Cup Holders for 240Z

[z3beemer]

It seems over the years we've come to love cup holders in our vehicles. Unfortunately, they were unheard of when our Z cars were built.  So I decided to fabricate some.  They came out pretty good, so I thought I'd share the details with the group.  Mine is a 1973 but I'm pretty sure earlier Z's are the same.   I have about $20 in the build.  See Pics of finished product and original consol.

Material List: (see Material list 1 & 2 photos)

Piece of hardboard or paneling 1/8" thick

(2) Orings 2-1/4" I.D 1/4" thick

(4) pcs of 3/4" x 3/4" x 2" long wood pieces for legs.  You could also use round dowel rods if that what you have

(2) SS cup holders.  I got mine on ebay for $9.50 for the pair. Size is important and not all the ones offered on ebay are the same size. Look for a size that is 2.7" I.D; 2.2" OAH; 3.15" OA Dia (at the lip).  The item # on ebay for the ones I bought was 145114090133 (not sure it the same vendor is still listed) See photo.

(1) 8-32 x 2-1/2" long screw with nuts (2) or a #8 sheet metal screw the same length. If you look at material list 2 photo, what I did was braze two 8-32 nuts together to make a threaded sleeve then used JB Weld to attach them to the bottom of the consol 

(1) pcs 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/16" aluminum angle 4-1/2" long.  I attached it to the front of the assembly using 3M Auto trim tape to give the assembly a more finished look.  This is optional.

You will also need 2-9/16" hole saw

All the dimensions included are approximate and based on my installation. Some modifications and fitting may be necessary to fit your application.

After cutting the holes for the cup holders, they will still need to be enlarges some to fit the holders. I used a Dremel with a sanding wheel for this job.  Go slow and test fit often.  You want the holders to fit snug in the holes.  The o-rings go on the bottom of the cut out to provide additional grip on the holders (see photo)

Note that the legs are set slightly in from the edges on all four sides.  This is to compensate for the slight taper on the sides of the original consol. I attached the legs and the front panel using Elmers glue and wire brads (small screws would also be acceptable)

The 3/16" hole between the cup holders is for the bolt (or screw) that attached the assembly to the original consol.

Note also the small area in front of the cupholders is ideal for your cell phone

[w3wilkes]

A funny cup holder story...

Of course my wife's 50 Chev pickup doesn't have cup holders (we did get some recently that clip into the speaker grills in the dash). She got an award at the show and my wife had our 5 or 6 year old granddaughter in the truck with her while they were waiting in the award lineup. When they got to the front of the line my wife handed our granddaughter her water cup and asked her to hold it while she accepted the award. While the granddaughter was holding my wife's cup she said... "Grandma, you need to sell this truck and get one with cup holders".