So, I made a couple of cupholders. I didn't want to have to attach anything to any trim pieces and damage the trim if I or someone else would decide to remove the cupholders. I made a bracket that I could attach to the seat frame. The cupholder has a base plate that can easily be inserted or removed from the bracket. I decided that I wanted my cupholder to be centered on the driver's seat. My wife preferred to have it located toward the door. Attached are a couple of pictures. If anyone is interested in more pictures and other info, let me know and I can post that here.

Driver side

Passenger side


More info was requested
See post below

 

I'm not sure how to state this but the cup on the drivers side brings to mind a cup to pee in on long road trips. The other looks like a 'courtesy cup' for whoever/whatever..........

That said I hope they serve your function! (They could be used for both if the proper sequence was followed)

 

An astute observation on the driver's side cup holder. Not sure what you are referencing regarding the passenger side. I believe they will function well, they are out of the way and most importantly to me, I didn't have to damage any trim. They are also easily removed and installed. I had thought about making something to drop into the bin that would hold two cupholders, but felt it would be a little cramped (not a lot of elbow room now). Just thought I'd share.

 

Can you provide a material list and maybe photos of the brackets

 

Will do. Give me a couple of days. I have several pictures of the cupholder in various stages of "production". I'll include all of the pictures and comment on the process.

 

So, as I stated earlier, I wanted to have two cup holders and I looked at many posts here and other places to get ideas of the best options. I did see some things that looked pretty nice, but I really didn’t find anything that suited my needs and did not require some mechanical attachment and thus would leave holes in trim pieces.

I felt that by attaching them to the seat frame, the holes would be unnoticeable unless you were standing on your head and if a purist someday wanted to, the holes could be welded shut, ground and sanded smooth and repainted.

Since I’m a woodworker hobbyist, that is the material I chose to use for the brackets and baseplates. I made the brackets from a 2x4 and the baseplates from ⅜” plywood. The brackets have an angle to match the angle on the seat frame and are attached with sheet metal screws. The angle is such that when the baseplates and cup holders are installed, the cup holders are plumb. That angle for the passenger side is about 50 degrees. On the driver’s side the seat has the ability to tilt for your comfort, so that angle will be dependent on how you adjust the seat. For me it worked out to be about 35 degrees. You can play around with those angles until you are comfortable that your baseplates will be level and thus the cup holders will be plumb.

I wanted to be able to easily remove the cup holders since I probably would not use them for short drives which would be most of the driving I will do. To that end, I decided to use a mortise and tenon type of attachment between the brackets and the baseplates. By making the mortise first, I could pretty easily adjust the size of the tenon to fit snuggly yet allow for easy removal. I used a ¼” straight router bit in my shaper and created a mortise slightly under the thickness of the baseplates and gradually removed material from the baseplate tenon area until I had the proper fit.

You’ll note that there are two different designs of baseplates. For my purposes, placing the cup holder in the center of the seat frame seemed to work best. My wife preferred hers to be nearer the door on the passenger’s side.

The cup holders themselves were purchased from Amazon. Search for “YH Poker Yuanke Stainless Steel Drink Cup Holders” or use the cup holder of your choice.

In the pictures you’ll see that the cup holders are attached to the baseplates and there is a spacer between the cup holder and the baseplates. The spacer is made from thin-walled PVC pipe that has an O.D. of about 4 ¼”.

These particular cup holders required that the mounting hole is first counter bored and then drilled through for a proper fit. I used a 1 ¼” speed bit to make the counterbore and then drill though with a (I think) ⅜” bit.

The spacer and baseplates are covered with a black vinyl material. You may decide to use something else. So the length of the spacer will be somewhat determined by the thickness of the material used to cover the spacer, as the covering material is folded over the top of the spacer. I attached the cup holder to the baseplate and measured to determine the length of the spacer allowing just enough room for a snug fit of the covering material.

The vinyl was attached to the spacer with a spray on kraft adhesive. It is kind of tacky pretty soon after it is applied so you don’t have a lot of time to work with it. I placed the seam of the vinyl in an inconspicuous area since upholstery is not my strong suite. Before attaching the baseplates to the spacer/cup holder, I painted the baseplates to match the color of the vinyl. I attached the baseplates to the spacer/cup holder and trimmed the vinyl to fit around the tenon portion of the baseplates. I then wrapped the vinyl around the baseplates and stapled it to the bottom of the baseplates.





