So....the drink holders....
#1
11-30-2011, 03:56 AM
So....the drink holders....
The drink holders in my 98 Dakota are pretty-much useless to me; anyone else have the same annoying problem with'em? It's like they're made to accommodate a tea cup rather than a travel cup or water bottle as they should be and I’m tired of coffee crotch.
I drew-up three different ideas and made plexiglass prototypes but they're just OK. They work as intended but portability has been the theme of my problems. I’m at the point now where I may just bite the bullet and buy a pair of bottle cages used for bicycles, some screws and call it a day.
Any success stories out there?
I drew-up three different ideas and made plexiglass prototypes but they're just OK. They work as intended but portability has been the theme of my problems. I’m at the point now where I may just bite the bullet and buy a pair of bottle cages used for bicycles, some screws and call it a day.
Any success stories out there?
#2
11-30-2011, 10:32 PM
#3
12-01-2011, 12:10 AM
Record Breaker
My truck has a manual 5 speed so it has the short console with only a single large cup holder, and that is only on the driver's side. It does not hold regular size drinks or cans very well, in fact I rarely ever use the console cup holder except for the big super size drinks from McDonald's etc. On my console there is no factory drink holder provided at all for the passenger.
I also have bucket seats with a small center seat. One of the very first things I did when I bought my truck was buy a "Spill Master" adjustable drink holder at Walmart. It only cost about $10.00 but that was six years ago. It looks a lot like this one here:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=246522_0_0_
It is adjustable to fit most any size can or bottle and in the 6 years I have owned my truck I have yet to have any drink spill or fall out of it. It also fits perfectly into the open area between the end of the shifter console and the front edge of the middle seat:
Sorry if the pics don't come out very clear. I just now took them and it is pitch black dark outside. In that last pic you can just barely see a bit of the plumbing strap going underneath the console.
The cup holder comes with two large gauge coarse thread screws so you can screw it into the carpet and the rubber backing of the carpet, but I did not use them. There is an air bag module or some sort of electric part under the carpet in the area where I mounted my cup holder. I did not want to damage anything so what I did was cut a small piece of 1/4" mdf and a same size piece of 1/2" mdf to fit under the drink holder. I sandwiched a couple of pieces of plumbing strap about 8 inches long in between the two mdf pieces and then screwed the mdf pieces together with a few short drywall screws. Then I spray painted the mdf black so no parts of it would show. I removed the bottom rubber insert from the small coin tray on my shifter console and removed the two screws there. Then I put the mdf assembly in place and slid the two plumbing strap pieces up under the coin tray so the holes in the plumbing straps lined up with the two screw holes under the coin tray, set the drink holder in place on top of the mdf and used a couple of short drywall screws to screw the drink holder to the mdf. Then I just put the screws back in under the small console storage tray and the drink holder has been held tightly in place ever since. I did have to use a round file and waller out the holes in the plumbing straps just a bit to accomodate the large mounting screws Dodge used under the small storage tray on the shifter console. Then I just grabbed hold of the drink holder and mdf assembly and bent the plumbing straps forward and up slightly so the drink holder sits level.
That is how I solved my own drink holder problem. It has worked fine ever since I put it together and installed it in my truck. It is a good way to provide a better cup holder for myself and also any passenger plus the center storage area on the drink holder provides a little more storage. That is the remote control for my CD player you see in the center storage pocket on the drink holder.
Autozone has the same style of drink holder on their web site. Maybe if you can buy one there and if you have the same style of console and seats as I do, this might work for you as well.
Jimmy
I also have bucket seats with a small center seat. One of the very first things I did when I bought my truck was buy a "Spill Master" adjustable drink holder at Walmart. It only cost about $10.00 but that was six years ago. It looks a lot like this one here:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=246522_0_0_
It is adjustable to fit most any size can or bottle and in the 6 years I have owned my truck I have yet to have any drink spill or fall out of it. It also fits perfectly into the open area between the end of the shifter console and the front edge of the middle seat:
Sorry if the pics don't come out very clear. I just now took them and it is pitch black dark outside. In that last pic you can just barely see a bit of the plumbing strap going underneath the console.
