I do believe I would nix the console - that's an awfully pretty interior with the floor shift/no console.
My L78 car is a non - console, or was - Rivnut never installed. Tunnel was cut for an aftermarket shifter, which I have to fix, but it will go back as a non-console car. I hope it looks as good as yours -
Regards,
Steve
Are you totally sure this car never had a console ? Tunnel was dimpled, not drilled through, and there was a dimple to locate the Rivnut. If there are holes there, it was an original console car. Only way to tell for sure is the look underneath the carpet and/or the underside of the tunnel. Just asking -