• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Good mount to modify?

PurdueGuy

Newbie
Apr 21, 2010
10
0
New here, did some searching & found some good info, but not quite what I'm looking for.

I have a '99 Saturn SC2 that I modify. I've added an overhead console from a Suburban, and have a large space that I've always known I'd like to use for something cool. Looks like I'll be getting a Droid soon, and am eyeballing the spot for a Droid mount. So, I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive mount that I can modify to fit this space in front of the map lights.

hivtdniylhrfk30kozi8.jpg


I have a filler plate that fills that hole, which I can modify with the mount to give a cleaner look.

I'm still getting my head around what all I can do with the droid, so it's hard to say what all I plan to use it for in the car. I have not yet upgraded the stereo headunit, so the droid won't be interfacing with it for quite a while (on the plus side that means when I do upgrade the headunit, I can pick whatever's going to work out best). Might be nice to find a dock that activates the car mode or whatnot, but I'm not looking to spend big bucks on something that I'm going to likely have to chop up to make it fit.

Also, as this will be my phone and a business tool, the Droid needs to be easily removable.

If anyone's curious about the car in general, check here.
 
Does anyone have experience with a magnetic mount like this one?

Another I'm considering, but don't like the price of, is the Proclip holder.

I'll probably wait until I've had the droid for a little bit to figure out for myself, but can anyone tell me - will I be likely to want to use it in portrait when I'm driving much if any, or can I count on generally leaving it landscape/horizontal?

*edit*

Also, any thoughts on the best way to run a charging cable up there? I have no issue removing the interior trim & headliner, nor with tapping into wiring. Modify a cig. lighter charger?
 
Upvote 0
I can comment on the proclip "type" mounts.

I did a little snooping around and I found an eBay seller selling the Panavise plate - EXACTLY like more costly the ProFit plate that fits into the dash all nice and clean - for ver cheap. I got the Panavise plate for about $19 shipped (versus $32 retail + ship) and already have a Pro.Fit MI-500bg T-Notch mount for my Droid so just bought a vent mount system off eBay of $7 shipped that has the matching swivel neck using dual T-Notch. $26 OTD for a stealth plate system. I butchered that down to the t-notch adaptor I needed and attached that to a swivel that attaches to the plate and viola... half the price for the same setup.

SO.. that means, out the door, I have a complete retail ProClip - one stealth plate dash mount (the Panavise plate) with a swivel mount & T-Notch quick release system AND ProClip droid mount piece.

it;s up to you on how to make it work in your car, but this should give you some vision and show you that off eBay you can build your own as you want much cheaper. of course, I can swivel it left right, turn 360 degrees, etc. full view for me or passenger in portrait or landscape.
 

Attachments

  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    31.3 KB · Views: 101
  • 2.jpg
    2.jpg
    44.5 KB · Views: 110
Upvote 0
Portrait is vastly superior while driving.

You're gonna have issues with the power connector. It's on the bottom in that orientation. The connector is Micro USB so you need to be able to slide the phone (or connector) approx. 3/8" to clear the socket and remove it from whatever mount you devise...unless you plan to use a loose cable, but I'm guessing you want something more integrated-looking. Perhaps, if you're very handy, you could simply remove the battery and use the terminals in the battery compartment for power.

That said, I really like the OEM car dock. It snaps in and out from the front and is both very secure and low profile. Press the tab and it pops right out. It can be easily modified, but has no built-in provisions for charging. (just clearance for a cable).
 
Upvote 0
I can comment on the proclip "type" mounts.

I did a little snooping around and I found an eBay seller selling the Panavise plate - EXACTLY like more costly the ProFit plate that fits into the dash all nice and clean - for ver cheap. I got the Panavise plate for about $19 shipped (versus $32 retail + ship) and already have a ProClip MI-500bg T-Notch mount for my Droid so just bought a vent mount system off eBay of $7 shipped that has the matching swivel neck using dual T-Notch. $26 OTD for a stealth plate system. I butchered that down to the t-notch adaptor I needed and attached that to a swivel that attaches to the plate and viola... half the price for the same setup.

SO.. that means, out the door, I have a complete retail ProClip - one stealth plate dash mount (the Panavise plate) with a swivel mount & T-Notch quick release system AND ProClip droid mount piece.

it;s up to you on how to make it work in your car, but this should give you some vision and show you that off eBay you can build your own as you want much cheaper. of course, I can swivel it left right, turn 360 degrees, etc. full view for me or passenger in portrait or landscape.

