But upon reviewing the product, and seeing the prices, I just couldn’t justify the price. I would have spent about a hundred bucks to get the pack I wanted to my door, so i spent a day, and made 1 myself.
Materials:
14g plate steel or thicker
some sch 40 pipe
bolts
A unipod (I got one at circuit city $25)
Suction cups (4 for $2 at AC Moore)
Tools:
Mig Welder, Cutoff wheel, Drill, sawzaw
Basically the design is simple. 4 holes in the plate for the suction cups to slip through, and in the center, weld the pipe to the plate and bolt it to the top section of the Unipod. I like the unipod head because it uses a ball and socket instead of the traditional 2 way adjustment of a normal tripod. It is quite windy and rainy out today so I havent got to play around with some time lapse pictures yet, but I did test mount it on several points on the car, and I can almost shake the whole car by the handle of the pod, it seems pretty strong.
The camera in the pic is not what I will be mounting when on the car, I will use a small Panasonic 5mp digital, I just used my Rebel as a prop for the pictures…
I spend about 35 bucks total…very happy with the result, pictures in action coming when it gets nicer out!
I didnt think I would either, but after feeling how strong it sticks, I do. I will carry a rag with me to wipe the area free of dust and debris before I stick it on. I could also upgrade the suction cups later, I just don’t know where else would have some beefier ones…
I’m looking forward to soem interesting pictures like this one.
if you dont want to trust your camera to the suction cups alone, there is one alternative i can think of
by replacing the UPPER 2 suction cups with a bend in the metal, you can easily hook the mount over the top of your side window, and lightly close the window on it
that way its captured, and cant fall off
you can also make some small hooks that latch onto the edges of the door and glass, and tie the camera down to the vehical, that way even if the suction cups pop, its still hooked to your vehical
good thoughts creepy, but I want to be able to use this for some crazy angles from the top or back of the car too…
plus, i will primarily use this as a still camera mount, not video, so the longest timer i have on my digital is 10 seconds, so i have to press the button and jump in farily quick to get moving by the time the camera goes off. I could then remove and review the picture, and try a different angle. I dont plan on keeping this on the car for hours on end driving…
i have it on my window inside my apartment here, and it seems to hold for a few hours no problem, but that is without vibration…i still think it is stronger than you might anticipate…i think ill just find some beefy ass industrial suction cups
Not a great pic by any means, but I just got back from playing around, this is the only one that came out decent after playing in photoshop… I need to learn more about this digi cam
[want to trade and give me some moneys?](want to trade and give me some moneys?)
they are pretty secure, my suction cups are industrial strength and have been tested to 120+, but i dont use it for that. nor do i use a crazy big heavy camera either…works great tho. soloII vids. are fun to watch and this works perfectly.
listen here BON-Z…mine is not a copy…AND it aint gon break. ya hear?>
seriously tho. i have had this on the subie on the highway at 100+ and it has been great…no issues whatso ever… jsut keep the area clean before you mount it and your good.
…oh and i bought this mount before we got the S2k…and htis mount goes anywhere on the car.
Hey scoob, I never said anything about yours being fake!?
I’m a poor ass college student, and I work hard for my money. I trust my own hands over someone else’s product. I’m sure it is better quality than mine, but I spend a third, and got the satisfaction that a project gives. Not sure why everyone is so down on this DIY?
I’m not asking you to put YOUR camera on it and go 100 am I?
no you arent. and i am not against DIY. ever. DIY is always better, as long as you know what you are doing and can achieve the desired outcome. congrats. nice design…but make sure you have done it right, before you doing anything too dangerous with it. a camera is not something you want to have to replace, esp. if you just built your own mount.
about the stronger suction cup thing…don’t body shops have some Über suction cups for pulling dents and stuff? What about Glass shops for installing windshields. Them things are made to take 100lbs I’d have to guess.
Just a thought, :tup: on the design, I’d like to make one myself…or perhaps you can make/sell them? That would be worthy of a “w00t!” haha
Where is AC Moore? I wanna make one for myself, for the NYSpeed Track Day coming up…Also, what model Unipod did u get? Is it extendable? I’d like to mount it on my rear glass, then aim it forward, hoping to make a great view.
