Well, uh, you guys are probably gonna kill me....
....cause I did, um......
.........this.........
(http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n567/sarjxxx/2011-07-21204541.jpg)
(http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n567/sarjxxx/2011-07-21204634.jpg)
Yeah.... decided to get rid of that useless ashtray.. and, um, well it kinda worked, and it kinda didn't....
anyway I still gotta paint it the right color, and fill in the crack/seams.... and get the right screws, but other than that, well, it holds a drink..... :dunno:
Once you get it finished, I think it will look fine. Like you said, at least it holds a drink. I need to find a way to integrate some cup holders somehow.
I'm sure it'll look good once you're done with it. I just use the ones that attach to the doors.
...You're fired....
Although that is fairly ingenious. :)
Well, that's another way of doing it. I keep the remote for the stereo in my ashtray. Installed the cup holder in the console lid. When you're filing in the seems and painting, take your time and make it look like it belongs there.
I'm not sure what I'm going to use to fill in the seams with. I've never used bondo before -:disappoin:- and I'm not comfortable using caulk to do it b/c it typically isn't paintable, or sandable, and I kinda need it to be both.... man, the disappointing part is how much I had to hack up the actual ashtray panel thingy to get it to work. I thought, in my initial planning stage, it would fit perfectly. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.....
Oh, does anyone know what kind of paint to use to best match the factory grey-ish console like I (and I guess everyone else) have?
You'll need to check some paints at the local parts store and see what is close. You may need to do all the panels so they'll match. The cup holder is a decent idea, but it needs to look "finished"...like it belongs there....which I know you're working on. I'd mold the cup holder to the panel and make them one piece, or perhaps find another cup holder like that or similar that can be cut wider and fit tight. Then, use a little bondo, or perhaps JB Weld or some other kind of stuff like an epoxy stick that dries very hard and is sandable. You may or may not have seen it, but I was successful with mine. It works great, isn't in my way, and I'm building a "plug" for the hole for times I don't have a cup with me. Since I took this picture, I installed my "restored" switch panel and dual power seats.
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/Vinnietbird/DSCF8416.jpg)
Yeah I saw that before and it is a enat idea, but my lid is also my armrest and that would drive me crazy to have that there lol
I never notice it. The one you have can be looking good with minimal effort. Just need a few supplies, and a little time and patience.
yeah. I spent three hours making this work as far as it is, no doubt I'll put some more time into it to get it right.
Oh, and there's no other cupholder to my knowledge that will work correctly for this application. The one I found came out a Plymouth Breeze. After spending over an hour searching every car in the entire yard, this was the one I decided to go with. I shoulda pulled the gray one though....:shoothead:
Go to Ebay Motors and search for "cup holders' Tons of them.
I don't allow food or drink in my car....unless it's me doing the eating or drinking.
Same here..........................
I just ram the drink down between the console and the seat belt receiver. This is true for my Fox cars and my MN12, which is funny because my MN12 has cup holders and I don't even use them; I actually prefer to have the drink 2" from my right hip.
Kia sportage has this thing that is mounted in the dash,, you push in on a 1'' tall and about 6'' wide plastic surface and out pops a drink holder.
some of us have room in our dash to provision this in while others do not, just fyi for those who have those empty trays above the radio and hvac controls in the center of the dash.
My first thought for the filler material was also JB Weld or PC-7. These will harden rock-solid and can be sanded and painted.
I have a Kia Sportage 2000 and i have that cup holder for got to mention it is right in front of the vents for the a/c heater so your coffee gets cold in the summer and your Pop gets hot in the winter.
I have seen those things installed in foxes and yes they are convenient but I don't want to give up my cubby, plus with a floor shifter it could interfere with shifting when there is a drink in it.
I still haven't gotten around to putting filler in it yet, partly cause I haven't had any money, partly cause I haven't decided what I'm going to use, and partly cause I'm afraid to do it since I've never worked with body fillers before, and partly cause I have no idea how I'm going to paint it to match.
Meh. If I need to have a drink in the TBird, I make sure it's in a sealed container.
A spill proof sippy cup would work.LOL.
Just cause its in a bottle or something doesn't mean you don't want to have it in easy reach and not rolling all over the car :)
I really don't care for cup holders while driving.
But sarjaxx, if your still working on this, there is a type of plastic epoxy that almost melts the plastics together, making them very hard to seperate. As long as the glue cures properly, it will become rock hard and sandable. It should dry clear with a bit of yellow tint to it. I have used tons of superglues and epoxy's lately, and I can't believe how strong some of them are.
Shame on chuck for reviving a thread from october...
D'oh. I see what I did. There was THIS THREAD (http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?33677-cupholders) that is recent, and I linked through it to this one.
I blame cold meds.
