DIY: Custom Phone / Cobb mount

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07-12-2012, 09:24 PM

EricB

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DIY: Custom Phone / Cobb mount

Originally I was going to make this DIY, but due to the lack of knowlage of what materials I used I decided against it.. Well somebody sent me a PM about it the other day and decided it was time to document everything.

Ive seen a few different mounts and I didnt like any of them.. Either they were too big, too clunky, blocked something on the dash etc etc etc. Some of you might have the same thoughts so hopefully what i made might fit your needs.

Since this is phone/case dependent i didnt provide any measurements, the case i made for my Evo4G with otterbox case wont be able to snugly fit a iphone etc.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
Metal sheet (SIMPSON STRONGTIE TP 57 TIE PLATE) PICTURE HERE
Metal Bracket (SIMPSON STRONGTIE A21Z) PICTURE HERE
Dremel
//OPTIONAL// grinder, i didnt use the grinder in my V2 and it turned out a little nicer, but maybe because it was my first time using it. Use it if you want.
Some strong glue
//OPTIONAL// spraypaint
Table Vise/ burly man

I started off with this sheet of metal i got from home depot. I got it in THIS isle at home depot.

While you are home depot you should get the bracket that you will need.

Start off with the metal plate and put your phone down on top and mark the edge of the phone. I like using this sheet because it has holes and the holes allow for cleaner folds.. I like using the sides to give me a straight edge. Then mark off the same length on the other side of the flap.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-X...0/IMAG0983.jpg

Position the sheet on the table vise a little below where you want the bend to be... BEFORE.. you bend, double and triple check that you marked correctly, after each step you should always be checking if your phone fits, it would suck if you had gone through the whole trouble to make the mount then discover that it doesnt fit......THEN bend

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6...0/IMAG0984.jpg

you should have something like this. After you make this bend, put your phone in AGAIN and check if you made the first bend correct or if the bend was too much or too small. You can always correct for this in the second bend.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Y...2/IMAG0986.jpg

Now do the other side. After this you should pop your phone in again and see if it fits. If its slightly loose then squeeze both sides together a tad.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-o...0/IMAG0987.jpg

Cut off the excess portion with the dremel
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e...0/IMAG0991.jpg

Now its time to make the base that the phone will sit on. Cut a line on the plate that holds the back of the phone on both sides. Fold this portion up so that the phone has something to sit on. Its time to check if the phone fits again, this time you are checking for height. Now you will have these 2 awkward side pieces that are too long, go ahead and cut them off.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3...0/IMAG0992.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-M...0/IMAG0993.jpg

You should have something that looks like this.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-I...0/IMAG0995.jpg

Next you want to make a hole in the mount to attach the power to the phone. ( Before someone asks... I have my phone charger plugged into the buffet center port and have it snaked under the silver trim and it pops out right where my mount is. I also have the aux cable doing the same thing.

Mark where the power/ any other ports you want to be able to touch... then cut! After you cut make sure the phone fits and the port is accessible.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n...0/IMAG0996.jpg

At this time you will want to attach the sander attachment on your dremel and round off the corners so that you dont slice open your finger when grabbing the phone. On my V1 mount I used a table grinder to make the port for my power and also to grind the edges, i found the dremel to be a lot easier to use and gave cleaner results.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-R...0/IMAG0997.jpg

Depending on how loose you want your phone to be inside, you can attach some type of elastic string to keep the phone at bay during aggressive turns. ( i used my girlfriends hair tie, she said it was cute.) You could go as stealthy or flamboyant as you want. You could even use a zip tie and have the locking mechanism towards the back that you cant see. Be creative here.

One thing you will notice though is that the hair tie, string etc wont stay put and will require constant adjusting so its out of the phones way. In my V1 design i created the "walls" slighty higher than the phone and notched grooves where the string would go so that it would stay stationary. In my V2 design i made my "walls" slightly lower than the phone and notched the back.

This is what my phone looked like sitting in the mount i made..
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9...2/IMAG1001.jpg

Now that you have the mount made and your phone fits all nicey nice, its time to attach the bracket that hooks into the car.

This part is the most time consuming depending on where you are doing this fab job. I did all my work in my basement and had to make 5 or more trips to get the angle just right.

Bring your mount and phone and bracket with you to your car. Lift up the ashtray lid and slip in the bracket into the edge of the ashtray. The bracket you bought should have a slightly longer and a short end, stick the longer end in.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-k...0/IMAG1009.jpg

Then close the ashtray lid, this is where the mount will be situated.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I...0/IMAG1010.jpg

Now this is the fun part ( no, its really not fun) You have to go back to the vise and bend the bracket so that it is angled the way you like it. I already made the 5+ trips back and forth from my garage in my V1 mount so i was spared the hassle, i just copied my angle from my first fabrication. The more the angle, the more it will be pointed towards the driver.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-p...2/IMAG1012.jpg

Once you have it at a nice angle, put the mount over the bracket in a way that you like the mount to be. Then lift the bracket and mount and mark where the bracket is touching the mount on the back, this is where you will glue later.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6...0/IMAG1013.jpg

Once you have that done, get some type of tape.. masking or painters or whatever that doesnt leave a residue after you peel it off and cover up any holes on the inside of the mount that may get glue from the other side. Getting glue on the inside will really kill the appearance when the phone is not in the mount.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S...2/IMAG1014.jpg

The first time i made this the only glue i had laying around was this "seamer mate" Ive been using my V1 mount for almost a year WITHOUT ANY issues, why fix whats not broken. I used the same glue again.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G...0/IMAG1016.jpg

Now its time to glue, im sure you can handle this part without explanation.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9...2/IMAG1017.jpg

Let the glue dry however long it takes for it to dry and now the fun part, PAINTING!!!
You can get pretty crazy with this, but i decided that a matte black looks best. NOTE: if your mount is slightly still loose you can use Plasti-Dip to create better adhesion with the phone and the mount. I used Plasti-Dip on my V1 and it worked great. The only downside was that since i daily my rx8 and use the mount daily the PD had to be repainted every 2-3 months. If you use PD i suggest adding a layer of matte black paint under the PD so that you dont see metal when the PD peels eventually from use.

I got sick of repainting it on my V1 so i just used regular matte black and has worked fine for about a month without any scratching or anything.

This is my V2 mount waiting to dry
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-G...0/IMAG1018.jpg

FAQ:
Q:Does the mount ever get loose over time? It looks pretty flimsy...
A: After using my mount for almost a year, my mount has never fallen out or wiggled it self out. The most its ever gotten out of place is maybe 1/8 of an inch due to the most ginormous pothole in the world on a highway.

Q:How much did this all cost?
A: The metal sheet and bracket costed me around $2-3 dollars, i forget the price of the sheet but the bracket i believe was 0.59 cents.

Q:My mount isnt totally secure after pushing it into the crack, what now?
A: To give added strength to the mount i wrapped the bracket with 1 small piece of painters tape, i didnt have to overlap the tape with itself, this could be different for others so try small increments at a time. If you are really worried about it, wrap more tape around the end of the bracket and really wedge it in there.

Q:How much weight can this mount hold? My phone is pretty heavy.
A: I think the whole mount assembly will fall out of the ashtray before the mount falls apart from the bracket, but this could be glue dependent, the glue i used has some flex to it. I see my mount holding 2-4lbs before the glue stops holding both pieces together.

Q:I cant open my ashtray with the phone mount, what gives?
A: This is the only drawback, if you require the power you can always snake it under the ashtray assembly.

Last edited by EricB; 07-12-2012 at 09:42 PM.