I have had my X308 for about seven months now, and the only real issue I have is the terrible armrest/cupholder setup. The armrest that came with the car was torn on the top, and the flip out cupholder functioned at about 12%. Quarantine gave me some extra time to screw around, so I decided to make a new one.

This is where I started:






After doing some research and wandering at Home Depot I found a very dense foam that is generally used for insulation. I am not positive if I will end up wrapping the foam, or just using the foam as a prototype to make the final version out of wood or fiberglass. Either way, as with anything else, it is all about measuring and patience.


[Measuring the bottom plate, and the width of the OEM armrest.]




[Foam cut down to a closer size to armrest and stacked three pieces high]




Once I had the foam stacked and glued together I drilled some holes and put dowels through the whole thing, to keep it from shifting around at all. I used a loose hacksaw blade to rough cut the shape of the piece, then began some sanding to smooth the whole thing out.

[Measure, trim, sand, repeat]







This is where I am at currently. I will update this first post as I complete.

 

Neat shaping on your progress so far.

Jaguar persisted with this same (dreadful) basic design of armrest/cup holder from the XJ40 through to the X308 and also used it on the XK8. They eventually superseded it with a sliding and opening lid on the XK which is a great improvement.





I always replaced the cupholder armrest with a plain one on my XJ's and XK8's, only refitting the original when I came to sell the car.

Graham

 

Updates!

Spent the last week or so shaping/sanding/priming/sanding the foam to get it about the right size before finishing sanding etc








Getting there!







The edges are looking really nice:




This is where I stopped last night. I hope to finish it up today:






I need to decide what my next step is. I dont know if I should send it to get covered like this, or wrap it in fiberglass first, so it is more rigid. Thoughts?

 

Depends on how much "give" you want in the finished armrest. A fibreglass wrap followed by trimmer's thin foam under the cover will make it about as rigid as a door card. Leaving "as is" will probably get it about the same "give" as a seat bolster. First option would be longer lasting but second option more comfortable.

Graham

 

What an inspiring thread! I've previously ruled out cars based solely on the lack of a proper armrest. This gives me some direction to take the idea of making one from scratch. What are you using for a filler? Is the foam XPS, eXtruded PolyStyrene (not to be confused with Expanded PolyStyrene, EPS, better known as Styrofoam)? I've worked with it in its primary use, and this stuff seems to hold up for quite a while, though uncoated, I'd expect a sizable elbow-shaped dent to develop over time. What about doing the same with less rigid foam, and wrapping it in leather, vinyl, cloth, or somekinda flexible liquid coating?

Seems fitting, that one of the first random threads I encounter on a Jaguar forum is interior work, and vice-versa, that one of the better custom interior threads I've seen is on a Jag forum. Seems the purpose of a Jaguar places higher emphasis on interior amenities, and so do the priorities of their owners. Have yet to own a Jag but it appears I'm in the right place.

 

Hey, thanks so much! The armrest was killing me, the cupholder never worked so there was just an ugly space there. Had to do something! I will see what the actual name of the foam is, I picked it up at Home Depot. I can stand on it without crushing at all. I ended up coating the outside with some fiberglass resin. I brushed it on lightly and let it harden, which worked great!

So here is where I am with the armrest. Through the process I was figuring out ways I could have done some things different, so instead of just scrapping this one and starting over, I decided to give it a quick leather wrap myself and put it in the car. Then start over and do things better.


Here it is after a quick light brushing of fiberglass resin:


The underside. I cut a piece of wood to fit and covered in resin, so I would have a nice place to glue/staple the leather.





Wrapped!



Side by Side Comparison:



I will update with some photos inside the car tomorrow when I have the car back!

 

That looks great, but wouldn't you want it to be a bit squishy? Perhaps wrapping the rigid core with 5-10mm foam, then leather?

 

Yeah, the next one will definitely have some padding under the leather. I would like to have someone professionally cover it when I finish.