Spring Clamp GPS Mount

Intro: Spring Clamp GPS Mount

I've had my GPS for about a year and a half now and it has been very helpful. Unfortunately my suction mount has started to go a little wonky. It all began when the little rubber tab on the edge of the suction cup that is supposed to help you break the seal ripped off. Once this happened it became tricky to get it to stick to the windshield, because the missing tab left the egde uneven so it won't seal quite right. I was able to overcome this by applying a great deal of pressure when putting the mount on the windshield. This works fine except in cold weather. As the car heats up the seal is broken and the GPS comes crashing down. After this happened a few times I learned to mount it well over the dash board and whn it falls the suction mount becomes more of a GPS recliner.

I got tired of this. I decided to fix this by using a spring clamp to mount the GPS to a handy dash board vent. This won't work for everyone as you may not have a vent in a good location. This ible is also one of those rare cases where I didn't have to use tools (aside from a knob on the GPS mount). Everything worked out to be the right size and in the right place. So while you may not have a Magellan Roadmate 2000 and a 2005 Ford Taurus, this ible may serve as an inspiration for solving your own GPS mounting conundrum.

Just a note of caution. If you do buy a Magellan product be aware their customer service is abyssmal and their staff are inept.

STEP 1: Materials & Tools

The materials I used are as follows:

• 1 Magellan suction mount that has gone wonky
• 1 Small spring clamp
• 1 Non-metallic washer (Mine is nylon I think)

If your mount isn't built like this I really can't tell you what you'll need. It will depend on what you salvage from your mount and how the mount is set up. At a minimum you'll need the portion of the mount that hooks to the GPS, a nut, a bolt and the aforementioned non-metallic washer. Any other materials you may need to join mount and clamp I have to leave to you.

I didn't use any tools aside from a knob on the GPS which served as a wrench. But here are a few tools you may find helpful if the project gods did not smiles on you as they did on me:

• A drill
• A Dremel
• Files
• A wrench or sockets

STEP 2: Disassmble the Mount

The first part of this project is taking apart the old mount. I did this by simply unscrewing a knob. Once the knob was off I removed the bolt and separated the part of the mount which holds the GPS from the suction cup. Then I knocked the nut out of the knob.

STEP 3: Assembly of Clamp Mount

Now to assemble the new mount.

1) Thread the bolt into the hole in the lower handle of the spring clamp. (If your spring clamp doesn't have a hole, you'll need to drill one. I suggest a tight fit. Also the lower handle was chosen as mounting the GPS to the upper handle would have left it pointing at the ceiling.) I got the bolt started and then spun the clamp around until the bolt was in as far as it could go.

2) Position the non-metallic washer in between the two prongs on the back of the mount.

3) Pass the bolt through the holes in the prongs and the non-metallic washer.

4) Thread the nut onto the bolt until finger-tight. Then tighten down the nut with the knob or a wrench until it is frimly in place.

STEP 4: Install

Take your mount out to your car and clamp the GPS onto the vent cover in the dash board. I clamped mine to the lowest corner as it provided the best view.

Comments

[ModlrMike]

Great idea. This should work well for my Burgman 650.

[RadBear]

Thanks! Glad it was useful.

[JakeTobak]

Brilliant idea. I don't know if there's anywhere in my car for me to mount it like that, but it would certainly be a lot simpler than the suction cups.

[RadBear]

I was amazed at how simple it was to do. I was anticpating a lot of Dremel time to make the clamp compatibale with the mount, but everything just fell together. The downside is, as you mentioned, not everyone drives the same kind of car I do so it has limited audience. Hopefully you'll find a spot in your car that will work.