981 Cayman - Centre Armrest lift

[DJMC]

When comfort cruising on the motorway etc. I like to have my elbows at the same height so my hands can rest at 10 to 2 on the steering wheel.

 

The centre armrest on the 981 is around 80cm lower in its closed position so I needed a "prop" to raise it. After rigging one up with a used 12g CO2 capsule (don't ask!), I found a stainless steel marine hinge of the correct dimension, by chance, on eBay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261821136538?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=560680326663&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

Along with some "Sticky Fixers" I just needed one magnet to stop the armrest from rising on its spring when my elbow is removed (NB: A rectangular magnet would be better than the disc one I bought): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271930456411?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

The hinge is stuck to the rubber mat inside the armrest with three Sticky Fixers...

 

 

NOTE: Once stuck, lift the whole mat out and stick another three underneath it aligned with the front, middle and rear of where the hinge is positioned so as to stop the mat from lifting at the hinge's rear when the pressure of your elbow is on its front.

 

The hinge, being stainless steel and so only slightly magnetic, needed a steel "something" to attach to the magnet under the armrest (see below) to stop it rising so I found a suitable square nut and a bolt and nut to secure it to the hinge...

 

 

 

The magnet it stuck to the underneath of the armrest with a trimmed Sticky Fixer...

 

 

To raise the armrest to its final position, level with the door armrest, lift the armrest up, pull the hinge forward, drop the armrest, push the hinge back until the nut sits just under the magnet...

 

 

 

Done!...

 

 

A little Heath Robinson, and I may revise it, but it does the job perfectly. 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2015 by DJMC

[Beanoir™]

Nice idea!  I've always found the armrest a bit low in all the Porsches to be honest, it's not just a 981 thing.   

 

 

[Grant78]

Interesting little mod, thanks for the write-up DJMC

[DJMC]

Hmmm.... Sticky Fixers don't like the rubber mat - they don't stick, with the result that the rear of the hinge comes up when I put weight on the front of it with my elbow on the armrest. So... now revised as follows:

 

The hinge is now stuck underneath the armrest with the same three Sticky Fixers (so that the armrest still closes fully). I tried to remove the hinge today just to trim a little off the (just visible) Sticky Fixers, but it's stuck so well I decided to leave it be...

 

 

 

It's held in the "up" position, as shown above, by two of the disc magnets which, by chance, have the same radius and centre hole diameter as the hinge end. Theres a 5mm diameter bolt through all three items to hold them in position. As the armrest is moved downwards, and the hinge has been released from its parked position by a little finger pressure, it moves forwards...

 

 

 

As the front magnet reaches the armrest base it grabs the front of a steel washer stuck to the front right surface of the base interior (not shown). The magnet slides down the face of this until it simply rests on the rubber mat. I tried it without the washer first, but when I took my arm off the armrest the hinge would tend to "jingle" as it was able to move slightly up and down. Again, pure chance that the magnet chooses to slide down to the mat rather than rest on the washer's top edge...

 

 

 

The washer gives a little "grip" to hold the armrest from moving upwards under its light springing, although the weight of the hinge and magnets keep it fairly neutral...

 

 

 

A neater solution now...

 

 

 

To stow the "prop" in the up position, so that the armrest can be fully closed, I just open it swiftly and the hinge swings back so that the rear magnet grabs the static part of the hinge and sticks to it.

 

 

Edited December 30, 2015 by DJMC