I don't allow food or drinks in my T-bird since it's:
1. A show car.
2. An old car, almost an antique (according to the state) and it's not like parts are easy to find.
This doesn't apply to most cars here as they are daily drivers.
Thanks for the advice but I did already get started on the filler process. I used DAP caulk/spackle. It works real nice. Is sandable and paintable but still a little bit flexible. I just haven't gotten around to updating with a pic yet....
I use dap to fill non structial gaps in my basla model airlplanes. I have some stuff that looks liked whipped cream and dries solid, good stuff.
I would still use plastic epoxy on that cup holder. It is very strong, and you can also use it to reenforce the mount, or cup. When it dries it feels the same as plastic, just sort of clear.
I've already gotten too far with it though to put it on though. I'd have to pull it all out and redo it and I don't think that would work too well. It actually is pretty strong if you look at the photos you can see that I ran the screws that normally go in the ashtray pocket through the cupholder and then through the console so it buttons everything down nice and tight. The DAP has a nice glue attribute too. But if it fails later on and I have to use something else I'll be sure to keep that in mind.
here's a little update progress for you guys. I finally got around to finishing the filling process and gettting everything smoothed out and sanded and filled and done. I attempted to paint lastnight but I kinda screwed myself because I sprayed on too much base coat and when I put the gray on top of it it cracked like freaking crazy. So I had to let the paint bake all day in the heat and now I've gone back to fill in all the cracks and will try to paint it again tomorrow after everything has dried up and I sand it. Again.
(http://i47.tinypic.com/2cz36ag.jpg)
More light coats, less heavy coats....patience, and, never forget, you are special, and we have faith in you.
Thanks Vin you sure know how to make me feel "special" :hick: :p
doggone it, you ARE special.LOL. Now, get the cup holder done so I can see it.
Well my internet's been down for a week, no that wasn't a shadow reference, I just can't afford to pay my bills, so anyway I obviously still have some work to do but here's what I've got for now, now that I can post pix again:
(http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n567/sarjxxx/2012-05-16171312.jpg)
(http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n567/sarjxxx/2012-05-16171400.jpg)
(http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n567/sarjxxx/2012-05-17182138.jpg)
Once you get it painted or covered it's going to look really good!
thats a really great design, nice work!
I just saw an NOS switch panel on ebay like yours........well, mostly like yours....it was NOS. LOL. Good work on the cup holder. What color are you going to paint it? That factory plastic color is hard to duplicate, and you want the console panels to match.
I don't know yet, I think I'm just going to go with a deep gray and make it close. Hopefully it will accent it if it doesn't look matching ya know. As for that switch panel its the wrong one. I need to just get the one with windows and mirrors but I haven't seen one in a while.
SEM makes a trim paint that comes really really close to the stock color
I just had an alternate idea kind of thought.........
Now, since you have so few switches for your console, if you had another panel, you could move the switches to the ashtray area (or underneath the door), and in the area where the switches are now, make that a smooth panel, add a cup holder that is straight down (to hold a beverage upright), yet it would have the blended angle to match that panel area. Tons of space to make a holder that can handle a giant size drink (like the one I did in my extra console lid that I have in use now). Man, if I knew how to draw on the computer and post it....................
Believe it or not I actually considered that before I went this route. Although I honestly do not remember why I decided not to do it....
I think it was because of the lack of ability to get my hands on any sort of cup holder deep enough that could be molded into it, and then there's the fact that I would have to create a new panel to replace the switch panel and, well, :toilet: :bricks1: :flame:
piece of pvc pipe inserted with end cap? Lowes special
Yes. Great idea. Just cut to the angle of the console. Good thinking !!!
Go to an auto body supply house and get a flexible plastic parts filler. It is usually a two part and takes a little practice but it is both sand able and paintable. Might just be the ticket for you
Hey I appreciate the advice but I'm like 95% done now so it's a little to late for that. I'll keep it in mind though if I go a different route later on though :)
Plastics are really tricky because they are petrolium based and non-porous. they also have many different types of additives that make some glues useless on some types of plastics.
I have been thinking of making my own center console out of wood to shape it the way I want then take the bottom of a 64oz big gulp, making a mold out of it, then making its own base out of fiberglass for. Strength, sandability, and a finished look.its also very easy to drill holes and bolt in place if you wanted to really over-do it. You could also slightly raise the center section up a bit higher and make the cup holder a bit deeper for more stability.
I actually started to make my own rough center console when I was interested in throwing a carputer in. This was before I knew that some of the cars had center consoles. With how small computers and lcd screens are getting, it would be just too easy to fit a carputer or tablet type of computer into a custom center peice, wire in your own ipod/mp3 hook ups, usb hubs, dvd tray ect.
Now with how far technology has come, sadly my cellphone does basically everything I spent all that time trying to build and design.