There are a couple things about my 86TC I dont like. The biggest one is the lack of cup holders.
Heres my plan:
Install a Taurus temperature control in the top slot.
Install a aftermarket stereo in the oem temperature slot.
Install a Taurus coin/cupholder in the current stereo slot.
Delete the current cubbyhole.
I can make this plan work as long as there is enough room behind the current temperature slot to fit the stereo. The stereo will be alittle low, but I have a remote and its a minor inconvience to gain a cupholder.
Can anyone who has had the dash apart tell me how deep the hole is behind the temperature slot?
It's as deep as the current radio slot. Only the top space is cramped due to the HVAC vents...everything else is as "normal" as you get on these cars.
By the way...what you plan to do...I did in 1992. ;)
what were they thinking not giving us cupholders. even mustangs got em, right?
How hard is it to add the Taurus cup holder?I've had one for years and still haven't even attempted to swap it in.
why is it we all need cup holders? i dont... if i dont have a passenger... i buckle my drinks into the passenger seat....... if i got a passenger they become my cup holder lol. good luck thats all i can say
In 1985-88 dashes, the bottom 3 holes are theoretically the standard 1-DIN size. But in typical Ford fashion, nothing fits exactly so. The Taurus cupholder was designed for the Ford dashes made after ours, which requires the U-shaped removal tools to pinch in the side clips, thus allowing removal without any screwdrivers. It's a really nice setup but unfortunately it's not practical to backwards-adapt that design to our dashes. The hole in the radio panel slot (wherever the Taurus panel is to go) has to be trimmed and straightened, top and bottom and at least on one side, and this will allow the Taurus cupholder panel to slide in and the clips will catch. That's about the only way I ever got it to work. This also means there's no brace in the back of the panel to hold it up...but I never had any problems with it. It always seemed to be sturdy enough just being held in by the clips on the radio panel.
Eric,do you have a pic?This sounds interesting.
i hate those stupid u shaped tools, i just use coathangers
I can't find pix...it's been 15 years, I'm going by memory on this. But certainly there are people here that have done it and took photos.
I didnt figure it was a new mod. I want a cup holder so Im doing it. Eyeballing it, it looked like the radio slot was the best bet for minimal dash tpuppies. I figure that I will have to fab a support to help hold it up.
When placing a drink in the holder, the front should drop down, causing the back to go up, so it will need to be braced on the top, not on the bottom.
Anyway, I will see how it works out.
Why isnt this a mod in Cool Cats Tech Center?
It used to be, a long time ago. But I've had a change of heart about cupholders (http://"http://www.coolcats.net/sotc/sotc22.html") since then. ;)
Just FYI...with the cupholder extended and a cup in the tray...there's not enough weight in the assembly to really move it up or down that much at all. It doesn't need bracing. I only mentioned bracing to try and keep it away from, say, a radio that may get hot and potentially melt the plastic.
Thanks for the info. I for one love cup holders. Its one of the little things that makes life more pleasent.
I was considering installing a 05+ double din CD player, but I dont want to monkey with the bezel to make it work, maybe later, I picked up a spare for just such a project.
I have a CD player that I think will fit the oem climate control slot without mods, so Im going that route.
1st is to remove the carpet for a re-dye and install sound deadner and run stereo wires.
I don't need cup holders being that I don't allow food or drinks in my T-bird for fear of spillage.
thats way sealed bottles are for!
Eric has it right. Cupholders are for cooches.
silly people....it's against the law to drink and drive!! :hick:
So,if I install one,what are you trying to say?
Center console works well for a drink of any size. Its all I need to use if I ever have a drink in the car (everything else is 64oz+ bottles)
fox mustangs don't have cup holders either
I for one would rather have an ejector seat button than a cupholder...
The only reason you need a cupholder is if you are really horrible at driving a manual. I can manage my manual DD fine with a 32oz in my lap.
Yep, that are what passengers are for, if they don't want to then they can walk.
That and all I usually use is bottles.
after reading eric's "rant", i've decided against it too. besides, guages > cupholders any day. :)
I drink coffee.
It does not come in sealable containers that are easily placed in a moving vehicle.
I need a cupholder.
I have been using a "Euro Junior" cupholder for years now - it velcros to the top of the shifter bezel at the farthest position it can be mounted away from the driver, just about touching the vertical bezel for the climate control & stereo etc... My only complaint is that it rattles a bit and I have had to add rubber tape to stop the plastic from rattling against itself.