The cup holder comes with two large gauge coarse thread screws so you can screw it into the carpet and the rubber backing of the carpet, but I did not use them. There is an air bag module or some sort of electric part under the carpet in the area where I mounted my cup holder. I did not want to damage anything so what I did was cut a small piece of 1/4" mdf and a same size piece of 1/2" mdf to fit under the drink holder. I sandwiched a couple of pieces of plumbing strap about 8 inches long in between the two mdf pieces and then screwed the mdf pieces together with a few short drywall screws. Then I spray painted the mdf black so no parts of it would show. I removed the bottom rubber insert from the small coin tray on my shifter console and removed the two screws there. Then I put the mdf assembly in place and slid the two plumbing strap pieces up under the coin tray so the holes in the plumbing straps lined up with the two screw holes under the coin tray, set the drink holder in place on top of the mdf and used a couple of short drywall screws to screw the drink holder to the mdf. Then I just put the screws back in under the small console storage tray and the drink holder has been held tightly in place ever since. I did have to use a round file and waller out the holes in the plumbing straps just a bit to accomodate the large mounting screws Dodge used under the small storage tray on the shifter console. Then I just grabbed hold of the drink holder and mdf assembly and bent the plumbing straps forward and up slightly so the drink holder sits level.
That is how I solved my own drink holder problem. It has worked fine ever since I put it together and installed it in my truck. It is a good way to provide a better cup holder for myself and also any passenger plus the center storage area on the drink holder provides a little more storage. That is the remote control for my CD player you see in the center storage pocket on the drink holder.
Autozone has the same style of drink holder on their web site. Maybe if you can buy one there and if you have the same style of console and seats as I do, this might work for you as well.
Jimmy
Last edited by 01SilverCC; 12-01-2011 at 12:18 AM.
#4
12-03-2011, 04:16 AM
My truck has a manual 5 speed so it has the short console with only a single large cup holder, and that is only on the driver's side. It does not hold regular size drinks or cans very well, in fact I rarely ever use the console cup holder except for the big super size drinks from McDonald's etc. On my console there is no factory drink holder provided at all for the passenger.
I also have bucket seats with a small center seat. One of the very first things I did when I bought my truck was buy a "Spill Master" adjustable drink holder at Walmart. It only cost about $10.00 but that was six years ago. It looks a lot like this one here:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=246522_0_0_
It is adjustable to fit most any size can or bottle and in the 6 years I have owned my truck I have yet to have any drink spill or fall out of it. It also fits perfectly into the open area between the end of the shifter console and the front edge of the middle seat:
Sorry if the pics don't come out very clear. I just now took them and it is pitch black dark outside. In that last pic you can just barely see a bit of the plumbing strap going underneath the console.
The cup holder comes with two large gauge coarse thread screws so you can screw it into the carpet and the rubber backing of the carpet, but I did not use them. There is an air bag module or some sort of electric part under the carpet in the area where I mounted my cup holder. I did not want to damage anything so what I did was cut a small piece of 1/4" mdf and a same size piece of 1/2" mdf to fit under the drink holder. I sandwiched a couple of pieces of plumbing strap about 8 inches long in between the two mdf pieces and then screwed the mdf pieces together with a few short drywall screws. Then I spray painted the mdf black so no parts of it would show. I removed the bottom rubber insert from the small coin tray on my shifter console and removed the two screws there. Then I put the mdf assembly in place and slid the two plumbing strap pieces up under the coin tray so the holes in the plumbing straps lined up with the two screw holes under the coin tray, set the drink holder in place on top of the mdf and used a couple of short drywall screws to screw the drink holder to the mdf. Then I just put the screws back in under the small console storage tray and the drink holder has been held tightly in place ever since. I did have to use a round file and waller out the holes in the plumbing straps just a bit to accomodate the large mounting screws Dodge used under the small storage tray on the shifter console. Then I just grabbed hold of the drink holder and mdf assembly and bent the plumbing straps forward and up slightly so the drink holder sits level.
That is how I solved my own drink holder problem. It has worked fine ever since I put it together and installed it in my truck. It is a good way to provide a better cup holder for myself and also any passenger plus the center storage area on the drink holder provides a little more storage. That is the remote control for my CD player you see in the center storage pocket on the drink holder.
Autozone has the same style of drink holder on their web site. Maybe if you can buy one there and if you have the same style of console and seats as I do, this might work for you as well.
Jimmy
I also have bucket seats with a small center seat. One of the very first things I did when I bought my truck was buy a "Spill Master" adjustable drink holder at Walmart. It only cost about $10.00 but that was six years ago. It looks a lot like this one here:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=246522_0_0_
It is adjustable to fit most any size can or bottle and in the 6 years I have owned my truck I have yet to have any drink spill or fall out of it. It also fits perfectly into the open area between the end of the shifter console and the front edge of the middle seat:
Sorry if the pics don't come out very clear. I just now took them and it is pitch black dark outside. In that last pic you can just barely see a bit of the plumbing strap going underneath the console.
