How to make an armrest for a VAZ 2114 with your own hands (drawings)

VAZ 2114 is easy to modernize. Moreover, some elements for this model can be made by hand. This also applies to the armrests. So how to make an armrest for a VAZ 2114 with your own hands?

Anyone can make armrests, but the sequence of steps must be followed. Most often, armrests are needed to make the driver feel more comfortable. The fact is that quite often the driver is forced to remove his right hand from the steering wheel. This can be done with greater comfort if you install an armrest.

Armrest for VAZ 2114

How to make an armrest for a VAZ 2114 with your own hands

Almost everyone can cope with this task. First you need to prepare a workplace where you will work on creating this element of the car.

You should take measurements of the areas of the car interior where the armrest will be placed. It is usually installed directly between the front seats. This is the most suitable place for him. It is important to remember that the armrest can be either large or quite compact. It is best to focus on your own ideas about what size the armrest should be.
After all the measurements have been made, you need to find the drawings on the Internet.
Now it's time to purchase materials for sheathing. They must match the interior design as best as possible, otherwise their appearance will greatly spoil the interior of the car.
For the frame, you need to purchase a material such as chipboard. It has the most suitable characteristics.
Now you need to cut out future structural elements. Once that's done, you should start sanding. This is necessary so that there are no irregularities left on the surface, as well as sharp corners, which can pose a serious threat to the cladding. The fact is that the skin can tear on sharp corners when tensioned.
After this, you need to connect all the cut out elements with self-tapping screws. Doing this manually will be too difficult. For this purpose it is better to purchase a screwdriver.
Now you need to think about the internal space, as well as where exactly the various shelves or compartments will be located. They must be provided at the drawing creation stage. If they are not in the drawing, then you can try to add them yourself.
After that you need to work on the top cover. It should be larger than the armrest body. Otherwise, using the armrest will be very difficult. You also need a cover for the armrest itself. Its length should be about 20 cm longer than the body length, but it is better to make the cover depending on the driver’s personal preferences.

Homemade armrest for VAZ 2114

Advice. For cladding, you can use any material that is at hand. It can be leather, velor or natural carbon. The main thing is that the car owner likes this material.

Armrest – luxury or necessity?

The driver's seat in a car should be comfortable and ergonomic. Car armrests are one of the necessary components of this comfort. When the hand rests on the armrest, it relaxes (the load is removed from the muscles of the shoulder and elbow group). The overall load on the spine and back muscles is reduced (you can give your neck a more comfortable position, and even tilt your head back onto the headrest). As a result, driver fatigue is reduced (especially on long trips).

Universal armrests have additional convenient devices and functions that make the trip even more comfortable:

box (box) for small items - now you can always place the same documents for vehicles, as well as other useful and necessary things at hand;
space for a small bottle of water or a glass – not all armrests provide space;
components, several departments of boxing - not all;
a sliding mechanism that allows you to move their upper support cushion to a position convenient for the hand or to open access to the box and cup holder - not for everyone;
suitability in size and mounting method for installation in many car models;
buttons and other electronic controls for some electrical devices of the car - common;
other.

The following requirements are imposed on the design and quality of factory armrests. First of all, they must be safe and comply with the standards developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). When developing them, it is necessary to follow rules that take into account the anatomy of people of different heights; they were convenient for both those with a height of 140 cm and those with a height of 190 cm. The factory armrest must withstand loads of 110–120 kg; recline so as not to interfere with the use of the handbrake, high-speed steering, or the use of seat belts; have a sufficiently soft supporting surface under your hand. Its appearance should be in harmony with the interior of the car.

Types of armrests

Some car enthusiasts know that the manufacturer does not provide for the installation of an armrest on the VAZ 2114. Moreover, an armrest was never on the list of possible options during the release of the 2114 model, but this accessory is very popular among many car enthusiasts. This is precisely why some companies have started producing armrests for the VAZ 2114. This compensated for the lack of such an important element for the car.

Homemade armrest option

All presented armrests can be divided into several categories:

Model armrests. They were created for certain car models.
Universal armrests that are designed for installation on almost any car (regardless of the manufacturer).

The armrests also differ depending on the presence of a special compartment for small items.

They can be divided depending on the design:

with bar;
no bar.

Armrest with bar

An element with a bar allows you to store various small items, as well as documents, inside.

Many car enthusiasts accumulate a lot of different items over the years spent behind the wheel, so an armrest with a bar will be a great way to bring order to the car interior.

Device and purpose

The armrest is a product that is designed to support the driver’s right hand, and in some cases, to store personal items (documents, phone, etc.). The device is placed between the two front seats. There are models on sale that differ in the following parameters:

type of lid (opens, does not open);
manufacturing materials (plastic, wood, MDF);
quality of upholstery (leather, substitute, fabric);
dimensions (width, height, depth);
design.

In addition, armrests can be factory-made or made independently, which is very common among some car enthusiasts.

How to install an armrest on a VAZ 2114

You can install the purchased armrest using a suitable size key. To do this, you need to remove the bolts and then begin installing the accessory. It is necessary to align the armrest support fork with the large holes intended for locking the seat belts.

Armrest installation

There is nothing difficult about this, but you may need to bend the bracket a little. As you can see, there is no need for a welding tool to install the armrest. The whole process is extremely simple. It is enough to do everything as competently and accurately as possible. In this case, the armrest will last a long time.

