mounting a camera in car

[evil_twin]

^ i have that camera mount, but the suction cups don't work anymore.

[iwantspeed]

not a track car but in an m5

[nando]

i'm not as certain, specially on a stock seat with stock seat belts. Sit on the driver's seat and look half way between the pass and driver's seat. That's where you'll have square tubing intersect your right side brain.

my passenger seat is further back than my drivers seat. My seat would have to break for me to hit my head on the camera. My neck would also have to break to hit my head on the cruisecam mount itself, it's at my shoulder level. Like I said, if those things happen - I've got bigger things to worry about than my camera mount.

I've been using the cruise cam for years, I really don't think it's a problem. Now maybe a home made mount which is basically a sharp-edged tube cut with a dull hacksaw blade.

Not to say I wouldn't prefer a cage-mount. My passenger seat is well worn and sometimes the camera gets a little shaky.

[phenryiv1]

cantilever means supported on one seat.. maybe that's what you meant to say. that's what i'm warning against.

I know that the word means. I even 'splained it for those who don't:

I later changed the mount to be cantilever, meaning that the mount is attached to both mounting posts on the passenger seat

As for the danger, I suppose that if I were to be really tall (I am 5'5") and I had the passenger seat as far forward as I have the driver's seat, AND if I were to have a failure of either the seat belt and/or seat mounting mechanism, there is a chance that I could be impaled on the end of the tube, assuming that it either pierces my helmet or that I crane my neck around far enough that my face is in the direction of the camera mount.

I suppose it COULD happen...

[Dave]

Really, when'd they go to that? Been years since I ran my cruisecam, but they never mentioned it.

Not sure when they added that rule, but if you go to the Great Lakes region website and look at the regional rules/regs, it is in there.

I also was told no-no by Hoosier Chapter BMW CCA back in 2006 when I wanted to use it.

[etxxz]

dude, if I wack my head on the camera mount on my passenger headrest, I'm going to have much bigger things to worry about - like where the fresh squeazed juices from my crushed torso went to.

i'm not as certain, specially on a stock seat with stock seat belts. Sit on the driver's seat and look half way between the pass and driver's seat. That's where you'll have square tubing intersect your right side brain.

[Charlie]

I used to have a Cruisecam when I had stock seats.

Some local groups will NOT allow any headrest mounted cameras. NASA great lakes is one of them.

Really, when'd they go to that? Been years since I ran my cruisecam, but they never mentioned it.

Running an IOport in the e30, still use the cruiscam in the '02.

-Charlie

[Dave]

I used to have a Cruisecam when I had stock seats.

Some local groups will NOT allow any headrest mounted cameras. NASA great lakes is one of them.

I have made a couple of roll bar mounts. One was VERY basic and I think I loaned it out and never got it back. New one is a little more stout - couple of muffler clamps holding AL stock on place with a thumbscrew and some neoprene to cushion vibration.

[richardkeith97]

i ended up getting that one for $50 but keep posting what you got for other people.

[nando]

I made my own headrest mount with a $4 home depot 1/2 or 3/4" square tubing and two U-clamps... The problem was that during one drift event.. or a DE idk... i realized that thing could impale me if anything went wrong even with a helmet on. So i removed it. If you wack your had against that thing it'll be lights out. This is just a word of caution. Short of mounting it on a roll bar/cage, you can suction cup it to the rear window, mount it on the rear deck or something.

dude, if I wack my head on the camera mount on my passenger headrest, I'm going to have much bigger things to worry about - like where the fresh squeazed juices from my crushed torso went to.

[etxxz]

cantilever means supported on one seat.. maybe that's what you meant to say. that's what i'm warning against.

[phenryiv1]

I did a quick write-up of my DIY in-car camera mount. I wanted something to take in-car video for several reasons:

1. I wanted to show my wife what autoX was like, from my perspective
2. I wanted to be able to look over my runs to see whether time differences were due to the lines that I chose, under/over-steer, mistakes (mis-reading the cones), etc.
3. It is a cool way to brag to my non-car buddies about what I did over the weekend while they were mowing the grass.

That said, I wanted to go cheap for this attempt, in case I end up hating autoX or something (not likely). I read a few google results and decided that rather than spend ~$50, I could do it myself for under $10 (plus the cost of the camera).

Supplies:
Square tubing (Mine is actually “C” channel that is about 1.5” square, and is perforated) that is long enough to span the distance between the inner headrest posts on your vehicle.
Free, from a scrap pile at work. Similar square stock is $8-12 at Lowes
Tripod head or other camera mount. Mine was $6 at WalMart
Camera. I use a Canon S3 IS digital camera and a 4 GB SD card.
Miscellaneous washers, bolts, and nuts (I bought 2 fender washers, 2 lock washers, 4 nylon-insert nuts, and 2 bolts. $2.56 at Lowes. In the end, I re-used the parts from the tripod base.

Pictures of what I used:





Tools needed:
Drill and drill bits
Philips screwdriver
Hack saw

Optional:
Dremel, file, or tape (or all of the above)

Process:

Determine the proper length of the main tube. I measured the distance between my headrest posts to be 22” center-to-center, so I allowed an inch or so at either end and made my cut with the hack saw.


Determine the proper hole size to allow the headrest post to go into/through the main tube. For me, it was 5/16” IIRC. Mark the center, drill a pilot hole, and then drill the larger hole. Do this through both sides of the tube.

Disassemble the tripod. Note: You may have already done this to determine the proper screw thread and length, if you need longer screws or bolts. For the tripod that I used, the proper thread was an M4. (Insert Bevis and Butthead voice) If you spread the legs, there is a screw in there.



Now measure to the center of the bar and drill a hole just large enough to get the screw into. If you are using a longer screw, you will need to do this on both the top and bottom sides of the tube.



For my application, I wanted to be able to tighten the screw through the bottom, and since it was C-channel and not square stock, I could easily manipulate the screw into the head of the tripod. If this was square stock, I would have used a longer screw or bolt and tightened from the bottom, so the picture below may not apply to everyone. I drilled a ¼” hole in the bottom to allow access to the screw head with a #2 Philips screwdriver.



After this, I reclined the seats, put the headrest posts through the drilled holes, and reinstalled the headrests. The hardest part was to incline the seats at the same rate so as to not scratch the headrest posts. I am sure that there was a better way to do that part, but it worked fine for me. Removal was the opposite.

Installed pictures:





Video, as shot from the mount:



Lesson learned: Secure the lens cap!

I later changed the mount to be cantilever, meaning that the mount is attached to both mounting posts on the passenger seat and the headrest is then lowered to clamp the mount in place. It was just as stout as being mounted to both seats, but it was a lot easier to adjust the driver's seat with it only attached to the passenger seat. If it is attached to both, installing it requires that both seats be reclined and inclined at the same time, and that moving one seat can throw off the aim of the camera. As I like to move the seat up while on the starting line to tighten the seat belt, it could have been an issue. Also, if you drive with a passenger/instructor, that could be an issue as well.

I also painted it flat black, just to make it look a little better.

[Highway1]

mount it on the drivers seat. no impaling your head and.. having someone in the seat will help stabilized it.

[etxxz]

I made my own headrest mount with a $4 home depot 1/2 or 3/4" square tubing and two U-clamps... The problem was that during one drift event.. or a DE idk... i realized that thing could impale me if anything went wrong even with a helmet on. So i removed it. If you wack your had against that thing it'll be lights out. This is just a word of caution. Short of mounting it on a roll bar/cage, you can suction cup it to the rear window, mount it on the rear deck or something.

[Jean]

Buy the gohero cam with it's mounting kit...