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chase4food
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Joined: February 27, 2016
Posts: 636
Location: PNW im Amerika
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GypsyDriver
Samba Member
Joined: November 06, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Columbus, GA
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 Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:05 am Post subject: Re: CJ5 Grab Bar Dash Mod with Cup Holders |
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I agree with the consensus to avoid drilling into your dash vinyl if possible. I have a very nice Swedish phone mount that looks like it was made for the Vanagon ... but I can't bring myself to drill holes in dash to mount it. My dash is also in very good condition.
The CJ5 grab bar on the bottom rim of the dash works well for me. Its heavy duty, functional, looks good, and can accept a variety of motorcycle and bicycle handlebar accessories right out of the box. And many of those accessories look good, especially the higher end stuff. It was a $25 mod that took me 15 minutes and added a lot of functionality. Plus, its easily reversible ... I can plug the bolt holes with standard black panel clips and it would hardly be noticeable. Not so much on the top of the dash. I do agree that the mounting flanges are a little unrefined for the Vanagon, but they're not too bad. I plan to have a bar made with captured nuts as Dave suggests when I rotate back home this summer (I'm in the Army and gone ALOT.) I'll powdercoat rather than paint, too. It'll use the same bolt holes as the existing bar.
All that being said, its your van and you can do what you want. I try to follow a philosophy where all my mods and improvements improve upon VW's functionality/aesthetics/reliability/etc...and at least look close to belonging in the vehicle. I'm not opposed to drawing from the Jeep / Tactical / Other car communities for ideas.
I like the track idea chase4food implemented for his manual van. But I've never really liked the design aesthetics of the RAM mounts, although they're very high quality. And it would seem you need a bar extension for anything you want to attach to it. But, if you've got a manual transmission, it looks like this is the way to go. |
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artacoma
Samba Member
Joined: January 11, 2014
Posts: 121
Location: Victoria BC Canada
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:22 am Post subject: Re: CJ5 Grab Bar Dash Mod with Cup Holders |
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I did the Ram Mount with out the bar , here is a lousy pic but you get the idea, the great thing about the ram mounts is the amount of articulation.
I got the 2 hole base that I bolted in with some pop nuts.
The silver thing that looks like a front locker knob is magnetic ball phone holder from Lee Valley , it's pretty awesome too.
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Cheers
Rik
86 Syncro Tintop
2.5 Subie
86 Doka
2.5 Subie |
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dsdunbar
Samba Member
Joined: December 19, 2014
Posts: 564
Location: Crozet VA
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:08 am Post subject: Re: CJ5 Grab Bar Dash Mod with Cup Holders |
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I like the track design. Chase, thanks for the detailed post (link you attached), just purchased the materials and will get to work on it once it arrives. Thanks for making it easy.
_________________
'89 2WD Westy "Grey Goose" - Manual 4spd
Crozet VA
Vanaru EJ25, Peloquin |
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chase4food
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2016
Posts: 636
Location: PNW im Amerika
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:53 am Post subject: Re: CJ5 Grab Bar Dash Mod with Cup Holders |
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| dsdunbar wrote: |
| I like the track design. Chase, thanks for the detailed post (link you attached), just purchased the materials and will get to work on it once it arrives. Thanks for making it easy. |
I am glad with the decision you are making. Please do think before cutting or drilling. I had to fight every mm in this design and fabrication. The most important, and easily dismissed aspect of the design is to minimize cantilever - torque (or moment) imparted by the big gulp size  drink that can bend the sheet metal of the dash.
I used only 3 tiny sheet metal screws to fasten the track to the dash and it is plenty strong due to the long expanse of contact surface area.
The maximum lengths of the moment arms:
1) 2" to the ball joint.
2) 6" to the center point of the cup holder.
_________________
- Vince 飲食玩睡
what Isolde wants Isolde doesn't always get, 4 I know what is best for her - Liebe macht frei
Last edited by chase4food on Mon Apr 18, 2016 11:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
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chase4food
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2016
Posts: 636
Location: PNW im Amerika
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 11:00 am Post subject: Re: CJ5 Grab Bar Dash Mod with Cup Holders |
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| artacoma wrote: |
I did the Ram Mount with out the bar , here is a lousy pic but you get the idea, the great thing about the ram mounts is the amount of articulation.
I got the 2 hole base that I bolted in with some pop nuts.
The silver thing that looks like a front locker knob is magnetic ball phone holder from Lee Valley , it's pretty awesome too.
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Good job! I do see your Syncro levers do not afford you the ability to use a track. You can get shorter RAM arm if desire. I think there is a 2" one, or go with a single ball base at the expense of less articulation.
_________________
- Vince 飲食玩睡
what Isolde wants Isolde doesn't always get, 4 I know what is best for her - Liebe macht frei |
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dsdunbar
Samba Member
Joined: December 19, 2014
Posts: 564
Location: Crozet VA
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:38 pm Post subject: Re: CJ5 Grab Bar Dash Mod with Cup Holders |
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Chase,
Yup I get the concern of the torque that every addition of length causes. Unfortunately, my 1989 does not have metal behind the plastic where your track is installed. Mine appears to just be plastic through and through (unless the metal is sandwiched between the plastic layers, ie the plastic is a coating), but I do not suspect that to be the case. I purchased the "backing plate" for the track:
"YakAttack GT90 16 inch Backing Plate" (link: https://www.austinkayak.com/products/9195/YakAttack-GT90-16-inch-Backing-Plate.html)
I dont plan to drill out every hole along the length, but will likely use more than 3.
| chase4food wrote: |
I am glad with the decision you are making. Please do think before cutting or drilling. I had to fight every mm in this design and fabrication. The most important, and easily dismissed aspect of the design is to minimize cantilever - torque (or moment) imparted by the big gulp size drink that can bend the sheet metal of the dash.
