Whilst I have the storage pocket between the seats on the bulkhead, it is difficult to get to when you are driving. I therefore wanted to have a ‘small bits tray’ a bit closer to hand – the obvious place being on the top of the transmission tunnel under the dash. I looked at the after-market options and decided that they were nice but well out of my price bracket (they are well over £100). And in fact, not all that practical given the they are made of netting so a bit of fiddle to put things in, and certainly not ear-bud friendly.

And in my 170 the space for my legs is so tight, I cant get anything significant on the sides of the tunnel.

So I have made my own, using a £1.50 box I found in TK Max and two elastic straps, each end terminating in a plastic wedge.

I had been keeping these wedges, which are used in the installation of UPVC glazing, for at least 20 years because ‘they were going to be useful one day’. The wedges hook into the gap between the tunnel cover and the carpet. That means that the storage box can be easily unhooked if necessary.

The whole thing is held together with pop rivets, which I have vast numbers of left over from the build. It works well and covers up that rather unsightly electrical connector that sits in front of the heater. I have put a liner of foam rubber to stop things moving around in the tray.

And it is just the right size to avoid interference with gear changes. I have fixed the phone power cable to the side to stop that flopping around when its not plugged into my phone.

OK, the colour aint great, but I can hopefully find something to cover that up in due course or find a better box to remake it with. But the tray works.