Technology mounting bracket

Hey all, I just bought my first Tacoma and I couldn't be more pumped. Its an 03 TRD Offroad extracab. I dont want to do much to the interior but I'm interested in installing a technology mounting plate. Something i could put a phone or tablet ram mount on. I wanted to see if anyone here had any suggestions? Thanks!

 

here was my solution. Simple, cheap, effective (for a phone):

I just modified a cheap "universal" phone mount and bolted it to the empty switch cover plate on the dash. It still rotates 360 degrees, too.

I think for your Xtracab, this is where the airbag key is, though...


I was once considering a tablet mount, but I haven't really found anything that doesn't still flop around quite a bit (at least for off-roading). I considered a custom bracket that screws to the mounts for the double DIN radio, but I just didn't see it necessary to cut up the dash for that.

For me, the cost/benefit for a tablet just wasn't there. My phone works perfectly well enough.

 

That looks like it works great! Thanks, but you're right, That's where the airbag switch is.
I've just got a simple vent mount right now that wobbles around way too much.

 

live without technology

i don't have a good solution other than a gravity free phone!
... just joking around lol

 

or perhaps something along this line of thinking


not her per se, but the thing she has on her head holding the refreshing beverages, but holding your phone instead!
dammit she looks like a girl i used to go out underage drinking with afterhours in high school, she was a redhead and they are crazy!

 

It does, it's at a much better height than even a factory nav system (on newer vehicles). It's high enough that I don't have to look down very far, but doesn't obstruct my view like most of the suction cup types that go on top of the dash.

I've seen some mounts that bolt to the driver side A pillar handle. Those seem pretty cool but probably obstruct your view a little more than I'd like.

 

Ive been protyping a 3D printed mount to take the airbag switch spot. Right now I have a mophie mag mount on mine and it’s holding up.

You can just push the airbag switch back into the dash if you don’t use it. It will still function correctly.

I made this 25mm ball version but I haven’t tested it yet. https://www.shapeways.com/product/3...-ball-mount?optionId=112094670&li=marketplace

 

I’ve been looking at the tech deck.

And Rago fabrication has a cool molle panel with”bridge” that is similar to the Teck deck, but only 3rd gen right now.

I’m thinking I’ll wait for Christmas and hope that Rago has the 2nd gen out by then.

 

Does tech deck make them for the gen 1s? I thought it was only 2s and 3s?

 

There's a thread about the aftermarket "forgetting" about the 1st gens. This would likely be an example of that. I don't think they do. You might be able to modify a 2nd gen one to work, but at that point, you may as well make your own from scratch.

 

Aw shoot my bad, looks like it’s only for the second gen

Right now I just use some magnetic thing sorta like this ...

 

Interesting, I tried doing something similar and the weight of my phone broke the switch blank tab off

 

lol, yeah, that hasn't happened yet. If I give it a good yank, it will pop off, but never had it fall off unintentionally.

This mount is really low profile, it's basically flush mounted to the switch blank. I guess that would be the main disadvantage to this one is that it doesn't tilt up and down. I used to be able to just tilt the phone in the clamp, but then the clamp isn't holding it as tight and it would fall out of the mount. I ended up heating up and bending one of the sides so it curves around my phone better, but now I can't tilt the phone at all. 95% of the time it's not a problem, but sometimes the sun gets right on it and it's hard to see. If I could tilt the mount, even just a few degrees, that'd be nice.

 

A little pricey, but it is made for our 1st gen trucks. Proclip.
https://www.proclipusa.com/product/852253-proclip-center-mount



I mounted a Craigsdock ( http://www.craigsdocks.com/ ) to it.

 

$30?

When you said pricey I was ready to cringe. $30 is about the same price as a suction cup mount from Target so that's not too bad at all

 

You have to put that on a cheapskate sliding scale. For a "C" shaped piece of plastic it seems expensive, but it has worked great for me. I got tired of messing with vent holders. It is very solid even with the Craigsdock (a bit heavy (made of metal)) and a 6"+ phone on it.

 

What holder is this? Does the magnet not affect the phone?

 

I’m not sure it has a name lol I just type in Amazon like “magnetic dash ball”

I’ve mine for like 4 years and no problems with it at all. Phone hasn’t had a problem and the magnet is still holding strong.

 

For a first gen, you have a few options.

You can of course install a ram mount that suctions to the windshield, and use either their tablet holder, or build your own. I've done that (building my own tablet holder) and I think it works quite well.

The RAM mount parts I used were Ram Mount RAM-B-166U-C - Suction Cup Mount with Long Double Socket Arm and Diamond Adapter, and then I made my own tablet holder out of wood. Note that I think a lot of folks would use a RAM-HOL-UN9U to hold the tablet instead, but I think that might mean you need a triple suction cup (RAP-B-365-224-1U) as well.

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You can also put a RAM mount on the A-pillar, and have your phone hang out on the left side (personally, I used that mount for my ham radio face). There's probably not enough room for a tablet there though. For instructions on how to do that, check out Adding a Ram Mount to the #%@#$@! A-pillar.

RAM mount parts:

• Ram Mount Motorcycle Handlebar Clamp Base with M8 Screws - but this is an M8 screw, so if you don't want to re-tap the grab handle mount, you'll need to pick up an M6 bolt, like these M6 x 55mm Thread Hex Socket Head Cap Screw. Note: I re-tapped to M8
• Then, you need a few washers or a nut for a spacer to push the ball out a bit - I'm sure you can find those .
• Then, you'll need whatever arm and "holder" will work for your device. I found that this set worked well for me for positioning, and then you'll need to figure out a holder: Ram Mount Double Socket Swivel Arm for 1-Inch Ball Bases

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You can also go with a Panavise Custom InDash Mount for Toyota Tacoma '98-04. I've heard that these aren't super stable with their default attachment mechanism, but my guess is that's probably a personal opinion. You can then mount a RAM ball on it.

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Can you make a blank one without the ball?