How To Make An Awesome GoPro HD In-Car Mount For Approx. $30 (AK370Z)
 

So I was in a search for an in-car GoPro mount for a while now. I refuse to pay big bucks for in car mounts but there aren't even any good ones out there. Any ones that I liked even a little bit, are over $100! I have also reached out to a few members here to gather ideas (and thank you for you replies) but I was not 100% happy with it or was able to pin point a specific mount idea. I keep brainstorming. Then one day, this idea came to my mind out of no where. My goal was to make something that's cheap, serves my purpose and easy to remove. Well folks, I present AK370Z version of the GoPro in car mount. I spent about $30-$35. I have attended HPDE and my video came out pretty good. Let me know what you think :tup:


What you'll need:

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1. 3"x3" coupling from Homedepot $6
Link: Fernco 3 in. x 3 in. Cast Iron, Plastic, Steel, Copper and Lead to the same, Flexible PVC Coupling-P1056-33 at The Home Depot

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2. Charlotte Pipe 3/4 in. x 2 ft. PVC Pipe $1.28
Link: Charlotte Pipe 3/4 in. x 2 ft. PVC Schedule 40 Plain End Pipe-PVC 04007 0200 at The Home Depot

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3. Mueller Streamline 3/4 in. PVC S x S x S Tee $0.46
Link: Mueller Streamline 3/4 in. PVC S x S x S Tee-401-007HC at The Home Depot

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4. Mueller Streamline 1-1/2 in. x 1-1/2 in. x 1 in. PVC Slip x Slip x Slip Reducer Tee $3.26
Link: Mueller Streamline 1-1/2 in. x 1-1/2 in. x 1 in. PVC Slip x Slip x Slip Reducer Tee-401-211HC at The Home Depot

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5. Mueller Streamline 1 in. x 3/4 in. PVC Schedule 40 Pressure Spigot x Slip Bushing $0.76
Link: Mueller Streamline 1 in. x 3/4 in. PVC Schedule 40 Pressure Spigot x Slip Bushing-437-131HC at The Home Depot

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6. Oatey 8 oz. PVC All-Purpose Cement $6.40
Link: Oatey 8 oz. PVC All-Purpose Cement-308213 at The Home Depot

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...psfb7cd0fe.jpg
PS: I should mention here that this part "may" be optional if you have similar or any strong plastic adhesive at home. You can save $6 and can bring the cost of this unit even less!



7. GoPro Handlebar and Seat Post Pole Mount $19.99
Link: Handlebar and Seat Post Bicycle Camera Mount - GoPro Ride HERO

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Receipt:
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STEP 1:
Slide the 1"x3/4" bushing into the 1.5" x 1.5" x 1 in. PVC Tee.

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It should fit pretty snug.



STEP 2:
Loosen the 3"x3" coupling clamps. Remove both clamps and put them aside.

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STEP 3:
Now take a utility knife and cut the plastic/rubber coupling. Please take extreme caution as the knife is very sharp. One accidental slip and you will cut your hand.

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STEP 4:
Line up and wrap the flexible rubber coupling around the rear stabilizer bar right behind the seats

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Mark with a pen where the top flap sits.


STEP 5:
Cut the excess rubber piece. Please do not cut the exact size you measured. Cut maybe a cm or two larger. This will prevent from overlapping when you tighten the clamps later.

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STEP 6:
Now Cut the 1.5"x 1.5"x 1" tee right in the middle

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STEP 7:
Lineup/wrap the rubber coupling to the rear stabilizer bar. Be sure the put the "cut" area toward the rear hatch/down. Then Open the Clamps and put them aside. Now take the clamps and line them up on the rubber coupling's groove.

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STEP 8:
Then the cut tee and put it in between rubber coupling and clamps. Once you're happy with the position, tighten them up (not fully though).

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STEP 9:
Take the 3/4" x 2' pvc pipe and cut to the appropriate length. I think mine is about 12". It should be anywhere from 11.5" to 12". Now mount the 3/4" PVC tee on to this 12" pipe. The length of this pipe depends on how you want the camera mounted. Please read the Camera adjustment paragraph below

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STEP 10:
Take the 12" pipe and put it on the clamped tee. Make some adjustment to the tee so that is looks like this:

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Once happy with the height, add the GoPro Camera

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Fine tune the angle of the long pipe and GoPro housing.

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You can take some sample footage and check your camera angle. Adjust anything that needs to be adjusted.



