donald4972

A bit long winded, sorry...


This is my second prototype mount (pictures below). I'm working on the third/final one. It will be a little more cosmetically pleasing, and a couple of corners will fit better, and look more natural. Otherwise just like the one pictured.

It all started with my desire to mount my Garmin GPS in a semi-permanent fashion, maintain the ability to change it to another car, and easily take it into the house, plug into the computer for lifetime updates periodically. And, with the caveat, that I did not want it up in the windshield blocking my view at all. And it must be hard wired, no dangling cords hanging around.

I tried lots of locations. You have to find a place that is easily visible with out distracting your driving. If you have to 'look around' to find your GPS, (at night for instance) then you are distracted. You should only have to 'shift your eyes' a little, see it, and then shift your eyes back to your field of view down the road. Most locations on or near the dash, ash tray area, radio area, center console generally, did not meet my goals.

Finally, a few weeks back, I thought of locating it on the left side, just outside the steering wheel. Doesn't block view of anything out the windshield, front or side. Is easily viewable, with just a shift of eyes, not even turning your head away from the road ahead. I liked it (the location), but how to mount it? How to keep it stable, without shaking, yet be able to take it out (and put back in) of the car, easily.

My first prototype, I cut out of wood blocks, and sculpted them to try to meet the angles of the dash, as it curves over the instrument cluster. Kept finding myself too high with the GPS intruding into the field of vision ahead. Don't want that. (sorry, can't find pics I took of first prototype. but it did not work anyway) Finally, like 3 blocks of wood like in a kids toy from long ago, all came together. I painted it all black, used Velcro to attach the GPS to the wood (one block), and also velcro to attach the other two the car. It worked great, looked okay (for first draft). But, after a few days, the heat in the dash area (sun beating in thru the windshield) proved too much. The glue, on the velcro actually melted in the hot sun, if the car sat outside. Then, It slid down the curve of the dash. Left a trail of slick hot glue. Oh man!!!
I thought, 'how am I going to clean up that mess'.
Fortunately, it cleaned up easily with that goo remover stuff. And there was no damage to the vinyl or dash. So, back to the drawing board.

I don't know the exact properties involved. Why did the wood heat up so much, that the glue melted? But, wandering around Home Depot one day, I saw sheets of stock aluminum. And I thought; aluminum doesn't melt until around 1100 degrees (from my old professional snowmobile racing days: we'd melt pistons if exhaust gas temps got over 1100 degrees, so we'd have to increase carb jet size, to increase fuel flow to cool the cylinder, and test again, .......long ago).

So I picked up a few pieces of 12" by 12" sheets of thin aluminum, and a couple feet of stock aluminum channel, about the width of the GPS unit. Back at home, I spent the better part of two days just cutting pieces, and bending the aluminum into some form, trying to match the curved part of the dash. Finally, I stumbled upon the simplest design. I'd been trying to make it way more complicated, than needed. Just one piece, about 10" by 3", folded back over upon it self, forms the piece you see, actually attached to the dash. I painted it black, and then attached it with velcro (again).

Then I took (after 3 or 4 attempts) the aluminum channel (about 1/2 inch wide, just a fraction wider than the GPS unit itself), and cut it just about the exact length of the Garmin. I attached the smaller piece you see, to the larger piece with JB weld. The GPS sits in the channel, on a little strip of Velcro. There is a notch in the back of the chanel, allowing for the GPS cable, to perfectly match up to, and slide into the hole in the back of gps, for plug in. The whole thing is attached to the car with only velcro, and the 'holder' I built, is attached to the Garmin with only a strip of velcro on the back, and in the channel it sits within. And is sits there, and doesn't move a bit with motion of the car, or bumps or anything. Nothing permanent which cannot be removed, and no holes drilled in anything.

After two weeks of driving with it this way, the heat of summer does not affect it this time. I think the properties of the aluminum must be different. Same glue on same velcro, in same dash area with high heat; but no melting of the glue. The aluminum of the mount, really only 3 pieces, cost me about $10-12 dollars. A little more, actually, because I tried several versions, and after bending them up, couldn't reuse those pieces. And it doesn't weigh anything at all.

The wire, is run under the dash, down to under the console, to a hot circuit that is only on, when the key is on. Turn the key off, the GPS goes off. Start the car, the GPS starts. I like that. Only about 6 inches of the GPS cable protruding over on the left side, totally out of view. It plugs easily in, and is easily pulled out, to remove the unit, from the mount, when I need to update it.


I'm pretty tickled with the outcome. The final prototype will eliminate the angle of the mount, you see protruding above the GPS unit, as viewed from the drivers seat, to make that look a little neater and cleaner. I'll give the whole thing several coats of paint, to clean up the appearance a little also. And smooth a couple of corners.

It's actually out of sight, from the exterior of the car. Just walking by, you wouldn't notice it sitting there, unless you really looked closely. I'm also working on a little cover, easily put over it, at night (when I'm at a motel travelling for instance) to further obscure it from anyone looking at the car. The cover will be of a vinyl material, and blend in with the dash, to be little less noticable, I hope, from the outside. A work in progress I haven't got to, yet.

So, this is the best I came up with yet, and I"m very happy with the functionality of my GPS. I'd be interested to see similar mounts and locations others have come up with, on this sort of thing. I didn't really want, or like, the ones permanently put into the dash itself below the radio. Wonder how they take those out, to update them? I looked at a couple of them closely. Too far from the field of vision I try to keep, when driving. Just not for me.

Don

Stealth02

Hey Don
The only thing I see with where its mounted is it looks like it blocks the hud control buttons. What are the dimensions of the GPS. I make a bracket that I use to mount an Ipod \ cellphone . I can modify it to hold a GPS. I have a Nav head unit and use it to hold my phone. Allows me to stream my music and hands free phone calls via bluetooth. It mounts on the right side of the radio and is held secure by the a\c comtrol mounting screw.It sets between radio bezel and dash pad. Takes about 10 to 15 minutes to mount. Very clean mount. If your intrested let me know. I'll get one sent your way. No charge just offrring another option. .

momo20

no offence that looks tacky

donald4972

Prototype ??? Did you not see that?

donald4972

I don't have HUD, so not an issue with me.
I've seen many mounts, for over on the right side. I just don't like looking over there, in traffic, if I need to look at GPS. It's a distraction I don't need.

I know, that this is a work in progress, a prototype I think i can improve upon with time. But if you want to keep your eyes on the road, and not have it up in the window, then C5 doesn't give too many places to work with.
But I'm still working on it.

Don

OKZ06

Looks like a fun project, have you considered one of the garmin heads up display units?