MTFCA Forum

Now that my 1927-ish Roadster is operable I've taken to driving a mile or so down the Columbia River Highway every Saturday to get a bowl of soup and Thai tea at my favorite food cart. It's remarkably hard to get back uphill to my house without spilling the tea. I've thought about installing a cup holder in the cockpit, but everyone who looks at the car insists I tell them which parts are "authentic" to the 1920s. (And "what kind of gas does it take.") So... does anyone know how my neighbors would have made this short drive 90 years ago? I don't recall cup holder before the 1980s, but they must have had some clever ways to keep their drinks from spilling. Would enjoy hearing how some of you have solved this "problem."

I use one of those cheap plastic ones that hook over the edge of a car door. It's easily removed and hidden although I rarely remember to do it. A swiveling or gimbal mount one for a boat would be better and some are removable leaving only a small bracket.

I believe I read somewhere that Ford was the first carmaker to include a cupholder in the first version of the Taurus, so when someone comments on my cupholder, I tell them that although a Model T didn't originally have one, Ford was first to include one and I have updated my T with a real Ford part.

I have used a shoe for a cup holder in my T. Authentic and easy to remove.

Andy

Looks like Fido is willing to take care of the problem for you.

Andyclary wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:18 pm

I have used a shoe for a cup holder in my T. Authentic and easy to remove.

Andy

With shoes my size... I’d have to carry around a gallon jug!!

The guys that I know use the plastic cup holders that hook over what ever. Easy to remove when not in use and most come in black.

Maybe get one of those plastic cup holders and wrap it with leather to make it look authentic. Or even better make one from leather straps. Um I may play with that. I need one of those too.

I thought passengers were the factory original cup holders. Just like I was the OEM remote control for our Magnavox when I was growing up.

They made everything for the model T. Im sure they made a running board clamp on cup holder.

Or maybe it didn’t occur to them to try to carry an open beverage while operating their vehicle and didn’t need them. I doubt that anyone has ever worried about how to drink a cup of coffee while riding their horse. Personally, I have not had an open drink in any of my Ts, and rarely use the cup holders in my modern vehicles for beverages.

Keep crankin’
Eric

I’ve found that it’s messy trying to drink in a T because it bounces your drink right out of it’s container. I do have one of these generic drink holders that’s also good for storage. I thought my head gasket blew at the rear one day until i realized my spare carburetor fuel line had punctured a full Mountain Dew that was squirting at the dash, under pressure from all the T’s bouncing. What a relief.

Geeze Louise......

Since you are transporting the beverage to your house, just pour the tea into a container that has a cap and throw the cup away at the restaurant.

If you want to be "authentic," pour it in to a mason jar and then screw on a lid. Or, use a Thermos (Thermoses pre-date the Model T Ford.)

Or.....

You did mention the soup spilling while driving your flivver. Ask the clerk to put the tea into a soup container.

My answer to the cup holder. Not Ford original, but maybe that era.

And back to the OP, in the era, there were no “take-away” (ride through?) restaurants. If you went into town to eat at a restaurant, you ate at the restaurant. Those people that provided meals “to-go”, made food that was more transportable and packaged it accordingly. Your “dilemma” didn’t become an much of an issue until the car culture really set in, the era of drive-in theaters, car hops and fast food.

The suggestion for bringing your own container that seals up (mason jar, thermos, etc.) is probably the easiest and most period thing to do. Plus, if they will put the Thai tea directly in your container, it eliminates another piece of that pesky single-use plastic that is a completely modern problem (because they didn’t have single-use plastic during the Model T era).

Keep crankin’
Eric

I don't condone drinking/distracted driving but here are some ideas Do a Google search on - gimbled cup holders - they have them for boaters most likely you can design/make your own from this picture or others from the search Model T's two hands on the wheel solution

Take a roll of duct tape and lay it on the floor board.

Place your cup of coffee in the center hole of the roll.

Done.

I’ve been thinking about how to add a cup holder to my T too and I like the idea of just using a shoe. Maybe even an old boot or something that’s rigged to clip onto the back edge of the floor boards...

Looking through Western Auto cataloges and Ford Dealer & Service Field magazines, it does not appear that people were drinking in cars, smoking yes, lots of ash trays and lighters as accessories. Also, a "cup" would not have been prevalent, everything came in bottles...beer, pop, milk, etc.

Thanks for the reminder, Ed. I have also used a roll.I'd duct tape, even in non T applications.

Andy

Why not modify one of the period accessory oil can holders into a cup holder? They even made dual versions!

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/126414.html

Going through a 1926 Western Auto Ford owners supply book picnic supplies with thermos bottles, jars and etc were accessories that come the closest to liquid containers. But as the other poster said nothing about cups or holders is mentioned. Canvas water bags were listed also. I can’t imagine not having some kind of water container in the car somewhere on a long trip in a Touring car. They would have been on the running board but not close to the driver?
If there were any cups used they might have been made of tin.
And there were smoking accessories galore in the 1926 Catalog I have. So smoking was more popular than having a drink of some kind nearby?? Nowadays it’s more cup holders in cars and trucks than smoking accessories. At least in my car and truck.

Alright, if ashtrays were so popular at the time what about making a period-looking cup holder based on the design and mounting of an ash tray? Anyone have any examples?

I have used a brass spittoon, and yes cleaned out. I added weight to the bottom, worked , ok...Needed to buy coffee in the larger size as small cups were too short...

Intead of a cup holder, how about a non-tipping cup that you can set on the floor ? There are lots of wide base cups on ebay, but I couldn't find one with a Ford on it.

Similar cups probably existed when T's were new.

Tired of coffee spills, I gave up on trying to be clever/period correct. I bought a great cup holder from Amazon. Take a look at the Universal Cup holder made by Accmor for $10.99. It fastens anywhere on the dash (mine is just right of the steering column) it has a rubber grip cushion, it's made of super solid plastic, holds good sized drinks, and it's black. Most important of all it can be removed in seconds for showings at Pebble Beach, etc.. Problem solved.

My car came with these beverage holders, top of a cowboy boot stitched closed at about where your ankle is and hung on a coupling nut attached to the cowl lamp bolt. I thought that they would be good for a water bottle, but they don't fit that well. I did find a top from a bottle of Corona!