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I'm sure there are others out there like me that are a bit (well OK, a lot) on the portly side and find the armrests on the captains chairs too confining. The seat is OK with the armrest up, but the center console is a bit low to really use as an armrest.
I saw a thread where someone pinched an armrest from a Q56 and installed it, but that too seemed low to me & so the search began.
Here's my solution, hope some of you find it helpful.
After some searching, I found that the console lids from '96 - '99 Maxima's and I30's were a perfect fit for the indentation in the Titan console with a little cutting.
They also come in grey and black leather + assorted cloth colors that look good with the Titan interior. While expensive new from dealers ($120+), they are cheap ($25 - $60) & readily available on eBay.
I got this lid on eBay for $25.50, it's black leather from a '99 I30. Seems more black ones than grey come on the market & many are pretty worn.
This one was a good price & in nice shape, so I went with black instead of waiting around for a grey one to pop up.
There are several ways to mount these, depending on your personal pref's and how much (if any) cutting/drilling you want to do on the Titan lid.
Keep in mind that with this arm rest in place, you will not be able to open the console.
Option 1 - the KISS method:
I opted to just have it sit in the indent so I could easily & quickly remove it when needed (to access the console bin).
Option 2 - KISS + velcro:
It fits pretty firmly, so it won't move around but, you could use a few pieces of velcro to hold it of you were worried about it getting 'loose' (something I may do since I wouldn't want it air born in a bad accident).
Option 3 - fully integrate:
The other (more adventurous approach) would be to leave the rear hinge of the I30 lid in place and secure that to the back of the Titan lid - which would mean drilling into the stock lid. You could also cut out a slot for the front latch & then it would be a fully functional lid-on-a-lid setup. To open the Titan console, you would have to flip the I30 lid open 1st, so that it went behind the passenger seat when you flip the console lid open. I didn't measure, but if the pass. seat was back all the way, there may not be enough clearance, so I'd experiment before cutting the Titan console lid if you chose this route.
The KISS method:
You will need:
Medium size philips screwdriver
Dremmel type tool or very sharp utility knife/box cutter or hot knife
cleaning supplies (mine was dirty & a bit smelly from the salvage yard)
towel or carpet piece (to keep from scratching the leather)
leather conditioner of your choice (optional)
NOTE - if you plan to go with option 3, there is no need to disassemble the lid ! Just clean it up and very carefully cut off the 2 plastic stop slide mounts.
If you don't want it to latch on the front, then follow all the steps below & put the metal hinge back on during reassembly.
1) Turn the lid upside down on the towel - remove all 6 screws & set aside. They're all the same size so no need to keep them separate.
2) The metal rear hinge should just fall off now & can be disposed of.
3) Gently pull the plastic inner liner from the lid (should come off easy).
4) Pop the latch lever out of it's mount and the 2 slides from their mounts.
5) Now's a good time to clean everything up - be careful not to get water under the leather when washing the top. This one cleaned up real good with mild soap & water.
6) Using the Dremmel or knife, cut off the 2 plastic slide stop mounts and the 3 sided mount for the latch & discard. Cleanup & deburr the cuts as needed to make smooth.
7) Now, very carefully (to keep from damaging the leather) cut the 2 T's sticking up from the lid where the latch was. They need to be cut at least 1/4" below the lid edge.
Take care not to damage the screw holes.
8) Drop the liner back in place & secure with the original 6 screws.
9) Apply leather conditioner if needed, drop the arm rest into the console & go for a ride !
I saw a thread where someone pinched an armrest from a Q56 and installed it, but that too seemed low to me & so the search began.
Here's my solution, hope some of you find it helpful.
After some searching, I found that the console lids from '96 - '99 Maxima's and I30's were a perfect fit for the indentation in the Titan console with a little cutting.
They also come in grey and black leather + assorted cloth colors that look good with the Titan interior. While expensive new from dealers ($120+), they are cheap ($25 - $60) & readily available on eBay.
I got this lid on eBay for $25.50, it's black leather from a '99 I30. Seems more black ones than grey come on the market & many are pretty worn.
This one was a good price & in nice shape, so I went with black instead of waiting around for a grey one to pop up.
There are several ways to mount these, depending on your personal pref's and how much (if any) cutting/drilling you want to do on the Titan lid.
Keep in mind that with this arm rest in place, you will not be able to open the console.
Option 1 - the KISS method:
I opted to just have it sit in the indent so I could easily & quickly remove it when needed (to access the console bin).
Option 2 - KISS + velcro:
It fits pretty firmly, so it won't move around but, you could use a few pieces of velcro to hold it of you were worried about it getting 'loose' (something I may do since I wouldn't want it air born in a bad accident).
Option 3 - fully integrate:
The other (more adventurous approach) would be to leave the rear hinge of the I30 lid in place and secure that to the back of the Titan lid - which would mean drilling into the stock lid. You could also cut out a slot for the front latch & then it would be a fully functional lid-on-a-lid setup. To open the Titan console, you would have to flip the I30 lid open 1st, so that it went behind the passenger seat when you flip the console lid open. I didn't measure, but if the pass. seat was back all the way, there may not be enough clearance, so I'd experiment before cutting the Titan console lid if you chose this route.
The KISS method:
You will need:
Medium size philips screwdriver
Dremmel type tool or very sharp utility knife/box cutter or hot knife
cleaning supplies (mine was dirty & a bit smelly from the salvage yard)
towel or carpet piece (to keep from scratching the leather)
leather conditioner of your choice (optional)
NOTE - if you plan to go with option 3, there is no need to disassemble the lid ! Just clean it up and very carefully cut off the 2 plastic stop slide mounts.
If you don't want it to latch on the front, then follow all the steps below & put the metal hinge back on during reassembly.
1) Turn the lid upside down on the towel - remove all 6 screws & set aside. They're all the same size so no need to keep them separate.
2) The metal rear hinge should just fall off now & can be disposed of.
3) Gently pull the plastic inner liner from the lid (should come off easy).
4) Pop the latch lever out of it's mount and the 2 slides from their mounts.
5) Now's a good time to clean everything up - be careful not to get water under the leather when washing the top. This one cleaned up real good with mild soap & water.
6) Using the Dremmel or knife, cut off the 2 plastic slide stop mounts and the 3 sided mount for the latch & discard. Cleanup & deburr the cuts as needed to make smooth.
7) Now, very carefully (to keep from damaging the leather) cut the 2 T's sticking up from the lid where the latch was. They need to be cut at least 1/4" below the lid edge.
Take care not to damage the screw holes.
8) Drop the liner back in place & secure with the original 6 screws.
9) Apply leather conditioner if needed, drop the arm rest into the console & go for a ride !
