Center dash mods March 04, 2007, 01:20:50 PM 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? Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #1 – March 04, 2007, 03:27:12 PM 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. Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #2 – March 04, 2007, 04:01:47 PM what were they thinking not giving us cupholders. even mustangs got em, right? Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #3 – March 04, 2007, 05:59:53 PM 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. Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #4 – March 04, 2007, 06:29:12 PM 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 Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #5 – March 04, 2007, 06:32:46 PM 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. Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #6 – March 04, 2007, 06:35:20 PM Eric,do you have a pic?This sounds interesting. Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #7 – March 04, 2007, 06:38:00 PM i hate those stupid u shaped tools, i just use coathangers Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #8 – March 04, 2007, 07:38:36 PM 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. Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #9 – March 04, 2007, 08:39:17 PM 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? Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #10 – March 04, 2007, 08:46:17 PM It used to be, a long time ago. But I've had a change of heart about cupholders 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. Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #11 – March 04, 2007, 09:31:26 PM 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. Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #12 – March 04, 2007, 11:01:30 PM I don't need cup holders being that I don't allow food or drinks in my T-bird for fear of spillage. Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #13 – March 04, 2007, 11:12:49 PM thats way sealed bottles are for! Quote Selected
Center dash mods Reply #14 – March 05, 2007, 03:37:39 PM Eric has it right. Cupholders are for cooches. Quote Selected
Topic: Center dash mods (Read 5629 times)
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