Central cubby

The crummy original cover of the central storage bin had been high up on my list of hates since I bought the car. It wobbles, has no lock and is generally cheap and nasty.

To replace it, I’ve essentially made a frame with a lid hinged onto it which sits on top of the original bin. The materials are my ebonised maple, padded vinyl and aluminium. There is a lock and an LED light which comes on when the lid is opened. Plus there is a socket so a mobile phone can be charged out of sight.

Disclaimer: the locked lid is a deterrent against opportunistic thievery when the top is down but is not bomb proof (or large screwdriver proof, probably)!

Lock, LEDs and power socket

3 mm aluminium plates secure frame and lid into original compartment

Hinge is reasonably strong even if you don’t like the style! (My intention is to pick up on the TR7s “wedge” leitmotif. There are other examples in the car… )

There is a mercury switch in here which turns on the LEDs when the lid is opened. (Tilt switches you get today tend to work with ball bearings because nobody thinks mercury sloshing around in the environment is a good thing! Flapping wire is a disadvantage.

Next, some construction details…