It started with a cup holder that was stuck in the dash and didn't want to spring out. The fix for that has been covered; it involves re-aligning the return spring and probably cleaning out a few years of spilled Cokes and coffees.

What I wanted was the "bottom" of the cup holder......the thing that flips down and stops your drink from slipping through the holder and landing on your feet. It seems that mine was snapped off by a PO.

Only a custom piece fabbed out of 16ga steel would do:



Disassembly: I started by removing that lower passenger side dash panel. There's a screw by the kick panel, one next to the cigarette lighter, and another behind the cup holder. To get to the one behind the cup holder, insert a long screwdriver in the groove that presents itself on the top of the holder when it opens and depress to release the tab holding it in. You should then be able to pull out the cup holder while the metal frame remains.

Assessment: Of course, the entire thing was covered in eight years of spilled and dried liquid sugar. I took the metal frame and the holder assembly and hosed them down with Simple Green and hot water. Once cleaned out, the three components will slide together and apart smoothly. If the thing was stuck and wouldn't spring out, it's because the spring has overshot the return tab and requires some bending to re-align it. Unfortunately, I could see that the mounting hole where the original bottom was mounted had broken off.....leaving me to fabricate a new one.

Making it: I used a bit of aluminum sheet to make a rectangular shape that would fit over the remnants of the old part. I tapped small holes through it and used wire to pin it to the original plastic body, then filled the voids with epoxy:



Up next was the bottom part that drops out of the extended cup holder. I cut it out of 16ga steel so that it wouldn't bend and so it's weight would cause it to deploy on extension. Here's a progression of the part:









After test fitting and adjustments, I coated it with Plasti-Dip:



I cut and fit a piece of clear tape to cover the bottom of the arm, since this would be the contact point for the arm as it articulates in and out:



Here's the assembly:









Works like new.

 

That's pretty cool!

 

good stuff man. always nice to see someone come up with an original way to fix stuff.

 

Nice write up! Does it still squeak?

 

No squeaks......I'm new to Z's, are these cup holders known for squeaking? The cup holder was non-functional when I got the car, so I took a guess at how it might have worked.

 

Every morning I put my coffee cup in that thing and it sounds like a mouse with Tourette's.

 

Island, there are a lot of plastic parts that must slide against other plastic parts in order for the cup holder to pop out. A bit of lubrication will silence and rejuvenate the mechanism to like new vigor. Don’t use any petroleum-based oils, as they will actually make the plastic sticky. Silicone grease, oil or spray is perfect for this job as it is very slippery on the plastic. Silicone sex-lube can also work in a pinch.

 

There's also a few felt-like contact strips in there that could wear down or come off.

 

glad to see your post ended right where my mind began.. haha.. youre back in the circle of trust. lol.