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In search of the perfect cup holder

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I have designed and implemented my own cup holders

They are a piece of 3 inch ABS capped on one end and fitted with a flange on the other. Then painted and set into the rear seat of my TR3.

Driver's cup is behind the passenger's seat, my wife's behind me.
 
Patrick,
(a bit of sarcasm, just kidding, OK?)
Forgot to mention that when I redid the interior last winter, I replaced the bouncy springs in the seats with high density foam. And I also added seat heaters to both bottoms and seat backs.

I totally agree that "Hearing the engine, the gears mesh and exhaust tone is such a satisfying experience for me," but so much more so when my butt is comfortable and not frozen to the seats on a chilly fall night with the sidecurtains on and the top off.

I am not taking it the wrong way, this is my opinion just like you have yours. All mods that I do are totally and completely reversible without damage, for the purist at heart. I even keep all of the original parts and hardware, completely refurbished, and tagged on the shelf in case I change my mind someday. But since I don't plan on ever selling any one of our cars, it is moot. Without these creature comforts, my wife and I probably wouldn't drive as much as we do. And if such amenities were available back when the design was first carved, no doubt that they would be popular options. But back then, even the heater was optional!

So purists pack your wool tartan blankets. We have our polar fleece blanket and nice warms buns, a 5-speed for those long highway drives and a FM transmitter so we can play our MP3s on the (hidden) radio.

Enjoy!! And I sincerely apologize in advance if I offended anyone. (the seats are REALLY nice)
 
The wide bottom cup thing works really well in my TR7 as it has the wells on top of the dash and a wide flat dash. Don't see how it would work on the 6 though if my recollection can be trusted. I don't consider this a minor problem like some respondents and wish you sucess in your search.
 
I was thinking of doing something along the lines of what Bill suggested (its that dental mentality...or is it mental dentality?) with something aluminum bolted into the center console, but have yet to act on any of my ideas. Here are a couple of possible leads although you may have seen these items already.

This first one is from Moss Cup holder and this one and this one are from GoWesty.com, a Volkswagen Camper website. Could be some potential there.
 
i love that moss cup holder, but i would want something a little less "sporty" that i could take from car to car. probably costs a fortune too, didn't think to look at the price.
 
Here's a trick I learned many years ago for paper cups of coffee you buy at the store.

Don't use the regular lid, use the white sealed ones. Poke very small hole in it in the center, and stick the stirrer through the hole, and sip through the stirrer like a straw. It's as close to spill proof as you can get without spending lots of money.
 
I posted this picture of a cup holder in my TR4 last summer. The console is from JC Whitney and the holder is something I picked up from Walmart and hacked up. The top of the console closes for use as an armrest. After this picture was taken I found the console hinges were very weak so I replaced them with piano hinge and used some locating pins on the front lip of the console so the top doesn't move side to side.

201049157_ec8ea2af0f_o.jpg
 
How do you like those Corbeau Classics? I've got a new set for my 4A but haven't gotten to the point of driving it yet.
 
tomshobby said:
The perfect cup holder is blond. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
Click to expand...

I have to disagree. Brunette. And Asian (sorry honey, but you know I love your eyes). /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
Someone mentioned Marine stores as a source. You'll find a variety of mounts for electronice made by RAM. They also make a cup holder that's available through Sky Geek. The holder is on a gimble. The gimble is held by a shaft that clamps onto 2 balls. One is on the base one is ont the gimble. Loosen the thumb screw to move and locate the shaft and gimble. Tighten when you have the desired location.
This shaft looks a little short. You may be able to mount it under the dash on the passengers side and swivel it to a comfortable position.
https://www.skygeek.com/ram-b-132u.html
Whatever you do you should consider 2 things. 1st is the ability to reach for your cup without looking, bending or having to stretch/contort. 2nd is to insure that it will not hurt you or a passenger in an accident.
A possibility is to fabricate a collapsible arm, like a folding ruler. Attach a gimbled cup holder to one end. Secure one leg of the collapsing arm to the metal support that runs from under the glove box to the top of the passengers footwell. You can extend the arm when needed and collapse it to a position under the dash when not in use.
Then again I do like Madriver's suggestion.
Another source for RAM mounts. Including longer shafts.
https://www.gpscity.com/rammounts.htm
 
<span style='font-size: 14pt'>I put one of these in my car with a cup holder inside works and fits great , they have them at jcwhitney.com for only 39.95 looks almost stock in my car...</span>

console2.gif


heres another view
console.jpg


or another idea
console3.jpg
 
This looks pretty clean:
911 cupholder
I found this doing an image search for "cup holder" on google. Lots of ideas there.

Edit: on closer inspection the article states that the manufacturer is no longer producing that product! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/mad.gif But I'm sure something similar could be made by you smarties out there.
 
Here's a similar design, but at $140 it's no bargain /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif
Hot rod custom cupholder

Though currently unavailable, this could be cool if you use it in place of the radio:
Computer geek cupholder

And lastly, this is a nice arrangement, but you have to reach into the back to get your drink: Dual drink holder
 
I recall someone can supply a decent knock-off of the Amco center consoles and I believe one style has a cup holder. But due to another senior moment, I can't find the link. Sorry
 
That 911 holder looks like something that we could fabricate. Nice idea. If I ever get around to it, I'll post my results. Gotta get the car running 1st.
 
bobh:
We use ones on our golf pull carts that are almost identical to the marineones you posted. They use a c clamp affair to hold them into place and were prob about 5-10 bucks. We only use ours to hold soda pop when we are golfing ..... of course.... no ice cold refreshing beer....
 
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