Updated Arm Rest with opening Console

[sandange]

Here's what I came up with

I made up an insert that sits tightly in the cup holder made up off abs plumbing bits

I used a short 2" pipe, and end cap
There are 2 outer rings glued onto the pipe, cut from 2 shower drain assembly's
One to wedge in at the bottom and one to wedge in the top of the cup holder


I also change the shifter knob to a longer , taller stylish one , I found it to work well with the arm rest.

More detailed Photos -- Slide show link
http://s211.photobucket.com/user/Sandange/slideshow/miev/Miev Arm Rest

 

[MLucas]

Sandage. Nice! I like.

Wait a minute, you changed your shift knob. Very cool.

 

[JoeS]

sandange, thank you for posting all the details. I like it! Two questions:

1. What if an unsuspecting nitwit passenger presses down hard on the armrest - possibility of cracking the cupholder?

2. When engaging the hand brake, do you flip up the armrest or can you easily engage it with the armrest in place?

 

[sandange]

Thanks for the positive comments

The height of the arm rest is high enough so I can lift the hand brake without folding it up, ( I regularly use the hand brake). Mind you they just tightened up the hand brake on my annual inspection.

Butttt
Now with my arm resting at this height I found the shifter knob a little short and more difficult to maneuver ( I use the shifter constantly.) The new knob is more ergonomically shaped for comfort (at least for me) it looks cool adding a little chrome
The taller shifter knob feels great since with the added leverage it shifts more easily and also the shape of this knob makes it easy to read what mode the shifter is in (if you have a tendency to look down at the base.)

What if an unsuspecting nitwit passenger presses down hard on the armrest - possibility of cracking the cupholder?

I guess this might be possible, but I think some one would have to be a very deliberate to cause such heavy damage.

I (a lightweight of 250 lbs +) have tried shifting my weight onto the armrest onto my elbow, to shift my gift in the seat, in order to test it and it seemed fine.
It can however swivel slightly since I have not pinned it into the cup holder.
Now this might not be a bad thing if you are dressed in a heavy winter jacket and want to attach your seat belt
Still debating in this.

Will try it as it is for a while

 

[RobbW]

As a driver who ALWAYS wants an armrest, I have keenly followed this thread. After reading through, I decided to order the exact same armrest that gmarcucio ordered from Amazon. It arrived and was waiting patiently in my garage to be installed. Mind you, I had not even taken delivery of my i by this time!

Anyway, after I had my i for a couple days, I decided to install the armrest. It all went relatively smoothly. To make the process a little easier, I decided to pull out the entire center console so I didn't have to worry about sliding the seats back and forth to reach those hard-to-get-at install points. I installed the armrest without using spacers like gmarcucio did. But like gmarcucio, I also did not use the extension brackets that came with the armrest. I drilled holes where I wanted them and forcibly held the sides of the bracket up against the sides of the center console as I inserted the bolts/washers/lock nuts and wing-nutted them nice and tight. Unfortunately, in order to reach the bolts with the wing nuts, I had to drill out the bottom of the cup holder as the ends of the rear bolts terminated inside the cup holder. This didn't bother me too much because the armrest pretty much covered the entire cup holder and made it useless.

Since the i is already limited on available cup holders, I did not want to lose one to the armrest. So, I picked up some of those hang-from-the-window cup holders at my local auto parts store and adapted one of them for the i. I used two screws to attach it to the back of the center console and used black marker to color the silver screw heads. Once everything was assembled, the entire unit including armrest simply slid right back into place. I screwed everything back in, and now it works great for me! Below are a few pics from my install.

 

[JoeS]

RobbW, you sure don't waste any time! Thank you very much for the detailed photos. How do you pry off the snap-in plastic retainers (or whatever they're called) - the ones with the inside pin that gets pushed in to lock?

 

[RobbW]

That was a bit tricky, I'll have to admit, and didn't go as well as I could have hoped. I used a small thin-blade screwdriver to pry behind the retainers and pop them out. Unfortunately, I broke nearly half the trim off the edges of both retainer clips, but they still worked perfectly well when I re-installed the console. Since most people are not in the habit of bending down and inspecting a center console when they enter a vehicle, it's not really noticeable. I felt saddened when the plastic broke on my brand new little Meapster, but it was for a good purpose (driving comfort).

So far, the only thing I've noticed after a couple days driving with the new arm rest was that the screw in the rear base of the console had jiggled loose a bit. I easily tightened it with a screwdriver, but will be sure to pick up some Loctite the next time I'm at the big box store to ensure it stays nice and secure.

 

[JoeS]

... How do you pry off the snap-in plastic retainers (or whatever they're called) - the ones with the inside pin that gets pushed in to lock?

That was a bit tricky, I'll have to admit, and didn't go as well as I could have hoped. I used a small thin-blade screwdriver to pry behind the retainers and pop them out. Unfortunately, I broke nearly half the trim off the edges of both retainer clips...