STEP 11:
Once you're fully satisfied with the mount, the angles and the camera test video, it's time to permanently attach them. I used this all purpose pvc cement. If you have another form of adhesive in your house or can buy a smaller bottle, you can save $6 here. Also, remember to put thin layer of cement on the surface.

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Painting: (optional)
If you want to paint this mount, follow the steps 12 thru . If you do not wish to paint your mount, congratulations! you're mount is ready to use :tup:



STEP 12:
For Painting, you'll see sand paper, rubbing alcohol and a spray paint color of your choice. I went with textured paint which gives it a very professional look

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STEP 13
Start sanding the unit. After you're done sanding, you should have a very smooth surface that has a satin finish ready to be painted. Before painting, pour some rubbing alcohol on a cloth or paper and clean out the whole unit. Then air dry. This will remove any post-sanding powder residue

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STEP 14:
Time to paint! Please follow the instructions on the paint bottle. Please allow appropriate dry time in between coats so that there's no run. I put two coats. Once you're done painting, it should look like this:

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I think the textured look is awesome! :tup:




Final Product:
You're done! You've just made yourself a homemade GoPro in-car mount. It took me maybe couple hours from start to finish. I think the finished product looks awesome! I took this setup to a HPDE and passed tech inspection with no problem (however I haven't been to BMWCCA HPDE but I highly doubt they will give you hard time).

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GoPro setting change:
Here's a GoPro quick sheet to help you make some setting changes as you'll be shooting from the inside of your car. From GoPro settings, select "sPt" from defaut "Cnt" setting. You'll thank me for this :)



CAMERA ADJUSTMENT:
This is my fav camera view. As you can see, I have allowed JUST ENOUGH tilt so that you can see the top of the shift knob. This way you can see when i shift. To the right and left, use your side mirrors to guide you. I usually have a little bit of area outside the mirrors. I try to Keep the windshield right in the middle or as middle as possible. Since you're in sPot metering on your GoPro, you want to keep your main focus in the middle. I should also mention that the length of the long pipe depends on how you want the GoPro to see out. If you want to see more "hood" and want to come from a little higher, cut a longer pipe, point upward and then pivot the GoPro housing more downward. I personally like my camera right at the level or slightly above the eyes. I think my videos came out pretty good.

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps034cdcf5.jpg



Enjoy your new GoPro in car mount. I was really shocked how well it recorded and how sturdy it was. I have a autox event coming up soon where I'm going to use it. I'll def. post the video here. You guys tell me what you think of this. I'm always open to your suggestion and thoughts :tup:

Here are the Video samples
 

Tested the mount during Autox

Sub'd for future reference! Good idea AK!

Wait... Do you always drive with a helmet on? Or was that so we don't see your face??? Lol

I am amazed at how steady it is. That turned out great. Great job AK.

Very cool AK!


tip: change your cm references to mm.... metric is a little tricky for beginners! lol


STEP 5:
Cut the excess rubber piece. Please do not cut the exact size you measured. Cut maybe a cm mm or two larger. This will prevent from overlapping when you tighten the clamps later.

Looks cool!

Check out the "AK370Z" blocking the rear view mirror too :roflpuke2:

Great idea and great execution.

I suggest that you use primer on the PVC joints before gluing. It makes the bond much stronger and more able to handle vibration/shock.

Nice job AK :tup:

Nice!

great job! :tup: i was wondering if the camera would bounce too much, but your vid proves otherwise. :D

loled@ helmet wearing street racecardriver. :icon17:

not to self: Stig is AK.

:tup:

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

Great stuff AK. :tup:

Wearing a helment for street driving.

Oh, your The Stig.

Awesome! I'll have to do this...

This is brilliant! Gonna have to do this if/when I get a GoPro.

Nice AK! :tup: I'm lazy, so I bought mine. LOL

RAM Mount GoPro Roll Bar Strap Mount RAM-B-149Z-2-GOP1U

Awesome!

Great job, this is on my to do list for summer trackdays.

About to pull the trigger on a camera(I do not track, but they are cool, so I want one haha) I was looking for mounting solutions, this is it. I would like if the bottom T you cut fit a tad tighter to the coupler, either a bigger T if larger reducers are available, or cut some more off each side so it is less than a half pipe...there is probably nothing wrong with it the way it is, but it would look better. if you paint the clamps and rotate the adjusters to the bottom it will look even better.

