Interior Exterior
Q:
Ok, so I need caffeine in the morning on the way to work so I've been waiting for someone to come out with a cupholder I really like.
While I like some of them that are out, they aren't my ideal solution, so I decided to see if I could come up with one that would work. This is just a prototype and took me about an hour to make, but it works well enough that I just might polish it up a bit and call it finished.
Its very sturdy, and can be easily removed in <30 seconds with a screwdriver. Theres a foam liner up against the bottom of the tray so it won't scratch. It held a full coke in full G force mode, so I think it'll do ok. It will hold either cans, small fountain drinks, or a small bottle of water (I'm not a big gulper). It doesn't interfere with shifting at all. I'm guessing it weighs maybe 4-5 oz tops.
What do you guys think? Its easy to reach, doesn't block the view of my gauge bracket, and doesn't interfere with my vertically challenged spouse's space (although if you haul 6 footers all the time it might).
Made from a piece of aluminum from Home Depot and a sheet of foam rubber from the craft store. The aluminum needs to be polished a bit but that should be easy.
Heck, I might even see if a local fabricator I know would want to make a run of them for me. Would look even better with machined cuts and bends.
-Dave
'00 Elise (BRP, Touring, Hardtop, Quicksilver, Polks + Kenwood sub, Trickster gauge bracket with Autometers)
'05 Evo
'03 Evo
A:
That looks pretty slick, nice work,
A:
Nice! I wonder in the end...how many cupholder designs we will have.
http://www.elisecupholders.com/
A:
Have you seen the aluminum divider for the oddments tray that runs the length of the dash? If something like that could be attached to your design it would be really cool and serve two functions at once. It would be nice if the divider/cupholder had a nylon screw to lock it in place so it wouldn't move around. I'll dig around for a pic of the divider piece....
A:
looks great!
A:
Elegant solution. Nice work. It's amazing how many different ways there are to hold a beverage in such a small space, and each solution has its pros and cons.
Sorry for the off-topic question, but where did you relocate your OBD2 port to make room for the gauge bracket?
A:
Thanks guys. Its needs a little detail work, this was just a mockup to see if the design had merit.
However, if I take it off, polish up the aluminum a bit, grind down and round off the edges, and make the bends a bit more uniform, I think it'll look fine. Being aluminum and black, it certainly matches well.
I may make a modular solution, with a base and different attachments. I would like to have one that would hold my ipod or my Navman GPS. Plus it'd be easy to remove if I didn't want it there.
Shiftlock: I just stuffed the odb port behind the tray and zip tied it there for now. For the once a year its used, I don't think that'll be a problem but I might figure out a more elegant solution. The autometer pro-line gauge series matches perfectly.
-Dave
A:
Hey Dave - nice work!
After staring at the photos you posted, I was wondering if the cup holder "arms" could be lowered slightly so that you can grab "more" of the coke can as it is lifted out of the cup holder. Just a friendly suggestion.
A:
Keith,
Yeah, its just a single screw in the center, with a nylock nut on the back to keep it tight. I could drop it down a bit very easily.
I did play with a couple of beverage types before I permanently mounted it, and that location seemed to work well for cans, 16oz fountain drinks, and tall bottles of water. If it were much lower, I'm not sure it would handle some of the top heavy drinks as well. But perhaps I'll lower it a tad.
I had a buddy of mine check it out (RobexAudi here, who has a Mag Blue '06 Elise on the way) and he thought it looked pretty good. Almost OEM. It really looks better in person and its strong enough to hold your drinks during high G runs ;-)
I just found little things I didn't like about some of the existing solutions. They either are on the door sill where they would have to come out when you get in/out of the car, or next to the shifter where a passenger would get in the way. This one (along with the Lotus "Gladiator" model) can be left there permanently, doesn't interfere with shifting, entry/exiting, or the passengers' space. It'll also hold a coffee mug with a handle, which some of the others won't.
So I'll polish it up a bit and be happy with it. I may have my buddy weld it up once I've finalized the design.
I'm one of those guys who hates leaving a restaurant without topping off my "free refills" cup. Plus, you know how hot it gets here. The folks who think that a cupholder doesn't belong in the Elise haven't been on a 2 hr drive in 95o heat.
If there was a lot of interest, I can see about having some machined. If not, you're welcome to pirate the idea. Cost $4 in parts from home depot.
-Dave
A:
Keith,
Yeah, its just a single screw in the center, with a nylock nut on the back to keep it tight. I could drop it down a bit very easily.
I did play with a couple of beverage types before I permanently mounted it, and that location seemed to work well for cans, 16oz fountain drinks, and tall bottles of water. If it were much lower, I'm not sure it would handle some of the top heavy drinks as well. But perhaps I'll lower it a tad.
I had a buddy of mine check it out (RobexAudi here, who has a Mag Blue '06 Elise on the way) and he thought it looked pretty good. Almost OEM. It really looks better in person and its strong enough to hold your drinks during high G runs ;-)
I just found little things I didn't like about some of the existing solutions. They either are on the door sill where they would have to come out when you get in/out of the car, or next to the shifter where a passenger would get in the way. This one (along with the Lotus "Gladiator" model) can be left there permanently, doesn't interfere with shifting, entry/exiting, or the passengers' space. It'll also hold a coffee mug with a handle, which some of the others won't.
So I'll polish it up a bit and be happy with it. I may have my buddy weld it up once I've finalized the design.
I'm one of those guys who hates leaving a restaurant without topping off my "free refills" cup. Plus, you know how hot it gets here. The folks who think that a cupholder doesn't belong in the Elise haven't been on a 2 hr drive in 95o heat.
If there was a lot of interest, I can see about having some machined. If not, you're welcome to pirate the idea. Cost $4 in parts from home depot.
-Dave
If you sell, I'm in for buying.......
A:
cool - I'll have to check it out at the next drive!