Driver's side bracket and baseplate

PVC spacer

Driver's side bracket and baseplate

Baseplate tenon in the bracket mortise

Stainless Steel cup holder and the PVC spacer

PVC spacer covered with the vinyl


Vinyl stapled to the baseplate

Driver's side bracket attached to the seat frame

 

Thank you for the photos and detailed write up. Just what I need, another project.

 

I am not a fan of cups or bottles being in the driver compartment. It probably will never fall into the floorboard, but if it does I bet it goes right under the brake pedal.

 

Good point and if it spills on the center console he will wish it had fell on the floor board. I NEVER have food or drink in my Crossfire, unless it is groceries, stored in the rear hatch, being transport to the house.

 

If anything, the safest are the ones that go between the seat and the console.

 

Can you imagine a world without cup holders? Guess the year modern-day cup holders became available in American cars. It wasn’t until 1983 when the built-in cup holder, capable of holding a variety of cup shapes and sizes, arrived in U.S. vehicles and Chrysler made it all happen. Chrysler created an entire new category of vehicle with the invention of the minivan. A sturdy, 2-cup holder was sunk into the console of the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. Cup holders became more commonplace after 1983, but it was not until 1994 when McDonalds famously paid Stella Liebeck a $640,000 settlement after she poured boiling coffee onto her lap while sitting in her car. So for those of use that began crusing before 1983 we enjoyed the car(s) for what they were.

 

I can't imagine my car without cup holders. I drive long distances (one of the reasons I bought my Crossfire was for a month long road trip in July of 2022.) and I HATE being thirsty when I drive. I always have a drink bottle with me, mostly with distilled water and ice, but sometimes with a diet soda and ice. I try to avoid eating in my car, but I will during the upcoming trip if it is necessary. I also always carry some bottled water in the car. This is Arizona, and you can die by the side of the road if you aren't careful in the summertime.
I like this design, and I am going to see if I can't incorporate it into my car in some way.
Right now I have a plastic cup holder that jams between the passenger seat and the console, and it works OK but is NOT ideal by any means.
This one looks REALLY clever and well done!
Thanks, NATION for your efforts!

 

If you haven't found one here's a cheap way to improvise: Simply set a tennis shoe on the center console and voilà – instant cup holder!

 

Lots of really great and interesting options popping up for cup holders. I really like the inside console version but I have all of my AV cables coming through the console so that option is out for me.

Just a cautionary note regarding liquids and the passenger seat.

We all know this but its easy to forget in the quest for convenience. Best to be extremely mindful of the number of electronic items located in the footwell on the passenger side, the TCU and Amp are just two of the items. I too miss having meaningful cup holders but decided to use spill proof containers (Contigo) and tuck them behind the seat between back of seat and console in an upright position. I know from experience that an open drink will spill in the car.

Its never if it will spill but when. I have enough projects to contend with on an aging vehicle. I didn't want to add more works because of a fluid spill.

My vote is for the console 2 cup setup.

 

Just remember being in sudden brief shower in the SLK320 with the top down and it would not shift until the console dried out. Is the Crossfire vert the same ? Liquids on the console may not be a good idea.

 

On long drives, like to Eureka Springs and/or other Crossfire GTGs, wife & I only have bottled water in the car which she takes care of. Might have Lance Cheese Crackers for snacking. But we never eat in the Crossfire! And I don't ever put groceries in my Crossfire - Crossfire doesn't go to the grocery store! I realize the factory cup holder is typically useless, but why would anyone put a drink holder in a sports car anyway! (Note: I bought an official Chrysler Travel Mug way back when; looks a lot like the one shown in the Owners Manual below. As noted, Chrysler says only use containers that fit into the cup holder. The one I have actually fits securely in the cup holder - just like the picture below - I just never use it!)


containers that fit into the

 

THe SLA (shift lever assembly) in the automatic Crossfire and the automatic '320 is the same module.

 

Exactly. My rule has always been that you dont eat or drink anything but bottled water in a vehicle that you care to keep clean.

My 2007 SE with 70,000 miles on it still smells like it did when it was on the dealer lot. I keep in garaged, but other than that, I don['t to anything else to preserve that aroma.
No eating. No consuming of any beverages. I do have capped, bottled water with me at meets, of course. But that's it.

There is no need for a cup holder. Mine is an SE, so I have the storage bin instead.

 

Sports cars and cup holders are not two great tastes that go great together. Enjoying a beverage, hot or cold, while motoring isn't really the point of these machines.
Life’s pretty good except when you go over railroad tracks. Then the 148oz. to-go cup runneth over.

 

I agree - the storage bin is a much better accessory. If the cup holder in my 2007 Coupe ever craps out, the storage bin I have on the shelf will go in.