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Metal cup inserts for DDM console...source?

3K views 28 replies 8 participants last post by  Northern Sol 
#1 ·
Found this image in a Solstice sale listing yesterday and have not seen or heard of the metal cup holder inserts for the DDM console. I like the way the console looks with these. Waiting to hear from Angie at DDM about the possibility of a source if it is their option.

Thought it also worthwhile to put it out here on the forum in case anyone has done this to the cup holder console. If you have, or know of it, please share.

Thanks, Richard Snipes

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#2 ·
I remember reading about those. I believe that the car's owner bought some metal cups that fit the existing holders. If I can find it I will link to the post that I read that in.
 
#3 ·
They look like pretty standard issue generic "cup holder" available from Summit or Jegs. Used pretty widely on kit-cars and resto-mods.

You'd have to measure to find the exact size that fits.
 
#6 ·
Here you go, these are the exact ones I bought. They look great and are only a couple of mm shorter than the plastic inserts that come with the DDM console. I searched extensively, but could not find an exact match.


Installed in my 07:
 
#7 ·
How did you attach them> Pressed in? glued in?
Here you go, these are the exact ones I bought. They look great and are only a couple of mm shorter than the plastic inserts that come with the DDM console. I searched extensively, but could not find an exact match.


Installed in my 07:
how did you attach them, glue, press fit?
 
#8 ·
The DDM instructions tell you to use a self-tapping screw to go through the insert into the metal below, but it's really not necessary. After the console was wrapped, the insert drops in perfectly. It's quite secure with just a compression fit. But that will depend on the thickness of the wrap, and of course which cup inserts you go with.
 
#9 ·
Thank you for the information. Angie sent me the size at 3 inches by 2 inches deep but after spending hours looking at scores of cup holders I found nothing in metal. Some were close but if 3 inches dia they were too deep. If 2 inches deep they way too wide. Amazing what is available and for uses I've never heard of, like poker cup inserts for card playing tables!

I will give these a try. An interference fit works for me.

Richard Snipes
 
#17 ·
Thank you for the information. Angie sent me the size at 3 inches by 2 inches deep but after spending hours looking at scores of cup holders I found nothing in metal. Some were close but if 3 inches dia they were too deep. If 2 inches deep they way too wide. Amazing what is available and for uses I've never heard of, like poker cup inserts for card playing tables!

I will give these a try. An interference fit works for me.

Richard Snipes
And as an FYI, the black plastic inserts sent with my DDM console were not 3 inches. The outer lip of the insert is 3 1/2 inches, and the outer diameter of the body of the insert is 2 9/16 inches. From the top of the lip to the bottom of the body is exactly 2 inches. And the lip itself is 1/8 inch. Again, these are the measurements of the plastic insert that came with the DDM console, not the ebay inserts. Not sure why they'd give you 3x2, unless they recently got a new source for their inserts. I bought my DDM console about 5 or 6 months ago.
 
#10 ·
I looked up the ones that Kiwi posted from eBay. If their dimensions are correct, they should fit perfectly and are only slightly shallower than the OEM inserts. Only difference is that the ones shown on Ebay have a rubber coating on the inside, which should be fairly easy to dissolve away if so desired.
 
#18 ·
I have the ddm console and love it. I do question my own sanity though in my choice because I now have a two passenger car with five cupholders.
I've had the same thought about the 5 cupholders, although to be fair, they all suck. The cupholders in the waterfall are damn near impossible to access while driving without separating a shoulder, the passenger side holder interferes with passenger leg room and is ridiculously flimsy, and the DDM holders are too narrow and shallow to hold anything other than a mini bottle of water. I only use mine to hold spare change, head unit remote, etc.

btw, Kiwi??? Do I sound Australian to you lol? JK, not actually offended.
 
#12 ·
Just checked that link and, of course, they show conflicting views of the insert. From the top view holes in the center are shown and in the one upside down bottom view it looks like the ones in your console photo where the bottom is solid. I sent the seller a message asking just what they are selling since I want the solid bottom too. We'll see if things have changed...I'll post what I find out.

Richard Snipes
 
#16 ·
If you are referring to the link I posted, It's not conflicting. The inside bottom of the cups are lined with a glued on thin rubber/foam piece with a 1/4 circular hole cut out in the middle. The metal insert itself has no hole. The rubber/foam piece can be removed, but it is glued in there pretty good. I saw no reason to remove it.

BTW, I did the same search as you, and found one with the exact depth of the DDM insert, and ordered it, only to find out the advertised dimensions were wrong. It was 2 1/4 inches deep, not 2 inches, which made it stick out of the console a bit. These are the inserts that did not fit, even though it looks like they would. (Posted just so no one else has to go through the trouble of ordering, then returning): Small Stainless Steel Cup Holders for your Hot rod,Street Rod or Muscle car | eBay
 
#13 ·
As for why cup holders were not installed there in the first place...cost and engineering. Same reason the stock console body is thin enough for an elbow to crack it and the stock cup holder is fragile enough to break if used, not to mention both are hideously expensive to replace OEM. Simple does not work. Think changing the battery. That's what I am facing next.

Richard Snipes
 
#14 ·
I would think it would have been more expensive to place the cup holders in that pull out contraption towards the back between the seats?? It's more complicated than just having 2 holes in the center console.
 
#21 ·
kwil,

Thanks for all the info. Appears we've traveled the same road searching for a replacement cup holder. Kinda like that salt shaker in Margaritaville. I've had my console over two years and love it. I don'r buy big fountain style drinks or have coffee cups without steps for car use, so this meets my needs for function, appearance convenience and sturdiness. When my driver's door was sealed shut by the semi kiss last May I had to crawl over the console to exit and enter more times than I want to remember. I don't fold up very well anymore. The console never even creaked. (I did!) Quality product. You did a nice job with the metal inserts. Now we have information for a new mod for a mod...


Richard Snipes
 
#23 ·
Bill, Good to know. I queried the seller about it and he assured me the ones I would get are like the one view of the insert upside down showing a solid bottom. You have confirmed it. Hopefully they will arrive this week. Thank you for the follow up.

Richard Snipes
 
#26 ·
Again, the pic on the Ebay page is a bit deceiving. There is no hole in the metal. But there is a 1/4 inch hold in the rubber/foam lining. If you end up using the holder to hold spare change, the foam liner will prevent the change from moving around a bunch, and it'll likely absorb a bit of condensation from your drink. That's why I left mine on.
I have no idea why the hole in the liner is there though, maybe to aid in the manufacturing process.
 
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