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      03-01-2009, 06:00 PM   #1
blender
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Drives: black
Join Date: Feb 2009
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GPS mount in spare ashtray

I wanted a clean, removeable GPS mounting solution that did not involve screwing brackets into the dash or messing with the otherwise clean lines of the interior. I decided to adapt a spare ashtray into a GPS mount, since the whole thing comes out easily. I purchased the standard gps mount pieces from gpscity.com. The RAM Mount components are high quality.



Since I don't smoke, my ashtray/storage bin is basically unused, and it has power right there at the lighter.

I purchased a spare ashtray from my dealer and screwed a GPS mounting base and arm into the bottom. I use a small Garmin i5 unit which fits easily in the space between the shifter and the dash. I believe a Nuuvi would also fit here.

Here are some assembly pics:

http://www.zpost.com/forums/album.ph...pictureid=5364

http://www.zpost.com/forums/album.ph...pictureid=5363

I had to use some nylon spacers to raise the gps base about half an inch to get the necessary clearance at the top. It fits really well now.

I decided to paint the bezel on my Garmin black so it wouldn't stand out so much in the otherwise black interior. i removed it and taped up the display and buttons. Conventional auto paint would not stick at all, so I went to gloss black plastic paint from Krylon. That looks acceptable, but not excellent. I may cover it in flat black adhesive Vinyl if I get bored.

Lastly, the Garmin can run on batteries, so I am using them at the moment. I plan to wire in a short cable to the power below the Cig lighter using a Dc-DC buck transformer to drop the 12V to 5V, 500mA. I found a tiny one online. I'll post more when that's done.

regards

rob

Last edited by blender; 03-01-2009 at 06:01 PM.. Reason: pics
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