WARNING: TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT THIS THREAD COULD BE X-RATED:
I would rate this a 1.5 beer mod. So, I was coveting DeepBlueGXP's awesome video of his proper Flag Caddies from flagcaddie.com and wanted a set for myself to have on the car when I drive to the Mod Meet on Sat. There was no way I would get them in time, so here is my ghetto flag caddy mod! And any project that involves nipples and nuts must be good, right?
I poked around my workshop and found some bits and pieces of a light shade holder kit and test fitted them in the trunk holes. I figured I could take the following pieces and make a sturdy holder for Old Glory:
Threaded hollow steel nipples (better for this job than regular nipples...)
Check rings - I used the 2 of biggest ones and 2 of the next size down:
Lock Nuts - to secure your nipples:
I started by putting one lock nut on the bottom of the longest nipple and turning it on (stop laughing) until 2 threads showed. I secured it with a little superglue on the threads. I slid one of the check rings on the nipple so it sat on the nut with the flange pointing up, pulled down the carpet a bit and slid it through the bottom of the buttress hole, placed another check ring on top with the flange pointing down and threaded on a lock nut and finger tightened it.
This now gives you a nice narrow opening for those 75 cent 8" x 13" American flags you can get at Home Depot or Jo-Ann's Fabrics. Figuring that driving at 85 MPH with flimsy wooden dowels sticking up would probably snap them, I found a fiberglass rod (the one I used in the VA-Sky trunk light mod) and cut it to the right height. Only problem was the rod is white and the hardware is brass - that would never do. So I disassembled everything and painted it all chrome to match. I liked the little knob thing on the top of the flag from Home Depot, so I cut it off the dowel, drilled out the center and glued in on the fiberglass rod tip.
Now these flags are CHEAP and will be replaced with real ones from falgcaddie.com - but to get me through tomorrow, I asked my lovely and patient wife to use the sewing machine to fold over the edges of the flag and stitch them up creating a tight pocket to slide the flag on the flag pole. Slide flag on the poles and slide the poles into the holders - the poles will bottom out on the inside of the trunk liner. Finished product!:
If you buy the parts at Home Depot - this mod should be under $10 with enough parts to make 2 sets. I tested this at 85 MPH and all was good (except I shredded the flags)...
JonyMac