Nice resource - if I give up on the overhead mount, they have a panavise mount for my car that would probably look ok, though not as nice as what I have in mind. Not a bad Plan B or C though.

Portrait is vastly superior while driving.

You're gonna have issues with the power connector. It's on the bottom in that orientation. The connector is Micro USB so you need to be able to slide the phone (or connector) approx. 3/8" to clear the socket and remove it from whatever mount you devise...unless you plan to use a loose cable, but I'm guessing you want something more integrated-looking. Perhaps, if you're very handy, you could simply remove the battery and use the terminals in the battery compartment for power.

That said, I really like the OEM car dock. It snaps in and out from the front and is both very secure and low profile. Press the tab and it pops right out. It can be easily modified, but has no built-in provisions for charging. (just clearance for a cable).

I figured Portrait would be the most useful, since it's going to be more useful for nav, etc. What I will have to figure out is if there are any apps I'm going to want to use in-car that I'll want/need it in portrait for. If so, the space on the overhead console isn't going to work. If the droid sticks down further than the lower edge of the console, it will start to get in the way of the rear view mirror, which already has to be adjusted just right to have a good view due to the console.

Part of my hope of putting the droid on the overhead console was to make it less obvious to people outside the car. While I generally don't plan to leave the droid in the car, it may happen for a few minutes here & there, and I'd rather not advertise that I have it to everyone with something like a window mount.

Plus it's always cooler when it's custom. :D
 
Upvote 0
I can comment on the proclip "type" mounts.

I did a little snooping around and I found an eBay seller selling the Panavise plate - EXACTLY like more costly the ProFit plate that fits into the dash all nice and clean - for ver cheap.
Having used both the Panavise brackets and the ProClip vehicle mounts I'd say they're nowhere near "exactly" like each other. I'd actually suggest the Panavise bracket over the ProClip vehicle mount for most applications. Panavise's brackets tend to screw in and are usually sturdier in my experience. ProClip quite often uses double-sided tape.

I figured Portrait would be the most useful, since it's going to be more useful for nav, etc.
Interesting -- I always prefer nav in landscape.
 
Upvote 0
Having used both the Panavise brackets and the ProClip vehicle mounts I'd say they're nowhere near "exactly" like each other. I'd actually suggest the Panavise bracket over the ProClip vehicle mount for most applications. Panavise's brackets tend to screw in and are usually sturdier in my experience. ProClip quite often uses double-sided tape.

I did not know that.. but my point was more that they are both integrated type dash mounts... never said they were exactly alike, more just pointing out if you like that clean, in dash mount, they are very similar options that can be had at rather different prices AND allow you to connect different devices: phone, navi units, etc.
 
Upvote 0
Alright, so I picked up a Motorola OEM windshield mount, and am looking at using it, or part of it, for this setup. I think how I would like to do it is to simply add a ball to the filler plate for that open area, which I can then mount the backing plate to.

If anyone knows where I can find a 17mm ball that can be attached simply to a semi-flat surface very easily for under $5, please let me know. So far it looks like I'll have to modify a vent clip with a ball to keep things that cheap.

*edit*

Or if anyone can tell me if the ball & stem remove from the rest of the mount on the vent clips like this:

tbj891c.jpg


Looks like it might, but I'd rather know for sure if someone can tell me.
 
Upvote 0
Alright, so I picked up a Motorola OEM windshield mount, and am looking at using it, or part of it, for this setup. I think how I would like to do it is to simply add a ball to the filler plate for that open area, which I can then mount the backing plate to.

If anyone knows where I can find a 17mm ball that can be attached simply to a semi-flat surface very easily for under $5, please let me know. So far it looks like I'll have to modify a vent clip with a ball to keep things that cheap.

*edit*

Or if anyone can tell me if the ball & stem remove from the rest of the mount on the vent clips like this:

Looks like it might, but I'd rather know for sure if someone can tell me.

just for the record, I needed a second "dual t-notch" adaptor and they were like $15. so, I bought something just like what you show from ebay and cut off the dual t-notch with a dremel tool. It was $5 shipped. point is, if your handy like me, you can modify this stuff into what you need, I did it, see above as the t-notch adaptor that I mounted to my Panavise mount "was" originally a vent mount t-notch plate... until I cut t up :)
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones