How do you mount the Taurus cup (can) holder?

[samneil2000]

I read all about everyone getting these DIN size cup holders and coin holders from old Taurusssess or Tauri... and I thought they were great for filling in that big hole at the bottom of the console. So I got one off of ebay and it's been sitting on a shelf for a while. Last weekend I finally repaired the heat/air blower fan and did some cleanup, so I cleared the space for the cup holder. The toggle switch was blocking it before I removed all that mess.
So anyways, I tried to figure out how to mount it in there, but I can't come up with anything to attach it to. Are you guys using the old CD player brackets or something? I have nothing but the plastic trim ring that snaps in place over the top of it. I popped it in there and slid the cup holder part out through the opening and then wriggled it in to place. That's where it sits. If I push the cup holder back in, the whole contraption slides back in to the hole...

So, how do you guys do this? Or am I being shtoopid?

[SlowPro48]

...Are you guys using the old CD player brackets or something? ...

Yup. That's what I did anyway. You might have to chop a little off the back of the coin holder tray in order to enable the whole assembly to be recessed far enough that you can use the existing mounting points though. Use a hacksaw or some other fine tooth saw and cut just the tips off those triangular extensions. Don't cut too much though or you'll remove the part that retains the tray when it extends. You don't want it shooting out into the cabin when you hit the button! Just look at the little tracks on the sides before you cut. Check my pics and you'll see what I'm talking about.

If you check my pics though please don't give me any crap about my miserable excuse of a gallery. If I had a "VX life" I'd have some entertaining pics in there - but I don't - so I don't. I just drive the thing to work and back - and so far haven't been able to talk any half-naked women into writhing around on the bonnet - so I just live vicariously through you guys, especially Mr. Off Road Whoremonger.


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[Riff Raff]

Hmmm, perhaps MARLIN will see this thread and chime in as I know he installed one as well. I believe MARLIN used the old existing CD brackets for the install, too.

[samneil2000]

So what does a guy do when his VX didn't have the factory cd player or hardware when he got it? Anybody have a spare bracket laying around they're willing to part with? Pretty please...

[tom4bren]

You may be able to get the parts you need from the install department at Best Buy. Sorry I can't offer you mine but the CD changer is still mounted (though not used).

Tom

[pbkid]

the best buy bay wont have the brackets needed....

you may have to get the bracket from merlin or build something...

[Riff Raff]

So what does a guy do when his VX didn't have the factory cd player or hardware when he got it? Anybody have a spare bracket laying around they're willing to part with? Pretty please...

Try member "VX KAT". If I recall, she was just getting rid of her OEM Head Unit & OEM CD Player. So, she still might have old CD Bracket that your need. Give her a shout by PM.

[samneil2000]

Will do. Thanks guys!

[VX KAT]

I just sold both units to JoFotoz and recall packing two L-shaped brackets....are those the ones? Maybe Jo can spare them since the dead CD player was just a back up unit I think.

[johnnyapollo]

Sorry to revive this thread but from looking at SlowPro48's gallery it doesn't appear that the can drinks quite fit - looks like they are tilted outward due to the ashtray and shape of the bezel above the DIN slot. SlowPro48 also cut the back points of so the unit will clear - so I've got some questions.

Could you grind down the existing flat area on the Taurus unit so it protrudes slightly through the VX bezel - that way more would potentially extend outward and provide more clearance for cans? You'd need to mount the VX CD changer brackets further back but if it solves the clearance problem I think it would be worthwhile. Thoughts on this? Or is there another install example that solves the clearance issue?

-- John

[johnnyapollo]

btt

[tom4bren]

Ummm - buy a Taurus?

Seriously tho, I don't have any experience with that cupholder but I did find this listing:

http://www.v-sales.com/images/Swing.jpg

It looks like it may be a bit easier to work with.

[johnnyapollo]

After reading a few threads on the Taurus cup holder I got what I thought was an after-market version that was basically the same - Joe Black installed it for me while I was visiting him earlier this month. Unfortunately the "drawer" was too short - not much would fit in there (I was hoping for at least a 12 oz soda). I then sought out a Taurus Cup holder and managed to score a few for cheap (ended up with 3 - one good, one sloppily "fixed" and one missing the flip-down brackets for the drink). I searched through all the forum threads and read that some had issues either with drink clearance and/or the ends of the Taurus cup holder "drawers" hitting components in the console. So I posted a thread on here last week hoping for some additional feedback.

Today I dropped the fluids in both diffs and figured I could tackle the cup holder while they were draining - First image is of the pseudo-Taurus cup holder that Joe installed (sorry about all the white stuff flying around - had on some nitrile gloves and the talc got all over everything):



Pulling it from the dash I compared it to the much bulkier Taurus unit to figure out where to mount the CD changer brackets used to mount the previous cup holder:



It then occurred to me that I could slip the brackets back and do something to modify what sticks out, maybe solving both the can clearance issue and having to modify the backs on the "drawers" (SlowPro had cut his off):



To get this to work I would need to cut off the front edge to expose more of the "drawers" - I did this by using one of my woodworking vises and cutting, first with a hacksaw and then with a very large backsaw.



Note a couple of things I learned - extend the drawer so that if the blade cuts through any damage isn't visible - doh! This is what the end product looks like:



I then located the brackets so that the front 3/4" of the "drawers" could extend beyond the front trim piece:



However there were two issues. The first was that the brackets still needed to go back about another 3/8" to clear any obstructions. The second and this was the biggie - the bottom "drawer" (which holds the drinks) relied on the cross piece that divided the part I just cut off to stop the drawer from extending too far. By cutting it off, the drawer could be pulled completely from the unit, which wasn't acceptable to me. Luckily I practiced on the incomplete unit so I was only out a couple of bucks and about 30 minutes and learned some valuable information.

My next idea (actually it was my original idea which I changed after examining the unit) - remove the outer face of the Taurus unit so the front could extend beyond the VX trim piece. I did this using a stationary belt sander:



This actually worked rather well - it's not as pretty or as slick as one that recesses completely behind the trim, but at least it's functional and will do me until something better rears its head:



It actually extends completely to the AT shifter - I may still dress it up a bit but for now this is what it looks like - better than having a two-by-four duck-taped to the dash, but less pleasing than the original that just plain didn't work. At least with this I can get that Diet Dr Pepper can in there....



-- John

[tom4bren]

Good work John. That's gonna look really nice once you finish trimming it out.

[VX KAT]

Finally got a picture to post. Got this from "Ultimatecupholders.com" for $25.
They're stainless steel with felt lining. There's about 5 different models "custom" for BMWs and Porsches's etc, but when I saw it I knew it would work in our VX. It just tucks up under the plastic transmission tunnel. Called the guy and he sent me the one with the longest "tab" so I had the most metal to tuck under the plastic for stability. You can squeeze the metal arms wider if needed for "big gulps" or in my case the 1.5l Sigg bottle.

The bottle does lean a bit, but no problem with a lid. The BEST part is that it is 100% out of my way, and leg doesn't even touch it. Easy to just reach down and grab the top. I love it. Well worth it for me. My kind of mod...so simple a caveman could do it!