WTB: Console armrest lid or latch (see pic)

[lsintoronto]

Want to buy: Grey Console armrest lid or latch - smaller of the 2 latches (see pic).

The small latch is broken and missing from the lid:

Here is the broken smaller latch - will take an intact one if available:

 

[1LoudLS]

good luck, took me almost two years to get one...

every junk yard I found with LSs already had this part broke. you need to pay close attention for people on here parting out a car (took me a few rounds on this before i was the first person to call dibs)

 

[Telco]

Mine just broke too, but apparently there is a fix (on this board) that involves drilling a hole through the latch the same diameter as the plastic nubs that are broken off. Then you replace it with a nail of the same diameter and length. I plan to do this in the next couple of weeks.

 

[lsintoronto]

Hmm - have to look into that. Wonder if Ford used a similar latch unit on any other vehicles?

 

[Telco]

Unlikely. Interior parts like that are typically used on one model and never repeated on other cars. Crossovers on the visible bits does happen but are pretty rare.

 

[lsintoronto]

Bummer - you'd think they could standardize a latch since arm rest covers are pretty standard equipment (although they look different in various models).

 

[Blk04LS]

I did something along those lines a couple years ago when I first bought my car. Although I did not use a nail, I did drill a slightly undersized hole then heated and screwed in the studs, in the picture.



I cannot for the life of me remember what those studs started life as, but they are threaded on the insides, then have an oversized ridge followed by the section extending out. They were to large and I hade to grind down both the ridge and the rod section of them until they would fit. I also ha to cut them down in length.
But what I can say for sure is that it has been around two years now and they have not been a problem. Since I took it out just to take a pic for this thread, it gave me a change to inspect them and they are still nice and tight and showing no signs of failure.

 

[voyeur]

Yesp. Same here. Mine broke about 3 weeks ago and it is driving me crazy. You can buy a new lid for about $200, but all they have is black. Most of the used ones specifically say "no latch" as it is missing or already broken.

The fix, for me, will involve procuring a small drill press. I cannot do this with a Dremel as my hands could not be that steady. I guess you do not have to drill all the way from one side to the other side of the latch.

Anyway, the fix is here:
http://forums.nicoclub.com/how-i-fixed-my-crappy-ls-center-console-latch-t552154.html

 

[Telco]

That's the one I saw. Though it was on this site.