Center console collapse repair

[Lakewood ranger]

Hi,
Can you share success with repairing the collapsed center console lid. 2003 Ranger extended cab. Collapsed right where your elbow presses down getting into the seat.
I have it apart and was considering some fiberglass tent poles cut to fit tight then epoxied in place.
any thoughts or other suggested approach?
Thanks in advance
Lakewood Ranger

 

[Ranger850]

My dad had this problem in his F-150. He used really thin plywood, cut to the shape of the bottom of the lid, and epoxied it place. Eventually he got a better on out of a Navigator. It didn't fit perfect, but was better than the broken one.

 

[Lakewood ranger]

thanks, I'll give it a try

 

[Inherited Thunderbolt]

I don't know if I have the same one as you, I have the thick padded armrest that hinges up to a comparement underneath with a solid plastic lid. My pop broke the armrest hinge and pad then tried to fix it with JB Weld. It held for about a week, then broke again.

I looked at adding a plate to bolster the pad surface from underneath, but ultimately decided to just get a new one on ebay to the cost of about $80. in addition to the pad surface, about 1/3 of the screw tabs used to secure the pad to the armrest had broken and fallen off. I thought it was worth the extra money to just replace the broken part instead of attempting a second repair. I also replaced the armest and hinge with the dorman kit that uses a steel plate instead of the ribbed plastic one. It's considerably beefier and won't fracture when twisted like the plastic plate does due to not having tortional reinforcement ribs.

 

[Lakewood ranger]

Thanks this is helpful.