Installation

Before starting work, you need to arm yourself with a certain set of tools and materials:

Armrest. As we have already noted, you can buy a finished product, or make it yourself. Which option is better - decide for yourself;
Bolts M6x20. In most cases, they come complete with an armrest;
Keys for dismantling fasteners;
Good mood;
Free time.

Well, now we will move directly to the installation. Some models may differ slightly in installation methods and nuances, but we will consider the standard option, which is most often found for the VAZ 2114 car.

Provide yourself with access to the holes with which your armrest will be fixed in its new place. To do this, the front seats are moved forward as much as possible.
Now take a suitable key and remove the bolts that secure the seat belt buckle.
Next, the seats move in the opposite direction, that is, as far back as possible, towards the rear seats.
Unscrew the second mounting bolt. It is located slightly higher than the first one, which you have already dismantled.
Let's start installing the accessory. The armrest support fork is combined with large holes for the seat belt buckle.
So the holes in the armrest should coincide with the places from which you recently unscrewed two bolts.
To reinstall the seat belt buckles, you may have to bend the bracket slightly. There is nothing scary in this, so don’t be afraid.

As you can see, installing the armrest requires a few outrageously simple steps. You most likely won’t have to drill or weld anything.

We recommend visiting several car accessories stores that offer armrests. There are many models that are ideal for the VAZ 2114. Even if you couldn’t find them in a regular store, you always have access to online stores. Even if they cost a little more to order, there will be no problems with installation.

As practice shows, in the case of the “fourteenth” model produced by AvtoVAZ, the armrests have proven themselves well

Alamar

. They fit the mounting holes and fit perfectly into the space between the front seats.

VAZ 2114 is easy to modernize. Moreover, some elements for this model can be made by hand. This also applies to the armrests. So how to make an armrest for a VAZ 2114 with your own hands?

Tips for choosing

When choosing an armrest, you should pay attention to the many features of these interior elements.

The first thing anyone who wants to get an armrest should remember is that they should give preference to designs with a compartment for small items. They are very convenient and allow you to store many small items.

Armrest before installation

Additional Information. When choosing an armrest, you need to pay attention to what materials it is made of, as well as its quality. It is worth paying close attention to the mechanisms that are responsible for closing and opening the lid. If they are flimsy, it will cause a lot of unnecessary trouble to the car owner.

When choosing the most suitable model of this accessory, you should visit several stores that sell spare parts. Some armrest models are ideal for model 2114.

If you couldn’t find them in regular stores, you should pay attention to online stores that specialize in accessories. There they may cost a little more, but it is better to choose the most suitable model rather than some low-quality armrest.

Design and production of universal armrest elements

Based on the measurements taken, we create a drawing or sketch. It is best to do several: separately for front, side, top and, if necessary, bottom views. We depict with our own hands the appearance of the armrest in all sketches in accordance with the selected projection for each specific sheet - front, side, top. Then, on all types, we mark the parts that will make up the design of the future universal arm support. After this, it is necessary to make as detailed a detail as possible of all the identified elements of the armrest on each of the sketches - you should indicate in detail for each detail:

its dimensions, and for curly elements also the radii of roundings (bends);
the place and method of fastening to other structural elements, indicating the distances to the edges of this part, the diameter of the fastening (if self-tapping screws are selected), the depth of the fastener into the attached part or intermediate bars (on another sketch projection, where this will be visible).

For the armrest support cushion (also known as the drawer lid) and the wall to which the former will be attached, it is necessary to indicate the location and dimensions of the tilt-and-turn fasteners (furniture hinges and their attachment points). Anyone who is good at designing and working with various materials and tools can develop a sliding cover design.

Fixing the future armrest between the seats can be done both by its tight fit and by using specially designed and prepared fasteners. In the first case, it is necessary to provide cutouts and grooves on the side parts of the universal arm support that will fit on the interior elements located between the seats. Also, after making the armrest, but before covering it, you will need to decide in the car at the installation site the thickness of the lining material on the side walls of the support. If you plan to make special fastenings with your own hands, then for this you will need to tie the lower parts of the armrest to the interior elements or fastenings already existing on them. In accordance with the selected interaction diagram between the universal support and the interior, the fastening method and details are developed. For both options for fixing the armrest, we display the corresponding additions to the design in its sketches.

After such preliminary preparation, further work should go like clockwork, unless, of course, a mistake was made anywhere. Therefore, it is worth checking all the sketches again - we look at them for compliance of the dimensions of the developed structure with the dimensions of the free space allocated for it in the cabin, the mutual coordination of all the parts and fastenings of the future armrest.

Manufacturing process

Making an armrest with your own hands is quite simple if you have at least some experience with a jigsaw. If you have correctly measured all the distances and made the correct drawing, then all you need to do is follow the diagram and our instructions exactly.

Cut out the pieces from graph paper. After use, do not put them away far, because they will still be useful when covering the body with material.
Attach them to the plywood and transfer the contours.
Using an electric jigsaw, cut out the necessary parts.
To create curves, for example on an armrest cover, soften the plywood over steam or hot water.
Fasten all the parts using self-tapping screws, according to the project. If necessary, you can use glue, but it alone will not be able to firmly hold the structural elements.
If desired, you can install partitions inside the armrest: you will have compartments of different sizes for storing useful little things.
Glue foam rubber onto the armrest cover, otherwise your hand will feel the hardness of the wood even through the upholstery material.