The cheapest and best dock mount ever

1/2 NPT steel pipe and your dock. That's it. It probably moves a tiny bit more than a $300 mount, but it's hella cheap and easy.

Materials needed (Less than $15):
2 floor flanges
2 street 45° elbows
1 90° elbow
1 10" nipple
1 8" nipple
4 1/4"-32x1/2" (or similar) allen bolts w/locknuts

Drill out 1 - 4 holes on 1 flange with a 1/2" drill. I slot 1 of the holes with a jigsaw/sawzall as shown to accommodate certain cars. (pic1) Here you can see the slot, a drilled out hole, and a non drilled hole.

I recommend using a bench vice to do preliminary assembly (Pic 2). Use a good big A pair of pliers to tighten everything up. (If you don't have a bench vice, then install the flange into your vehicle and then assemble and tighten 1 piece at a time).
The one shown here has been used in my 91 astro, a 2012 caravan, 2012 escape, 2003 escape (wify's whip), and a jeep liberty and patriot (so far) with no modification. Coupled with an impact driver and a gator grip socket, it's da bomb and can be installed/removed in just a couple minutes.
You can of course get creative and go meshugenah. I did a more complex version in my van. I also only drilled 1 of the holes on the base flange, and then put a couple large self taping screws in the other holes, just to take out some of the play. Onward.

I countersunk the holes on the bottom of other flange (with just the tip of the 1/2 drill bit). I then used the second flange to mark the bottom of my WEB273 dock, drilled the holes with a 5/16 bit, and then used the allen bolts and lock nuts to attach the flange to the bottom of the dock (pic 3). Tighten the everlovinhell out of the screws deform the steel of the dock and allow the allen bolts to sit flush (pic 4).

PepBoys sells 1-1/2" split loom tubing for $9.99. It will slip right over the support to give it a nice clean look. Black steel pipe is 1/2 the price of galvanized, btw.

Loosen (and or remove) the front bolt of the passenger seat closest to the driver side.
Install the support and reinstall/tighten down the seat bolt (floorbolt.jpg)
Now thread on the dock and snug it down.
Plug in your lind, install your TB, lock it, and get goin'.

 

Cool! I think I would want to fab up a mount that locked under the front seat mounting bolt though... I don't like drilling holes in my car if I can help it.

 

Yes. Just to be clear, I meant to use one of the seat mounting bolts. I added a pic in the first post of the installation location of the base flange in my van (dirty DIRTY work van - I didn't want to do it, you made me)
I (also) threw a couple extra screws in mine in my own van, just to help reduce sway. I should mention that the mount I have in my own van is a bit more complicated than the one shown above.

In the alternative, you could use this mount for just about any laptop or....whatever you wanted, by usinga piece of plexi or plywood, and some velcro straps. That's certainly not as secure as a web dock with a key, but still usefull.

It's a simple idea, and I had my doubts when I first heard about it. I just wanted t throw up a post to put the word out to anyone who might be able to use it.

 

I did it once with a satellite dish stand when I had my CF-27/28/29/30 in my full size van and I used it for 4-5 years. I think I still have it somewhere in my basement.
I'll post pictures when I'll find it

 

Might I point out that I did this about 2 years ago for my truck with a VDL01 PDRC : Index of ./2010 RAM 1500 VDL01 Mount/

 

I have something similar in my merc as well. Although coppers tend to frown upon such craziness. Bugger all. As long as they can't fine me, they can frown until they faces get stuck like that.

 

Oh that's GHETTO I love it!!

 

Hey Rob, what is that? centrafuse?

@opfor2: you throw 1-1/2" split loom on it, and it looks like a pretty professional low cost, low profile mount. Sturdy too.
Just sayin' ;D

 

Mounts like those work well. We had those in our ambulances and they worked great, I also made one for my jeep.

 

Yes, old school, ugly, yet reliable Centrafuse

 

FWIW, I made a mount for my CF-H1 yesterday that will be bolted into the console on my boat: Index of ./CF-H1 Stuff/CF-H1 Mount/

I like it, it's practical, cheap ($7 material cost) and will serve it's purpose on the water!

Thanks

 

Ohh! H1? I love those things. I had one for a few months, it broke my heart that I had to give it back. *rocks back and fourth and hums quietly*

On a sidenote, I moved the my mount from my merc to my daily driver, Skoda Fabia, and it looks epic. Its crap for the passenger though. "I used to be a driver like you, but then i took a toughbook to the knee."

I gonna take a few shots om the mount and post 'em. Wanna feel like a east european copper? Mount a TB in a Skoda!