Another DIY Scangauge mount

[JThw8]

Just thought Id share my little DIY scangauge mount in case anyone else wanted to do something similar.

Nothing against the mounts being offered, they are all very nice, but I didn't want to drill into my dash, and I wanted a flexible mount so I could reposition the gauge as needed.

First thing was to find a way to mount the whole thing without drilling into the car. The bolt which holds the cupholders in place seemed like a good candidate.


Then for the flexible part I disassembled an old goose neck lamp and saved the flex neck. It was threaded on each end so this made it easy to bolt to the brackets.
I made 2 brackets, one which secured with the cupholder bolt show above and holds the flex tube. The other bracket bolts to the other end of the flex tube to hold the scangauge.


All mounted up it looks like this


Drivers view



I just zip tied the cord to the tube but if you were really industrious and had a cat 5 crimper you could cut off the end, run it through the tube (its hollow) and then crimp on a new end.

Anyway, hope this gives everyone some ideas for alternatives.

[MinnySmart]

That's genius JT! I love it... That may be my next option if what I did today doesn't last... Check out what I'm trying... The cable just goes straight back, is kinda pinched in around the top of the 12V outlet plug, then the rest of the cable is folded up, zip tied, and tucked nicely above the OBD2 port housing. No holes, no sticky residue if I don't like this option (it's those handy "pull tab removal things")... we'll see! strong enough to push the buttons without having to support the back with other fingers/thumb. Now if we can just do something about that darned summer heat... )

[JThw8]

Those command strips are pretty strong, should hold up well for you.

Keep us posted on how they hold in the heat.

[JThw8]

Oh and if you dont have a lamp to dissect I found a source for just the flex arm piece here http://www.profhdwr.com/08412L.htm
In black or chrome.

[Dave777]

Very clever install and nicely done. A good option I'm sure for some. Thanks for posting that with photos.

[JThw8]

Thinking on it this could be a good concept for those looking for an iPod holder too. The flex arm is more than rigid enough to take more weight so a different bracket on the end and you could make a nice adjustable iPod mount.

[Old smart]

I personally have no interest in mounting a ScanGauge, but for those who do, some of the adjustable RAM Mount gear may be useable. When set and locked it is very rigid and can bear a lot of weight. I use a couple of pieces on the sailboat to mount a marine GPS and VHF radio in locations that won't accomodate their factory brackets. I highly recommend the quality of the products. http://www.ram-mount.com/

[mike-in-sa]

Nice work JT. That would probably work for my navigon unit. Now where did I stick that old lamp?

[JThw8]

I got a few emails with questions about this so I just thought Id post some clarification. The goosneck has threaded ends so to attach it to the brackets you just need to drill a hole in the bracket, feed the end through and put a nut on it. The link above with the lamp parts has the proper nut too.

I drew up a quick diagram, its ugly but hopefully it explains things better.

[msjohnson1974]

This is similar to how I mounted my XM radio... I had to go back and reinstall it though. The mount to the cupholder required some washers to provide spacing and on the backside but the problem was it all vibrated loose. I put in a couple of lock washers and the problem was solved.

The order was Cupholder bolt, cupholder, flat washer, lock washer, bracket, lock washer, flat washer, rubber washer, then dash/console trim. It is much more stable and locked in now.