2nd Gen Tacoma Garmin 60CSX GPS Mount

[1 Bored Clerk]

Simple problem that needs a simple solution: Mount Garmin 60CSX in my Tacoma without drilling anything or messing up anything expensive. I know this has been done at least a few times on a 2nd Gen Tacoma but this is EXACTLY how I did it. I figured I'd post up what I did along with a list of what I used...just to make it easy for anyone else who wants to do the same.

Stuff you need:

RAM-B-367U (ball mounted to A-pillar)
RAM-B-103-A-238U (short arm with flange to attach to GPS cradle - two other length arms are available if you have a different requirement)
RAM-HOL-GA12U (Garmin GPS 60CSX specific cradle - get the one that works with your specific GPS)
6mm x 1.00 (thread pitch) x 60mm (length) Socket Head Cap Screw
4) 6mm small washers
4) 6mm larger washers
Small straight blade screwdriver
5mm Allen Wrench
10mm socket
Short socket extension
Ratchet
Approximately 4 minutes

Let's get it done:

Remove cover on lower grab handle bolt on Drivers side A-Pillar. Grab your small straight slot screw driver and carefully inset it into the upper corner as shown. Don't pry against the grab handle...you may mar it. Just pull the screwdriver and plug away from the grab handle (not prying). It will pop right out. This corner is the best place to insert the screwdriver because of the bracing on the back of the plug.


This is what you see under that plug.


Get your socket setup ready and remove the factory bolt.



Get the Ram ball (go ahead, laugh...it's okay to be immature) and hardware. Thread it all together as shown in this photo. Don't forget to put one of the small washers under the head of the 6mm SHCS (socket head cap screw). The Ram ball is designed for an 8mm bolt so the small washer for the 6mm fits perfectly and makes sure that the head of the 6mm SHCS is as fully supported as possible. I may make a spacer that replaces the big stack of washers...or I may not. It's really not a big deal. Also, I used stainless steel for all of these pieces because that's what was available to me...not because I felt it was necessary.


Screw that whole mess into the now vacant factory grab handle bolt hole. Use your 5mm allen wrench to tighten it down. Now you are Ram ballin'!



Attach the rest of your RAM accessories, clip your GPS in and adjust to your liking.



Future plans:

Trim the factory screw cover to fit around the ram mount ball and paint black any part of the aluminum ram ball shaft that can be seen afterward.
Hardwire the GPS, running the wire through the trimmed factory screw cover, down the A-Pillar and into my forthcoming aux fuse block.

 

[TEJASYOTA]

Nice!... Are you going to route a power cord towards it too?

 

[1 Bored Clerk]

Yeah, that'll come when I do my aux fuse block. I'm hoping to sneak it up the A-pillar, around the ram mount ball and out through the trimmed factory screw cover. We'll see how the screw cover trimming goes. I'll probably get on that soon. The aux fuse block will probably wait a bit.

 

[bkg]

Nicely done

 

[colodak]

did you look at the options through proclip? www.proclipusa.com, the basic mounts are all no drill

 

[1 Bored Clerk]

I really don't care to clip stuff to my vents. Especially something as heavy as a gps. I don't want to block the airflow and those vents just aren't that strong. I know a lot of folks use and like them but they're not for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jCubed]

I'm totally going to do this on my Tundra, I'm sure it's the same concept. Maybe different sizes but still.

Looks awesome! I use the Ram Mounts for my iPad hanging from a Panavise next to the radio and my iPhone from my rear view mirror setup from Ram.

Great products! Thanks for the write up, I'll need to start shopping Amazon.

 

[Plannerman]

Well done! Thanks for sharing!


Sent via fat thumb

 

[Willman]

I like it.

Never thought of that mounting area.

 

[keezer37]

Excellent! Think I'll move mine there. Never much cared for mine.

And a bit of masking tape on the screwdriver tip for cover removal as per the Toyota manual.

 

[WAND3R3R]

Thanks for sharing! Great use of space!
-AK

 

[justrom]

I attached mine to the truck the same way and bought a mount for my Garmin eTrex Vista. Then I realized that I use Google Maps on my phone a lot more for front-country navigation than I do the Garmin. A RAM FINGER GRIP MOUNT holds the phone perfectly and doesn't block the vents.

 

[1 Bored Clerk]

Yeah, I use mapping apps on my phone to find stuff around town but it's almost useless in the woods; seems like there is NEVER reception. My Garmin is only in the truck when we're leaving the city behind! I do love RAM mount products though...so versatile. You can have a different cradle for all of your devices and hook them to the same ball. It's cool.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Over the past few years I've become a big fan of 3m heavy duty mounting tape. Get the indoor/outdoor stuff and it's pretty bulletproof. Best of all, it comes off pretty clean with just a little heat. I'm thinking of mounting a RAM ball to my windshield for my Magellan Meridian GPS using the mounting tape - no worries about losing suction and having the thing drop into my lap at a bad time!

Having said that, I do like this solution using the A-pillar. The only thing I don't like is the fact that all the power points are in the center stack meaning you have to run a cable either over the steering wheel or down under the dash.

 

[1 Bored Clerk]

The wiring deal does suck a little but I hate having a bunch of crap plugged into the ports all the time anyway. When I wire my GPS, I'll run it down behind the A-pillar and into an accessory fuse block. I'll run my CB and HAM (if I ever understand the electrical stuff enough to take the test!) to the same accessory fuse block. It's more of a hassle but it'll be worth it to have a safe, reliable accessory wiring harness separate from the factory Toyota harness. AA batteries do the job just fine for now.

Those VHB tapes are awesome. If prepped properly (and used in the proper application for the specific VHB), whatever you want stuck will be STUCK.