Making a metal cupholder on '97 Ram
Thread Starter
|
Amateur
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Central VA
Making a metal cupholder on '97 Ram
How I made an aluminum cupholder support for my '97 Ram 1500.
My cupholder broke, so I took it apart and epoxyed it back together. It thanked me by breaking in two other places. The plastic is old, hard, and brittle. I got the idea that I could make a replacement out of metal. Here's how I made it out of an aluminum sheet. The pattern I made sort of looks like a siamese gingerbread man, doesn't it?! ;-)
Broken cupholder and traced out pattern:
Aluminum sheet:
Traced pattern:
Cut it out and bent into shape:
Added some JBWeld to the interior seams as filler:
Sanded and primered.
I had to cut the carrier (the slide-out-of-the-dash part) because my metal part's "hips" were a little bigger than the plastic part. I used a little end mill in a dremel tool to cut it out where it needed some additional clearance. After reassembly with the spring, it works great!
Just thought I'd share. Hope this inspires somebody!
--VARam1500...
My cupholder broke, so I took it apart and epoxyed it back together. It thanked me by breaking in two other places. The plastic is old, hard, and brittle. I got the idea that I could make a replacement out of metal. Here's how I made it out of an aluminum sheet. The pattern I made sort of looks like a siamese gingerbread man, doesn't it?! ;-)
Broken cupholder and traced out pattern:
Aluminum sheet:
Traced pattern:
Cut it out and bent into shape:
Added some JBWeld to the interior seams as filler:
Sanded and primered.
I had to cut the carrier (the slide-out-of-the-dash part) because my metal part's "hips" were a little bigger than the plastic part. I used a little end mill in a dremel tool to cut it out where it needed some additional clearance. After reassembly with the spring, it works great!
Just thought I'd share. Hope this inspires somebody!
--VARam1500...
Professional
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 156
Likes: 0
From: Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Wow thats awesome if I only had the tools lol. I also love that you put that string in the cup holder on the drivers side so the cup wont fall out on your side but nothing on the other side hahahaha.
Thread Starter
|
Amateur
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Central VA
Tools? Yeah, me, too (wish I had 'em). I don't have a shop full of tools or anything special. I did it with a little bench vise, hacksaw, hand drill, chisel (to set the bend angle on the little triangular parts), hammer, file, pliers, and dremel tool. I picked the metal thickness to be the thickest thing that I could reasonably bend by hand. I don't have any machines or anything, though.
Professional
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 156
Likes: 0
From: Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Tools? Yeah, me, too (wish I had 'em). I don't have a shop full of tools or anything special. I did it with a little bench vise, hacksaw, hand drill, chisel (to set the bend angle on the little triangular parts), hammer, file, pliers, and dremel tool. I picked the metal thickness to be the thickest thing that I could reasonably bend by hand. I don't have any machines or anything, though.
