Dash Mount for Tablet on 2000 (1998-2002) - Right where you need it! (1 Viewer)

[re_guderian]

After obsessing for WAY too long over all the very sub-optimal options for tablet placement in an early 100 series, I decided, "Screw it, it's 19 years old, I'm drilling through my thousand-dollar dash pad, and putting the dang thing where it needs to be!". It doesn't block any view of the road, doesn't block the life-support vents, nor obscure any OEM controls. What more could you want in a mount?

I have a crappy 10.1" Insignia tablet from Best Buy with no data plan, but it DOES have a GPS, wi-fi, and a pretty decent screen for a hundred dollar tablet (only has 1 GB RAM, so it's pretty much a one-trick pony - streaming Pandora, checking the weather, and tracking your location was pretty much always a crash-inducing event). Anyway, when needed, I use PDANET to direct Wi-Fi tether the table to my phone for any data needs, and use the table for navigation.

I LOVE the placement! right where it needs to be. The only portion of my vision it obstructs is the right hand windshield wiper. I love the fact that you don't have to take your eyes off the road at all to glance at it. I'm running GAIA GPS on it for topos/sat view, etc, and SYGIC maps for normal navigation. Can also download Google Maps for offline use if you plan ahead...

I used a mount from iBOLT, the TabDock FixedPro 360 -Heavy Duty Metal 8” Multi-Angle Drill Base Mount All 7" - 10" Tablets (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KB19JCW/) and a RAM backing plate (RAM-202-225BU 3 X 3 Backer Plate W/Amps and 2 X 2.5 with Hardware - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DHKVTEQ/). Really, any bolt on mount should work, as long as it uses the standard AMPS bolt pattern to fit the RAM backing plate.

I first started by removing the panel trim, and marking up the dash tape with where the backing plate had clearance. This will determine your mounting location more than any real desire that you have... I'm assuming '98-'02 dash undersides might be similar, mine is a 2000. There are support feature and protrusions underneath the limit the movement of the RAM backer plate.

Once I figured out how much lateral and fore/aft wiggle room I had for the backing plate, I lined up the holes on the mount and backer plate, and made appropriate marks on the tape.

 

[re_guderian]

Choosing appropriately sized bits for your mount and the backing plate, start by placing the mount in the correct location, then punching a center hole. You are now committed to the "drill, baby, drill" lifestyle, and it is TOTALLY worth it.

BTW, if you're looking at my HU and wondering why I don't just use it, the embedded Garmin GPS CPU died years ago, and won't ever boot up. Bigger screen, better placement with the drill mount!

With one hole drilled, I used the mount itself as a template for the remaining holes to ensure alignment. After the first hole in the thousand-dollar dash, the rest were a lot easier...

I had to drill out the holes slightly larger to fit the RAM hardware. YMMV depending on mount and hardware mixing...

Bolts ready for backing plate.

All buttoned up and ready to go! Note, after learning the hard way, and dropping small hardware bits into the bowels of my dash with my phone mount (over to the left), I found that taping a piece of paper over the HU would direct all droppage out into a recoverable area. Hopefully...

 

[re_guderian]

Backing plate all cinched down, and ready to go!

Ready for adding on the tablet and final adjustment!

View from my eye level (I'm 6'4", so sit pretty close to the headliner. The nice thing is that a dash mount doesn't obstruct any of my field of view, other than the windshield wiper arm.

View through the windshield.

In action!

I've put ~250 miles of fast (60 MPH+) dirt road, double track, and several miles of 4WD trail on it. It is STURDY. As you can expect with anything cantilevered, it will bounce a bit, the the edges move max 1/4" hitting stuff that'll drive you nuts worrying about everything else first. BTW, the magnetic phone mount worked great, too, it just bounced more.

 

[Joagmon]

I used a track

 

[2000UZJ]

I used a no-drill RAM Mount, then made a aluminum bracket for my Laptop, hooked up to a GPS puck on the top of the truck. Worked wonders, and I was able to remove it if needed! It was stout, didn't wiggle much and the GPS puck was very low key.

 

[Moose545]

Nice setups, storm-chaser style. I like it! Makes me revert to a non-nav 100 over a GX460 all over again now!