I used only 3 tiny sheet metal screws to fasten the track to the dash and it is plenty strong due to the long expanse of contact surface area.
The maximum lengths of the moment arms:
1) 2" to the ball joint.
2) 6" to the center point of the cup holder. |
_________________
'89 2WD Westy "Grey Goose" - Manual 4spd
Crozet VA
Vanaru EJ25, Peloquin |
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chase4food
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2016
Posts: 636
Location: PNW im Amerika
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:47 pm Post subject: Re: CJ5 Grab Bar Dash Mod with Cup Holders |
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| dsdunbar wrote: |
Chase,
Yup I get the concern of the torque that every addition of length causes. Unfortunately, my 1989 does not have metal behind the plastic where your track is installed. Mine appears to just be plastic through and through (unless the metal is sandwiched between the plastic layers, ie the plastic is a coating), but I do not suspect that to be the case. I purchased the "backing plate" for the track:
"YakAttack GT90 16 inch Backing Plate" (link: https://www.austinkayak.com/products/9195/YakAttack-GT90-16-inch-Backing-Plate.html)
I dont plan to drill out every hole along the length, but will likely use more than 3.
| chase4food wrote: |
I am glad with the decision you are making. Please do think before cutting or drilling. I had to fight every mm in this design and fabrication. The most important, and easily dismissed aspect of the design is to minimize cantilever - torque (or moment) imparted by the big gulp size drink that can bend the sheet metal of the dash.
I used only 3 tiny sheet metal screws to fasten the track to the dash and it is plenty strong due to the long expanse of contact surface area.
The maximum lengths of the moment arms:
1) 2" to the ball joint.
2) 6" to the center point of the cup holder. |
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I think you have mistaken where I mounted the track. Mine is 1989 just like yours. The track is mounted onto the flat metal strip immediately below the audio head unit. The flat surface is about 1 1/4" wide but with an inside radius. Hence only the narrow track fits there. No backing plate is required.
Here is a good view:
_________________
- Vince 飲食玩睡
what Isolde wants Isolde doesn't always get, 4 I know what is best for her - Liebe macht frei |
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Forthwithtx
Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2014
Posts: 717
Location: Fort Worth
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| Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Forthwithtx wrote: |
I just performed this mod a couple weeks back. Turned out beautifully, but I would say that the swath carved out by the manual shifter limits the usable area on the bar. I found that the bent areas of the bar have a reduced diameter, and so accessories with a tightly controlled ID on the mount will be useless there without a mod of some sort. My Kruzer Caddy (identical to the OP item) only worked on the passenger side. I was able to squeeze-in a cell phone holder on the driver's side, but it obscures the heater controls. Overall, I am happy with the cup holder, but if there were a slightly longer bar available, it would be a better solution for the manual shift folks.
Something Like this might get you more real estate within the same footprint, especially now (in my case) where the holes now already exist.
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Well, I took my own advice and made the above bar today. I used a length of 3/4" ID black pipe, which has an OD just a hair greater than 1" and less than 1-1/16", and some 1" wide weldable steel plate, about 1/10" thick:
I cut the plate to length as shown, rounded the ends, and bent them:
I cut the pipe to 19" in length and then chamfered the ends to accept the welds:
Yeah, the clamp pads got a little melty during the welding process, even though they were only there during the tack weld portion:
Crappy welds completed, I then ground off the excess material and weld beads, and cleaned up with a file and sandpaper:
A little JB Weld to fill in the grinding marks and other defects:
Drilled the holes and painted:
As you can see here, the usable length of the CJ5 bar is about 9" because of the radius bends, most of which is taken up by the manual shifter (sitting in reverse in this photo). Both accessories are as far right and left as they can be:
The new bar effectively doubles the real estate to about 19":
_________________
Cheers!
-Karl
'84 GL with 2001/2004 Subaru 2.5L
Last edited by Forthwithtx on Sun Dec 04, 2016 8:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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ragnarhairybreeks
Samba Member
Joined: October 26, 2009
Posts: 1945
Location: Sidney B.C. Canada
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| Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 8:44 pm Post subject: Re: CJ5 Grab Bar Dash Mod with Cup Holders |
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Karl,
Well done. Nothing like making it yourself.
Cheers
Alistair
_________________
'86 7 passenger syncro, converted to westy pop top, project still in progress
'82 westy, diesel converted to gas in '94, now gone...
https://shufti.blog/
Old address still works...
http://shufti.wordpress.com |
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xoo00oox
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Joined: February 11, 2010
Posts: 2734
Location: East Nassau, NY
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GypsyDriver
Samba Member
Joined: November 06, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Columbus, GA
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| Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 9:02 am Post subject: Re: CJ5 Grab Bar Dash Mod with Cup Holders |
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| Awesome, Karl. Great job. I'm inspired to make my own. |
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DrEvil914
Samba Member
Joined: April 27, 2013
Posts: 2
Location: Loveland, OH
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| Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 11:44 am Post subject: Re: CJ5 Grab Bar Dash Mod with Cup Holders |
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Thanks Fortwithtx, I used your measurements and supplies list to fabricate my own bar. Can’t wait to install it.
put |
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