Listen, the whole cupholder thing...obviously they're not for me, at least in a Cougar. And in a lot of ways I'm truly glad that our cars don't have them from the factory. The 1988 Cougar and Thunderbird represented the very last of the old-school thinking (and manufacturing) and for that reason alone, I'm thankful that Ford didn't cave in and follow the trends for cupholders on the Fox cars. That's essentially what my "rant" was all about.
But that doesn't mean I condemn people for installing one. The problem arises when someone
wants to install one. You don't have to like that idea, or agree with it, but nonetheless the situation exists. The Taurus panel seems to solve the problem but only if one converts to the rotary heater panel and also does a little rearranging of the center stack. That's perfect if you want the custom look. But if you don't...there aren't many options left. Hopefully this thread will help someone else that may be thinking about doing the same thing. It helps to keep an open mind even if it's something you'd never do yourself.
In other words...be wary of whose words you choose to follow. There are some strange people in this world. ;)
Seems like my desire to install cupholders has generated alot of hate. I multi-task. Shift, drink coffee, talk on the phone. Im all about cupholders, all my vehicles have them, always will.
Seems like my desire to install cupholders has generated alot of hate. I multi-task. Shift, drink coffee, talk on the phone. Im all about cupholders, all my vehicles have them, always will.
Now we know why you want the auto!
what ever floats your boat, i love ym car i have no comforts just basics no power anything
That hurts Tbird232ci.But not much.LOL.
would hurt more if he kicked you there! haha
Perhaps................perhaps not.LOL.
heck, i've lived without them for this long. i think i'll be alright. if i ever get saisfied with my interior mods and i have the extra space, then i'll go for it. doubtful i would, but nah, i'll live.
I posted a few years ago on my cupholder mod, but I didn't break down and buy a digital camera until late last year. When I saw the thread I ran out to the T-Bird and snapped a few pics. As you can see, I dremeled out the area next to the lighter and put it in there. It's an in-dash cupholder for a '99 Toyota Land Cruiser (wanna have some fun? go to the Toyota dealer, order one, and watch the looks on their faces when you tell them it's for your Fox T-Bird ;) ) I had to slightly modify the sleeve to allow it to slide out an extra half inch so it could clear the lip of the trim below, but all that meant was dremeling out a 1/2" area at the back of the sleeve.
Also, note my voltmeter below the column shifter: I've gone through so many alternators that a few years ago I got a panel from a TC and put a Datel meter in there so I had something better than an idiot light (My bird is a V8 with the base dash).
(http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/961/img0733croppedge2.th.jpg) (http://img182.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0733croppedge2.jpg)
(http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/6145/img0734croppeddd0.th.jpg) (http://img157.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0734croppeddd0.jpg)
(http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/2657/img0735croppedvo6.th.jpg) (http://img266.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0735croppedvo6.jpg)
EDIT: Eek. Sorry for the huge pics. Changed to thumbnails, click for the full hi-res shots.
I've got a digital multimeter in that spot too! Except my trim piece is just the solid no-feature piece that got cut into. I still need to tint it or something, 'cause it causes too much glare at night (its blue and brighter than even the Pioneer 7800MP's illumination which is quite bright with the dimmer disabled). Put it in once I noticed voltage drops from my mark viii fan at idle.
I Did The Cup Holder Mod Ill Get Some Pics Up It Fits Good Just Half To Do A Little Triming
I drive an average of 70 miles a day. At least twice a week I see a "multi-tasker" crumple some sheetmetal. You're in a 3500 lb chunk of steel that can
KILL people.
Save your coffee and corn flakes til you get where you're going. Hang up the phone and drive.
I agree, I can't stand it when people use the phone while driving, it makes me want to yell at them to GET OFF THE PHONE! I've seen people doing 80 on I-95 and unable to stay in their lane because they're yakking on the phone way too many times. I'm scared to death to be within a quarter mile of them. Cupholders, however, can be used safely. 99% of the time I use mine because I bought a soda or iced tea or something else at the cafeteria at work and I want to bring it home. I stick it in the cupholder and it stays put, for me it's LESS distracting because I don't have to hold it and I know it won't roll or bounce around. I don't like drinking beverages while driving, and I never leave the house with one, for me it's always for transporting something home.