2_point8_boy

Okay, so I was at my friend's house last night swimming. I go out to the car to get my towel and guess what I find...someone sitting in my car trying to rip out my stereo. Needless to say I pulled him out and beat his drunk azz. :rockon: He tried to rip it out by tearing out the console, the entire bezel around the radio and heater controls is all busted, hardly enough left to just sit there.

The only good thing this brings is it gives me a reason to go pull a 4th gen console and install it. I think it'll end up being easier than trying to hunt down a 15 year old bezel that's in good shape. This brings me to the "tech" part. I don't think I've ever seen a 4th gen console in a 5-speed 3rd gen. Do they fit? As long as it's from a 4th gen stick of course.

85SportCoupeto89RS

Good job beating his *** The fourth gen manual consoles are eaiser to do than the auto's. You will have more "offset" room to play with the shifter travel.
Once again Good job beating his ***

MrDude_1

i would have curb stomped the b!tch

2_point8_boy

yeah, a good ol' fashioned curb stomping is the general concensus on what should have happened. I ended up beating on him for like 7 minutes before my fiance and her brother pulled me off him. He ended up limping away, I bet I broke his nose. I'll post some pics of the console tonight.

HanSoloWS6

Should have broken his hands real good. Then, at least he wouldn't be stealing for a while if it doesn't stop him completely, lol. Well at least he wont be touching your car again, lol.

KED85

Classic Industries sell the radio faceplates very inexpensive.
I don't doubt you could even convert an 4th gen auto console to a five speed easy. Make a larger shifter boot, that's all.
You're lucky the guy didn't have a partner on watchout.
YET Great going ya beat his a$$.
Did ya hold him for the cops? I hope so!

Dale

iTrader: (12)

I would have somehow forced him to stay in car while calling cops. He can always sue you for kicking his butt. Cant sue you for calling cops on him.

socialdeviant

depends on the state... in most you have the right to protect your property, mainly by non leathal means... uness in texas, you can shoot him on the spot. Mental note, move to Texas...

Doward

Already been said, but....


Good job on the azz-kicking!

2_point8_boy

nope, didn't save him for the cops. If given the chance I would've knocke him out and then called the cops, but I was pulled off before I could successfully give him the beating he truly deserved and he limped off bleeding. He was sooo drunk that I would be suprised if he even remembers how he got the beating.

It's not just the radio plate that's busted though, the top part of the console where it turns into the hole for the shifter is broken. The screws really held on tight...isn't that how it always works with anything GM...works really well when you don't need it to, but when you need it to it breaks. Maybe that's just with 15 year old GM's though.

85f-bird

good job on the whoop-up, think i probably would have done the same. As i recal from junk yards, the 4th gen consoles, auto or manual have a removalbe center section where the console boot would be, so you can swap it from an auto to a manual very easily (least i think so). your best bet would be finding a manual shifter console however. But what did he try to rip out of the car? once i had the radio stolen out of my firebird, the idiot ripped the entire piece between the console and the dash out, everything, sucked ***...so now i've got a new radio holding section, as i also recal. On the camaros the console area where the radio goes attached to the center console, on the birds it's not and is an independent unit from both the console and the dash. If you go 4th gen, you could do the armrest center console, but i believe that the radios are still part of the dash, a possible swap but a more difficult one than the original one to accomplish. .

2_point8_boy

The guy grabbed the radio area on the passenger side and just pulled. It broke the radio faceplate righ off and tore the console bezel off starting at the ashtray. The reaason that I am looking into a 4th gen console is twofold

#1: CUPHOLDERS!!!!!! The woman just doesn't cut it anymore.
#2: They're probably easier to get a hold of. I don't think that a 15 year old part in good condition is going to be easy to find. Especially an interior peice in the junkyards around here. If the car has been itting there for at least a week, the other jerks in the yard tend to mess up everything that they don't need.

Project: 85 2.8 bird

just do the whole interior swap, doing the semi 88-85 swap is going good.

btw, If we don't see the action on Bumfights II, you better go back & do it right

2_point8_boy

was thinkin' of doing the full interior. I will probably end up with that, but not right now...peice by peice for reasons only the money g0ds know.

Xophertony

doing a search for shifter swaps and came across this thread. though i would answer a two year old question in case anyone searches again and finds this. i have had a 4th gen stick console in my thirdgen stick for a while now. "bolt in" is a misnomer since none of the bolt holes line up. it just sits there. but it's a direct "set in". no mods to your thirdgen required. the only confusing part was getting the 12V plug in the console to have power. one set of leads is +/- for DC power the other is for the light round the edge.

MrDude_1

unless you have a camaro.

then you need to cut the crap out of your thirdgen console to make a radio/HVAC holder to fit the 4thgen console.