Fixing broken tab on center console arm rest?
 

Hi folks, before I go and reinvent the wheel here I'm wondering if anyone has fixed the little locking tab on the center console arm rest. A quick search on here didn't yield anything interesting and trying to find one on eBay that's not broke is seeming "unpossible" as Ralph would say.

Here's what I'm working with:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...95c6c39fdc.jpg

I have a few options, here

1. Find a replacement (hard)
2. Repair the latch with an aluminum part that matches the old broken off piece
3. Try and plastic weld a new plastic piece on there and or shape a plastic weld blob to fit

What else could I do here? Does anyone sell just the latch bit? I have to imagine that these break a lot ..

could someone with a non-broken latch measure the distance between the bottom of the hook (The part that grabs the console) and the base of the plastic it's coming off of?

It's a slightly different design on my 98 XJ
but I've replaced it multiple times..... They all broke.

The ones they sell on amazon are crap.... probably ebay is the same.

funny, My stock piece lasted 20 years .... and the replacements they sell just constantly break.

I've learned to live without it.


maybe one from the junkyard would last longer?

Yeah I just trolled through amazon and all I can find is for the 97+ hoping someone with an 84-96 still has one that isn't broken. I'm leaning more toward the aluminium piece to fix this, but need some measurements first =)

Spent a few minutes of quality time with the mill tonight and wipped this thing up, this is kind of what I'm thinking and I will expoxy this on after I trim it down
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...121b33e21c.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...ae941a8592.jpg

I of course won't leave it that long and will probably remake this now that I have a solid idea as to what I'm after.

Round 2, this one hooks and fits but its sloppy. I need to order some shims so that I can grab this thing right on the edge of the vise and ensure its parallel. These tiny parts are challenging

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...a2370f3979.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...d80478cd7b.jpg

​​

Finalized the design. I might strap a bit of aluminum plate on the backside of the console to provide more rigidity but this seems to work
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...b53416b8f9.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...5328a96ba6.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...db3c8ba30f.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...f2c93c0dff.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...4ac6370afd.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...96d71d2322.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...cf51f9dbe6.jpg