Sunction cup disk mount & phone/GPS mount (pics)

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

I have been wanting to get my Droid4 suction cup car mount off the windshield and onto the dash, but I couldn't really find anywhere to actually stick the suction cup on without adding a disk to the dash.

Next problem was that the center cup place on the dash has ridges, so a suction cup disk would not mount cleanly into it, so I decided to make a few changes.

I removed the adhesive that came on the disk and then added heavy duty Velcro strips and trimmed them to shape:

The Velcro is thicker than the adhesive that came on the disk, and in two strips, it can mount cleanly to the flat areas and the plastic ridge does not get in the way.

The phone mount can now stick cleanly centered to the dash top:

My next idea is to drill a hole in the dash top just large enough to run the cable through so that there are no cables hanging down over the dash. The cable can then go through another hole and plug into the USB port in the small storage box above the glove box. The red circle shows where I think the hole will go: centered at the rear.

Now I can stream music, use the GPS and have Bluetooth linked calls, all while the phone is neatly out of the way. :banana:

Cliff

 

[Maddog2020]

Looks good! Hope hot days don't make the glue come un-glued.

 

[seanp1]

Looks good! Hope hot days don't make the glue come un-glued.

Velcro is cheap enough to just stick more on if it does.

Nice work! Looking forward to your drilling expeditions.

 

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

Velcro is cheap enough to just stick more on if it does.

Nice work! Looking forward to your drilling expeditions.

^^
I sure hope I don't strike oil! lol

....

I read one of the other posts on how to take the dash panels apart and it does not seem much different from many other cars I've taken apart, so I should be able to just neatly hide the cable.

 

[Eric Smit]

That's exactly where mine is, but the mount I bought came with a neat little adhesive covered hard plastic disc so I didn't have to make my own.


-Eric Smit

 

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

My mount disk had adhesive on it already, but it was too thin to stick over the ridges in the center cup thing on top of the dash, so that's why I used the Velcro and left a gap.

 

[cndctrdj]

does it move around at all? i like to video record runs that i do and the windshield is pretty good but very far away

 

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

does it move around at all? i like to video record runs that i do and the windshield is pretty good but very far away

It does not seem to jiggle at all. I will test it with some video and then play it back on my drive home from work today.

 

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

Finished the install during my lunch break at work.
Popping the panels was much easier than I thought.
I removed the little front pieces from the side bins, then popped the main trim face from the radio and air vents. Then I removed the four 7mm bolts that held the radio and slid the radio forward just enough to give room to remove the two 7mm bolts that held the side storage bin. The dash top where the suction cup disk is mounted just popped out with a little upward force to release the spring clips. The glove box removes almost too easily, just by opening it and tugging it down with a little force. With the side bin removed and the glove box off, there is full access to the upper glove box from the side and from below.
I used the blade of my Leatherman to drill and shape a hole for the cord to go through the dash top right in front of the suction cup disk. I then popped the USB port out from behind and used the blade of the Leatherman to cut a tiny notch out from below the USB port socket where the USB cable could run through.

After everything was cut and shaped, the wire had been run, I reassembled all the parts. A Velcro strap was used to organize the excess USB cable under the dash behind the glove box.

(It's a little blurry, sorry)

I think I am going to find a small rubber grommet to fit in the hole where the cable goes through, just to give it a finished look.

But for now, it's all neat with no wires hanging over the dash