me doesn't mean I wouldn't prefer to modify the console, so I'd look at reducing the height of the spirit console first  unless that is all but impossible (which seems doubtful).

[captspillane]

On one of mine I plan on eliminating the heater controls and using the lower half of an old glovebox door to make a new piece that goes straight across instead of dipping down for the ashtray. I can see why you wouldn't want to mess with the dash, but its a viable idea.

I have four of these consoles so far for my Eagles. I took pictures of two still in my attic. Notice what it looks like with the armrest removed. I leave those two bolts out at the bottom and just take it out and put it in as I wish. The armrest is wedge shaped, so it fits tightly even without the bolts.

I don't like the idea of cutting the Spirit Consoles because of how brittle and complex they are. The plastic cracks easily, and you would have to be very slow and hopeful taking a cutting blade to it. I imagine you making two cuts above and below the curve of the gauge square and then lowering it down and joining it again to make the square a rectangle. My close up pictures shows how much detail, texture, and curvature is in that area. I doubt it could be done without looking hacked.

If you cut your floor with slices at the corners, the same metal could be overlapped and refastened lower. It would be a relatively minor modification that will get covered by rug afterwards. If it doesn't come out nice the first time I can always just keep working at it.  In my case I have two black Spirit rugs and two Spirits to compare, so I will use the forward section of Spirit rug and join it to a rear section of Eagle rug where I retain the transfer case humps under the seats.

[priya]

Thanks for the pictures Captspillane.  I think what I'd do is cut off most of the consle that extends beyond the front of the seats and just retain the portion with the armrest.  For cutting the plastic I'd use a blade element on a soldering gun and melt the two halves apart and that way cracking wouldn't be a problem.  Then cover the lower part of the armrest in carpet or something and install.

[carnuck]

My '77 AMX had just an armrest that goes between the seats and it holds some stuff inside. Won't work in my Eagle due to the leather seats being jammed together in front and it's too small for my J10 so it's on my for sale pile.

[greymarooneightytwo]

Wow, that is beautiful.
 
I was considering moving my current Eagle gauge cluster to the top of the dash, where the storage above the stereo is, so the gauges are at eye level... but that was going to leave it pretty bare at the bottom.

Thanks, I'm going to have the build some sort of custom center console now, too!

[ChickenFarmer3]

Priya made hers fit and it looks great. ..

I mean uhh...   It won't fit.  I'll get rid of that for ya..