In-Car camera mounting options?
 

Anyone here ever tried to mount an in-car camera in a car WITHOUT a roll-bar? I've been looking at my car trying to figure out an easy way to do it, but also not be a safety hazard if things go bad...

I'd like for it to be over my right shoulder, and angled so that I can see at least some of the steering wheel.

Duct-taping it to my helmet isn't an option. ;)

Derek, what about some sort of improvised tripod/bracketry that uses the package tray and rear floor?

Sounds a heck of a lot more involved than mounting one in the bedroom.:)

give it to the kid to hold

Actually, I've been having passengers hold it... This year I'll be going to some events that don't allow passengers though (unless they are certified as an "instructor"). :(

I want to have it more steady, get the steering wheel and tach in the view to see steering and throttle inputs, and I'm going to put a light on the dash hooked into the brake-light switch so I can see if I'm hitting my braking points.

The big goal for this summer is to work on the driver more than the car. :)

That's kind of what I'm trying to come up with, possibly using the rear seatbelts as the anchors.

Another option I'm considering is a removable bracket that attaches to my head-rest...

D...I like the headrest idea. I am picturing some sort of adjustable/locking/jointed arm coming off there. My GPS unit has a nifty little ball and socket-like joint on it that has 1080° of rotation or something, know what I mean, all directions. on all planes. That is what you need. You could drill a hole in the headrest and fasten to it when it is time to race.

Now that I think about it, maybe that isn't the greatest place, you could wind up hitting the headrest with your head and knocking it. Just thinking out loud. You could use the front seat belt bolts on the hump, and a spot near the center top of the rear seat back, maybe putting a stud/wingnut there from inside the trunk. That gives you good triangular/tripod support, and seems pretty straightforward.

I'll bet you could use 1/2" or 1" aluminum square tubing or angle, and incorporate the threaded tripod hole on the bottom of your camera to mount it. :D;)


That's it dude. :D

The other big thing is I don't want to put any holes in anything (interior is done, and custom-upholstered seats were expensive :eek: ), and whatever it's made out of has to be collapsible for both easy storage, and not impaling me if things go bad...

Yeah, form DEFINITELY follows function in this case. Yikes!!!:eek:

I started building a really quick and dirty bracket using the bench seat headrests. I just used a long piece of wood, and "drilled" holes for the headrest posts and the camera ( drilled at an agle to keep the camera focused where i wanted it).

Most cameras should be light enough that you could probably mount it off of just one seat, but might need to figure something to keep it from easily twisting/rocking ( weld some tubular spacers, maybe a rear bar or maybe just the headrest pushed down tight). You could even mount it to BOTH seats (via headrests).

Actally, it might be best to mount it to the passenger seat for solo runs, as the driver's seat might flex and move around with you in it...

Perhaps a single rear bar wedged between the rear seat cushions would be enough to stabilize twisting. Probably wouldn't need to bolt it in...

Have you looked into these?

http://www.stickypod.com/

What about a short stick, with a ball/swivel mounted on a plate trapped under the dome light? (granted this'd only work if your camera has an inverted/top mounting lug..)

Use these all the time for CCTV - http://www.global-download.schneider...$File/c217.pdf

I was going to wait until I posted some videos with my contraption, but since this thread surfaced, what the hey...

My camcorder happens to (and maybe this is a standard size) have 1/4"-20 female threads in the tripod mount boss. I used that hole, some bolt/nuts/flats/locks, a steel shelf reinforcer, and 2 cable ties to rig up a sweet little camera support.

The shelf reinforcer is something I had laying around. Probably 12 ga. sheet metal bent into a "C" , with each side of the C being about an inch. The length is 18"...kind of like a piece of 3 sided square tubing.

One end has a 1/4"-20 stud with a flat/lock/nut for the camera. I screw the camera on a few turns and snug it in place by tightening the hardware against it when it is pointing the right direction. The bolt is also fastened onto the "C", on the bottom horizontal side. Once I got it mounted, I bent the "C" out until it was pointing out of the windshield right, from its vantage point right between the seats, at shoulder level.

The other end of the "C" gets zip-tied to the 2 headrest posts on the passenger front seat.

It works perfect. I have tested it a bit, and it holds steady. I need to get out to somewhere desolate to make some fun vids, but it is all set for when I get the chance.

It works well. :)

Pictures? :)

Sure D.:D

This is the 18" length of C channel.
Attachment 267

here's end of the "C" piece.
Attachment 266

Here it is with the camera mounted.
Attachment 268

Here's some in the car...
Attachment 269
Attachment 270

It was not an exacting science, as you can see from my handiwork bending the metal.:D

Also, I just rested it in place against the headrest posts instead of zip tying it in place for the pics. I'm sure you get the idea though.

1/4-20 IS the industry standard (commercial or consumer) for camera mounts... everything else is metric... it must drive them nuts!

Well, I never did get around to making a mount, but I just picked up one of these yesterday...

http://www.goprocamera.com/

Has suction cup mount, and came with stick-on permanent mounts also (Helmet cam! :cool: ) I'll be getting a lot of cool videos next time out. :)

Never had but good luck!

try GOPRO website