That was exactly my concern. One thing I've learned with the Mitsu - one shouldn't force anything, as there is usually a smarter way. Anyone know what that is for these panel clips? I've already broken a fuseholder cover latch by not pressing in the right spot.

 

[RobbW]

To tag on to Joe's question, does anyone know if there is a retail outlet where one could buy replacement panel clips? I don't know if Home Depot, Radio Shack, Walmart, or auto part stores carry these.

 

[RobbW]

I also change the shifter knob to a longer , taller stylish one , I found it to work well with the arm rest.

Was your replacement shift knob one of the screw-on types or the one that uses allen screws to hold it in place? I bought a taller knob at Wal-mart, but it uses allen screws and doesn't tighten enough to hold it in place. The knob will rotate with frequent shifting. Anyone know what the thread size is on the OEM knob? Where we can get a compatible screw-on replacement?

 

[Don]

The 'snap rivets' on the iMiEV's console are nearly identical to the ones I've found on every Japanese car I've owned since my 1971 Datsun 240Z

Take a very small jewelers screwdriver and carefully pry the center ring out and the rivet will release. When you re-install them, leave the center out until you have the rivet firmly seated and then press it in to lock the rivet in place

You can buy snap rivets in various sizes at most auto parts stores - Many of them have them in the 'Help' section which contains all sorts of miscellaneous hardware items. Take one of your original ones with you to get the correct size

Don

 

[RobbW]

I also change the shifter knob to a longer , taller stylish one , I found it to work well with the arm rest.

Was your replacement shift knob one of the screw-on types or the one that uses allen screws to hold it in place? I bought a taller knob at Wal-mart, but it uses allen screws and doesn't tighten enough to hold it in place. The knob will rotate with frequent shifting. Anyone know what the thread size is on the OEM knob? Where we can get a compatible screw-on replacement?

After Google searching, I believe the thread size is m10x1.25. Now, I just need to figure out where screw-on knobs in this size are sold locally.

 

[Don]

Try http://www.knobmeister.com

Miata nuts have bought from him for many years. He has an excellent selection and wil even make something custom for you . . . . I'll bet he could even powdercoat you a Raspberry one if you like!

Don

 

[RobbW]

You're not sending me to a **** site, are you?!

 

[Don]

Never!

It's a guy in Colorado who has ben making custom shift knobs for many years

Don

 

[RobbW]

Thanks, Don. Checked out his site. While he makes great custom gear lever knobs, it's not what I was looking for. All the ones on his site are short round knobs. I'm looking for a taller one that puts the gear lever at a nice comfortable height now that I've got a nice comfy armrest to, um... rest my arm on! I'll keep using the cheapo Walmart one for now and hope it doesn't slip around too much. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for some good quality screw-on shifter knobs in the meantime.

 

[sandange]

I also change the shifter knob to a longer , taller stylish one , I found it to work well with the arm rest.

Was your replacement shift knob one of the screw-on types or the one that uses allen screws to hold it in place? I bought a taller knob at Wal-mart, but it uses allen screws and doesn't tighten enough to hold it in place. The knob will rotate with frequent shifting. Anyone know what the thread size is on the OEM knob? Where we can get a compatible screw-on replacement?

After Google searching, I believe the thread size is m10x1.25. Now, I just need to figure out where screw-on knobs in this size are sold locally.

Hi Robbw


Sorry haven't gotten back to you sooner, we've been hit hard with a severe thunder storm and still have no power internet, or phone , typing this from an internet cafe. While our car is charging at a public charging site at a nearby town.

The shifter nob I grabbed was from the cheaper Canadian Tire, allen key with plastic sleeves to fit various thickness shifter shafts
It does twist but works until I can find something better.

 

[aarond12]

The one I have on my i-MiEV is a replacement knob from my Mazda 3 that I took with me when I traded her in. So, any replacement knob that fits the Mazda 3 should also fit the i-MiEV. The knob I have is machined aluminum and the threaded area is a plastic insert. There is no set screw to keep it in place.

 

[gmarcucio]

My armrest is still working out awesome!!! Each person had a little different way of installing theirs. It actually looks like it belongs in the car. Are these the push pins you guys are looking to purchase?

http://www.amazon.com/Retainer-Fastener-Predator-Scrambler-Sportsman/dp/B008427D88/ref=pd_sim_auto_1

 

[JoeS]

My armrest is still working out awesome!!! Each person had a little different way of installing theirs. It actually looks like it belongs in the car. Are these the push pins you guys are looking to purchase? http://www.amazon.com/Retainer-Fastener-Predator-Scrambler-Sportsman/dp/B008427D88/ref=pd_sim_auto_1

gmarcucio, thanks for the post. Close, but not quite. They look like these, which I found on the same page as your link:
http://www.amazon.com/Retainer-Fastener-Predator-Scrambler-Sportsman/dp/B008427DCE/ref=pd_sim_auto_3
I need to take one out of my iMiEV and measure the diameter before saying these are indeed the proper ones.