Guys
Gary has done a "spin off" of an idea I had last year, of taking the speaker area of the dash and turning it into a cubby to hold small items.

We have already made the Speaker Patch (that looks like the original speaker area) and now we can have a second version, a cubby to put small items in.

Gary will post "initial" drawings in this post soon for you to see.
Please add input so we can figure if this is worth the initial cost to continue this.

 

Ok, here are a few views of the storage bin. It is 1" deep in front, measured from the top of the dash pad, to 1 1/2" deep at the rear. The sides and bottom are .0625" thick, and I kept the walls and collar the same as the ones on the last dash plate.

Note that there's no need for the walls to have the slots since the piece that goes through there has to be cut out. But then no reason to change as we don't need more plastic.


This view is from the right front, as if you are outside the truck on the passenger's side looking through the windshield.








And this one's from the right side.

 

Looks awesome, how about a cup holder?

 

Grand idea!

I can think of no better description of an aged dash pad than my wife saying, "It's like trying to cut a cracker."

When I made my faux speaker cover three years ago, I couldn't remove the metal cross brace through the speaker hole, and had to compensate for it. It appears to run beyond the parameters of the speaker opening, possibly as a brace within the dash?

Would this Cubby, Dash Pad, Insert, Ford, 1980-86 for Parts, Miscellaneous require cutting out that bracing - or is my dash not normal?

Because of the brittle nature of these pads, I suggest a larger surround for the upper frame, because in my experience it's difficult to cut the padding and will leave an irregular opening, regardless of the cutting implement. (NOTE: My dashpads appear as two different shades of burgundy owing simply to the flash/lighting.)

 

Jumpdummy - Are your arms that long?

WJ - The larger the top plate the higher the cost due to the 3D printing charges. But, we could make it however large we want. Perhaps a couple of sizes?

As for the brace/cross, yes it has to be cut out. My thinking is to use a Dremel w/a cutoff wheel. Otherwise the bin will have to have a place for the brace to run, cutting the bin into quadrants and making it less useful.

 

I like this idea, none of my trucks have ever had cup holders, and it always bugged me that I couldn't have any pop while I was driving.

 

Well, I'm 6' tall with long arms and I can reach the speaker area - by leaning forward and stretching. So that might work, assuming there's enough depth to get a drink in far enough for it to clear the windshield.

So, here's the question: How large of a drink are we talking about? There's no way a Big Gulp is gonna fit. But is a can enough?

 

I would like to have a holder for one of those plastic water bottles, I think they hold 1 liter but don't remember for certain....

 

Gary, I guess my arms are long enough. Been setting my coffee on the dash for years.

 

Well, "one of those water bottles" is perfectly descriptive. I'm sure I can draw up something for that. Not!

How 'bout some dimensions? I can find something similar to model it with.

Also, I'll have to measure a dash I have and compare to Rusty to see if there's enough depth to get a drink in there. A bottle or a can is one thing, but snaking a drink with a lid in there w/o the lid coming off might be tricky.

 

How about a 20oz Pop bottle? My cup holders in the crown vic are nice, but are still too small to hold a pop bottle. A medium fountain drink is about the same size as a pop bottle, and would fit in the holder.

 

I'd just hate to see someone ante up for one of these, tear up their dash getting the speaker cross braces removed, then find out the opening is too large and jagged for their new bin (or any other remedy). They might want their money back. I recommend "All sales are final, no matter how stupid buyer may be" as a disclaimer on the packaging ...

As for cupholders, I shall return shortly with a photo of the solution.

 

Here's my cup holder. That old thing actually works pretty good.

 

Just posted another cup holder option on my "Adventure Begins" thread. Post #912.

 

The speaker cross brace in only plastic. (at least in my 3 dashes I have)