Center console panel removal

IIRC, screws in the bottom of the ashtray.

 

Yep. You do. Be careful as you can EASILY scratch the leather as the console top has a SHARP metal lip on the rearward underside that "clips" it in place.

Yep. Your memory is as sharp as ever.

 

Of course, you have to unscrew also the metal grid of the gear selector (2 screws).

 

No, you don't. At least not on my QV. Take ash tray liner out. Take out the two screws under it. Pull ash tray out. Pull up on the panel using the ash tray opening. Done. As someone already said, be careful not to scratch the leather. There are a lot of sharp details under the panel.

If the strip under the clock and H2O temp is sagging down (fiberglass covered in leather), this is a good time to push it up with a wood block or something similar. Wedge a block between the strip and the cross beam that the ash tray screws into. This strip seems to sag on all 1981 and later 308's. Maybe they looked this way when new too, but it always looked bad to me.

 

Right on all counts.

That sag (under the clock) is NOT normal, but usual.

Mine does not have it even after 27 years.

 

You're right. My mistake! My mind was thinking on the whole console.

About the solution of the sag under the clock, here's what I did -and that you mention in your post-. Of course the wood block is placed finally advanced to not interfere with the ashtray.

Cheers
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magnum, that looks exactly like what I did. I'm glad you took a picture.