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| 3D Printed Ash-tray Mounted Cup Holder (Page 1/2) |
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Alibi
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MAR 04, 10:50 PM
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Hey guys. I had a couple Fieros 2008-2013 that I had to sell for a move and missed them dearly so I recently bought an '85 GT with a 3800 NA in it. I forgot about the horrible lack of cupholders until I got some tacos and remembered that I had a neat cupholder in one of my cars that I can't seem to remember where I got it from. I could probably dig through my old posts to find the source but I suspect its not available anymore anyway after 10ish years.
I am taking inspiration from it though to 3d print something similar and I thought I'd document my progress here. I'm interested in any constructive criticism along the way please!
Here is what I used to have 10ish years ago. It was a sheet of an MDF-like material cut in the shape of the shifter plate (held on with double sided tape) which then had a couple angled risers to a smaller top plate with holes in it for a couple off-the-shelf cup holders to sit in. The automatic version had two holders but as I recall there was a manual version with only one cupholder as the second got in the way of shifting. It looks like something that a CNC wood mill would make quick work of but the main plate is awfully chunky and hides the shifter plate entirely. Forgive the crappy pictures but they're all I've got:
What I have rolling around in my head now is to have a smaller mount that replaces the passenger ash tray and door, which then has the risers and holes for cupholders. Here are a couple renders of what I've got so far:
And here is a tester printed and dropped into the ash tray. I need to tweak it a little and buy some longer screws but so far its close to what I want:
I have purchased some marine/RV style drop-in tiered cup holders that I plan on dropping into the top plate. I'll model the rest when I get the parts in and print out a test unit.
So far I have these potential changes in my head:
-Can I make it so the base holder doesn't overlap the edges of the shift plate or does the overlap look better? It has to overlap some into the passenger side so there is room to shift but how much?
-I maxed out my 3d printer's build plate with the base so I definitely can't print the top plate in one part so I'll have to seam it. I do have friends with big printers.
-This replaces an ash tray which I don't care about as I don't smoke but for those with intact tray doors removing them without breaking them to install a cupholder might be risky, I'm not sure if I can make a pocket of sorts in the bottom of the base to allow for the door to remain in plate and just hidden?
-I also have a friend with a laser cutter who could cut the top plate plate out of acrylic with the FIERO text and/or Pegasus on it too and that would be hella sick so I may go that route
-Laser cut top, black risers, black base with top painted silver to match shifter plate... yeah, that looks good in my head
-Stainless cup inserts instead of black plastic? Stainless will last forever but I don't know if it matches the crappy plastic 80s aesthetic of the rest of the interior so meh?
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darbysan
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MAR 06, 11:25 AM
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Just some thoughts for you. When I had my Fiero, I wanted to incorporate a cupholder similar to the one you are suggesting. I think you might be able to take your mounting plate and incorporate the mount from this BMW cupholder. I always thought the mount would fit down inside the area of the ash tray, but didn't have the skill you have with the printer to make something that would look right.
The cup holder itself sort of sits to the right of the mount, so out of way of the shifter. It can be removed by simply pulling up- the bracket has a small chrome plate that springs into place to cover the hole. It sits up high enough that it does not interfere with the passenger in any way.
They are available on Amazon, and also on Ebay. If you search, you can find them for about $35 or less
https://www.amazon.com/URO-...d=1615046829&sr=8-54
I've mounted two in my XK8 on the side of the console, and that is another option ( and the one I was going to try on the Fiero). This picture shows 1 installed, but I have now installed two of them in tandem on the passenger side.
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'87 GT , '00 3800 Series II SC, 4t65e, Vue Power Steering. (SOLD)
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Alibi
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MAR 06, 03:45 PM
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It looks like a good sturdy mount but I don't think it really matches the style of the interior. I'm not sure mine will either though but we'll see :P
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Australian
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MAR 07, 12:51 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by Alibi:
It looks like a good sturdy mount but I don't think it really matches the style of the interior. I'm not sure mine will either though but we'll see :P |
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You can match the paint used to be able to buy GM beige everywhere.
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Alibi
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MAR 08, 03:37 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by Australian:
You can match the paint used to be able to buy GM beige everywhere.
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By "match" I mean have the spirit-of-the-style match (boxy plastic vs smooth/modern), not the specific paint color.
Anyway, work continues. My cup inserts came in. I suppose I could just 3d print those too but I want it look a little more manufactured. Eh, we'll see. I finished modeling the top plate and riser bar.
And here it is in my slicing software. The top plate is too large for my printer so I'm going to have to split it for now. If I have my friend with the laser cutter make me a top plate it will be in one piece. It should be printed by the time I wake up pending any errors and I should have all the hardware to install it and try it out tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
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CoolBlue87GT
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MAR 08, 06:02 AM
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Alibi
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MAR 08, 01:37 PM
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I got the idea to use the ash tray as a mount from that 3d print, but otherwise the actual cupholder intrudes into the passenger seating area too much.
The back in the day part is very similar to what I had! Not quite the same, it could just be a different version from the same vendor though.
Anyway, I assembled my first prototype. I didn't take into account that the cup holder inserts have a slight taper so the holes are a bit too tight so the inserts don't sit flush with the top plate like they should. Prototype problems so meh. I'll edit and print another version soon. So far, so good though.
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Alibi
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MAR 09, 03:53 AM
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Slight revisions made: screw holes enlarged, threaded holes tapered, cup holder holes enlarged, cup position scooted a hair over, etc. I also changed how I'm seaming the two halves together with a hidden support plate underneath. Hopefully it can still be printed full scale on a borrowed large printer or just laser cut but thats for the future. Assuming no printer related failures, I'll be able to test this version tomorrow.
 [This message has been edited by Alibi (edited 03-09-2021).]
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Oregon88
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MAR 09, 03:17 PM
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Very cool! looking forward to the finished product.
Yeah I agree with someone above who said if you could match the styling of the other interior components like beveled or rounded edges angles and what not.
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Alibi
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MAR 09, 08:48 PM
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Thanks! If I laser cut the top plate it will just be flat but I could probably sneak the FIERO text on it.
The bottom plate could have a bevel on it pretty easily though. I'll have to play with it and see what options look appropriate and would print nicely.
My print cooling fan died overnight so no part this morning. I have 4 printers though so I just moved the files to one of the others and will give it a go. I should have a working part tonight 😁
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