The cup holder comes with two large gauge coarse thread screws so you can screw it into the carpet and the rubber backing of the carpet, but I did not use them. There is an air bag module or some sort of electric part under the carpet in the area where I mounted my cup holder. I did not want to damage anything so what I did was cut a small piece of 1/4" mdf and a same size piece of 1/2" mdf to fit under the drink holder. I sandwiched a couple of pieces of plumbing strap about 8 inches long in between the two mdf pieces and then screwed the mdf pieces together with a few short drywall screws. Then I spray painted the mdf black so no parts of it would show. I removed the bottom rubber insert from the small coin tray on my shifter console and removed the two screws there. Then I put the mdf assembly in place and slid the two plumbing strap pieces up under the coin tray so the holes in the plumbing straps lined up with the two screw holes under the coin tray, set the drink holder in place on top of the mdf and used a couple of short drywall screws to screw the drink holder to the mdf. Then I just put the screws back in under the small console storage tray and the drink holder has been held tightly in place ever since. I did have to use a round file and waller out the holes in the plumbing straps just a bit to accomodate the large mounting screws Dodge used under the small storage tray on the shifter console. Then I just grabbed hold of the drink holder and mdf assembly and bent the plumbing straps forward and up slightly so the drink holder sits level.
That is how I solved my own drink holder problem. It has worked fine ever since I put it together and installed it in my truck. It is a good way to provide a better cup holder for myself and also any passenger plus the center storage area on the drink holder provides a little more storage. That is the remote control for my CD player you see in the center storage pocket on the drink holder.
Autozone has the same style of drink holder on their web site. Maybe if you can buy one there and if you have the same style of console and seats as I do, this might work for you as well.
Jimmy
Hey Jimmy,
First-off, you hit it outta that park for me - Thank You! I’d found that same cup holder-type of setup before but they ALWAYS have a cassette (yep, I said cassette), CD organizer or some other nonsense attached to it that I don’t want/need? Through my travels today, I went to an Auto Zone (no-go), an Advanced Auto (didn't have) and two Pep Boys... the first one near my house had the same crap that I've been running across but the second one/last hope had the cup holder that you showed me. The layout in my Dakota (automatic
) is a little different than yours so, I had to had to get creative. I had to remove the face plate of the existing “cup holders” but it actually opened up enough room for me to fit in the new cup holders. Bottom-line, it fit perfect. Something seemingly trivial as a cup-holder compared to engine, transmission or other major mechanical problems/Mods sounds completely irrelevant but when you’re on the go as much as I am - sometimes choking-down lunch on-the-fly between supply-runs or whatever; having just that ONE less thing to juggle through the course of the day lightens the stress level enough to keep me from just throwing away a whole cup of coffee out of pure frustration.
I documented the retrofit of my cup holder situation in photos below (because, why not). Thanks again Jimmy.
-Scott
....and MP3 player project:
#5
12-03-2011, 07:24 AM
Amateur
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: mountville, pa
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#6
12-03-2011, 10:22 AM
My solution back in 1999 was
My solution back in 1999 was buy a Gatorade drink it cut the top of the bottle drill a small hole in the bottom and screw the Gatorade bottle that I painted black to my center console simple and easy drink holders.
Not pretty but works you must screw them out away from the shifter so they don’t interfere with shifting.
In my pic only the large one is for drinks the small one is for whatever junk holder that kind of stuff.
#7
12-03-2011, 11:13 AM
a custom one easy
Trending Topics
#8
12-03-2011, 11:39 AM
The ones in my truck are nice. They're big and have a cutout for the handle of a travelmug...
Not sure how well you can see them in this picture but it's the only one I have
2002Dakota021.jpg
Not sure how well you can see them in this picture but it's the only one I have
2002Dakota021.jpg
#9
12-03-2011, 11:48 AM
depending on package
The Dakotas had different packages well all cars do I see you have all electric everything windows mirrors doors all electric so you get the deluxe cup holder my truck was a base model You could order from Dodge the deluxe model center console and get the good cup holders .
But I bet they would be very $$$ coming from MOPAR that means $$$$$$ big bucks.
But I bet they would be very $$$ coming from MOPAR that means $$$$$$ big bucks.