Cup holder

[bumt72]

Has anyone given any thought to turning their ash tray into a cupholder. I was driving into work today and started thinking about it and the more I did the more I started thinking the idea might work. It would take some engineering but..... What I am thinking is to use the face off the ash tray and having a pop out cupholder. Would anyone be up for working on a design?

[OldBlue67]

That sounds like a cool idea, I personally have been using a pocket in my seat cover which doesn't always work heres my thought, I have no idea if it'll work or not, I don't remember right off what all is behind the ash tray, or if it would be wide enough for this "design" there are a bunch of late model cup holder deals that fold up and store away, one of those might be able to be incorperated somehow. anyway, heres my thought:

[bumt72]

Thanks blue, I was begininng to think I was the only one who thought of these ideas. Maybe it's because I have spent too much time on the project management side at work but lets agree to what the goals are.

1. Has to look stock when shut.
2. It need to require little to no mods to the truck besides modifications to the ash tray.
3. It must fit through an opening 3 inches wide by 4 3/4 tall (The size of the ash tray opening)
4. The door must not flop when it is open.
5. The door must stay shut when it is closed.
6. (This is open for debate) The cup holder should hold a standard size cup/ or be adjustible either one.


Does that sound good? I like you idea and it sparked alot of thinking on my part. I am wondering if it should be kept simple, or should we try eligant, if we keep it simple here is my toughts. Weld a track into the ash tray that a removable cup holder insert can be placed in.




Or something more complicated, those drawings will have to wait until I can scan them in.

[OldBlue67]

that looks like a thought. What I realized once I shared my idea is that the ash tray is narower than I remembered and wouldn't fit a regular coke sized cup between the hinge deals. I'll keep pondering on ideas

[BigRedTruck]

just brainstorming but ...why mess with the ash tray when the entire cab is metal.....if you could find a powerful enough magnet you could hold at least a can of some sort.

[shrektruck]

If you make the ashtray a cupholder where are you gonna keep your change?

[19felix69]

forget the change, where is all your ash gonna go?

[Comet]

The cup holder mechanism itself would have to be the kind that expands (due to the narrow opening) once it's open. The kind I am thinking of has kind of a crab claw action that has a stop in it at just the right dia. I'd check around junk yards and see if you could find something like that to start with. Then I think you'll have to do away with the ash tray slide tracks and put in something that slides straight out instead of in an arch like the ashtray does. Small runners (you could even fab them) with a ball catch would work fine. Then you just need a "tray" that goes under the crab claw cup holder so the drink doesn't slide all the way through.

[jreb333]

awhile back i copied the little plastic hook over type of cup holder in brushed aluminum that hooks on the door into the window track.
i had a friend that was taking a welding class and was learning aluminum that week. it gave him something to do and gave me a cup holder that would hold a 64 oz cup with no problem.

we changed the depth over the plastic one to make it deeper to hold a large cup more firmly, bent the main strap a little to fit the curve of the door, then used felt stick on pads on the underside of the strap where it goes over the top of the door to prevent chafing. then we used self-adheisive velcro on the bottom end for added stability.

it looked nice and worked very well if you dont mind running your soda with your left hand

[BigRedTruck]

now i should mention i am left handed

[Happy_Camper]

Dredging up an oldy, but a goody!
(the search feature works great! )
So have any of you given thought to the subject of Cup holders? Besides the very cool F150 pickup seat with the center console, what have you done for cup holders?
I'd like to try something for the dash as I'd like to keep the center seat position available.

[fordman]

well i dont think the ashtray thing will work because of the size of cups vs the size of the ashtray. mounting a slideout cup holder around the ashtray area might work though.

[Happy_Camper]

I found this, but don't know the physical size. It *may* fit in the area occupied by the ashtray?
Way too spendy for me though!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VOLVO-DA ... dZViewItem

[fordman]

now that could work. with the expanding deal it has in it. im not sure how it would attach but it could be done.

[DGrant09]

I have seen some in King Airs (planes) that are nothing but plexi-glass or lexan with a hole in it (the same size as the can) and attached at the bottom of the dash panel. For the can to stay in, just crunch the can a bit (carefully ). When not used it would swing back under the dash out of sight. One could easily be made out of sheet metal that would be larger and have a bottom (eliminating the crunching business!). When not being used just swing it under the dash (a simple washer stack, maybe nylon, would prevent scratching up any metal). Was sort of thinking about this for mine.. It could even be painted to match the interior and would not require any dash cutting. Simple conveniences, we get spoiled!