Good think my windows are tinted, im sure I will get comments all the time at the store or gas station, look at that ricer with a camera in his car haha....that will be me! It is right above the acc outlet too, will make a charge cord simple.

Like the rear view mirror is useful in our cars !

DIY FTW!

Unless you drill a hole in the housing (!), the charging port is not accessible on a GoPro.

true, but they make other housings, I don need it to be water proof in the car.

Ha... you never know.

You will still need to drill a hole. The housings are the same, the back door changes.

They do make other frames to hold the camera in that has no back to it. And it has the holes in the side for the plugs. One frame is just for the camera, and the other one is for the camera and battery pack. ;)

ya those are the ones I saw for the h3 rusty!

Good DIY. Gotta try this out for my gopro

:icon17: Yes I do! I live my life 1/4 mile at a time! lol :p


Me too. Def. didn't expect it to be this sturdy. It was basically a plan in my head that turned into reality. This could have been a total failure but ended up being awesome!


haha.. will do! Due to my profession outside the forum, I'm VERY familiar with tiny measurements like mm. But if you're serious, i can convert them and add it to the DIY.

Ahh.. didn't know about that. If I make another extension pipe or any future pvc job, I'll remember your suggestion. :tup:


Thanks man. It means a lot coming from you as you're a DIY king as well. lol I thought you knew I was the STIG already?:p



Thanks guys!

Yes I am! :tup:


Please do. No complaint from me so far. :tup:

Nothing wrong with that man. Not every one has extra time. However, looking a the pic, it looks like the mount will never reach at your eye level :(. Meaning gopro will focus on the dashboard/cubby. Maybe I'm wrong but it doesn't look long enough (fyi, my mid pipe is at last 12" long). Let me know how you make out. If you don't like it, I'll help you make this diy. :tup:


Dude, get one. Even if you autox or any other sports, these camera's are great. I use it for HPDE, Autox, Go karting (indoor), Go karting (outdoor), on my bicycle, on my helmet etc. Very good camera. Money well spent.

Do it man! I'll help you if you need help

As promised guys, here's the Autox video. It held up GREAT IMO. Take a look below. As for my autox skills, I'm really new at it. I am HPDE kinda guy and autox is something I'm trying to get better. First event after year and half so I'm a little rusty. Expect a thread in the Autox section with my experience.

No complaint from the mount still. I did leave the mount in the car for a long period. So from HPDE (done in early March) to this autox (done last weekend), over month a half, the clamps loosened slightly. All I had to do it tighten them up with a screwdriver and everything was tight. No noise, swaying, vibration was noticed :tup: :tiphat: .

Mine is almost eye level, and it sits back further. Think you are right about where you want the camera to be positioned at. Just behind your head at eye level. I have one of these coming next week.

RAM Mount Plastic 12 inch Extended Arm with Double 1 inch Socket

Here's a video I took the other day playing around. :D

Did this fit the roll bars properly? Your video look good with this mount.

The hose clamp that comes with it is too small. I got a 4" hose clamp and it fits great on my RobiSpec bar. :tup:

Sorry, thought you were talking about the DIY mount.

I used the 3" one with my RobiSpec bar. Works great. I had most of the parts laying around, except I used a cap on the camera end. Attachment 67288

I'm using the Ram mount. The hose clamp that came with it wasn't big enough.

RAM Mount GoPro Roll Bar Strap Mount RAM-B-149Z-2-GOP1U

:tup: Looks good.

Looks good man! Did you use my method to build this?

Ok thanks! Did you just buy the 4" hose clamp from HomeDepo?
Is that what we call that OE rear strut bar=RobiSpec Bar? or this is entirely a different modified strut bar?

I got the hose clamp from work. :tup: It's just your standard hose clamp.

I don't have the stock strut-cross bar in my Z. I have the RobiSpec harness bar. :tup:

Just made your mount and it works great. It looks so flimsy with how long the PVC pipe is, but you can't argue with the results. My Nismo is as bumpy as they get and it stays in place with stable video.

6 trackdays and some bumpy roads around here. I've had no problems with the mount. Even used it on my Power Wagon for some off-roading. :D

This works pretty good for me. It is an inch wide steel bar screwed into a
piece of square tubing and bent to the proper angle.
http://www.the370z.com/members/bobbu...6822-gopro.jpg

excellent write up...was just wondering what to do myself, and you came thru, per usual.