DIY: Cell Phone Mount using Ash Tray (Coupe)
#1
08-28-2009, 01:41 AM
DIY: Cell Phone Mount using Ash Tray (Coupe)
I've been a part of the G35 family for a few months now and have decided to start doing small/minor upgrades to the ride. I noticed that I have absolutely no use for the ash tray in the dash and figured I could make it into a pocket for my cell phone. Even better is that this location works perfectly because it angles out of the cubby in a way that makes for a quick easy grab while driving (vs. keeping it your cup holder, lap, etc). Not only that, if you're like me and drive with the music somewhat loud or leave the phone on vibrate 24/7, you can see your phone light up for incoming calls from this positioning.
I wish I would have taken pictures of the steps, but it's probably the easiest thing in the world to do. There are multiple ways to making this, but I used simple items/scraps I have laying around the garage:
1. Black Illustration Board (you can find this at a local arts & crafts store). This board is 1/16" thick, and it's the perfect thickness to use as a cover for the ashtray because if you get much thicker, you're tray will not clear the cubby casing to close properly.
2. Exacto Knife to cut the board.
3. Pencil & Ruler to measure and mark off the exact size piece needed.
4. Clear Silicone
5. Small can of Universal Black Spray Paint and can of Clear Coat (you can get this pretty much anywhere)
Since I did not take photos to do a step-by-step explanation, I'm hoping my quick sketch and final results will explain most of it:
1. Measure and cut a piece of board to fit exactly into the ashtray, plus an extra 5/8" tab. You also want to measure your phone and design your slit accordingly. The ashtray has about a 1/16" recess in it, so the board will fit flush with a slight curve to accommodate the curvature of the tray. The tab will fold down so it will press against the inner wall of the tray.
2. See this quick diagram I sketched:
The dotted line represents where the tab on the black board will seat once pressed in. Make sure you test fit to your liking...
2. Next spray 2 coats of black paint onto the board, allowing drying time each spray. Apply 2 coats of clear in the same manner. You can do more if you like but you really don't need much to get a semi-gloss/matte look.
3. Once everything is dry, you will use the adhesive silicone on the recessed "tabs" in the trays corners and on the 5/8" tab of the black board to secure the piece you've cut. It should look something like this:
4. You will need to keep pressure on this for roughly 20-30 minutes so it can settle and allow 24 hours to fully heal. I used paper towels to hold the pressure for the 20-30 minutes to keep my finger prints from smudging on the clear coat.
Now all you need to do is slide the tray back in and make use of it. Sure you could probably do a really nice fiberglass job for this project for an ultra sleek look, but this was virtually mess free and only took 2.5 hours to do (that's including drying times). Here is the finished result and thanks for reading through this DIY (and yes I know I have nasty stick-on wood grain trim...that's coming off this weekend with some 3M adhesive remover):
If any of my explanation is confusing, just yell at me and I'll fix it
I wish I would have taken pictures of the steps, but it's probably the easiest thing in the world to do. There are multiple ways to making this, but I used simple items/scraps I have laying around the garage:
1. Black Illustration Board (you can find this at a local arts & crafts store). This board is 1/16" thick, and it's the perfect thickness to use as a cover for the ashtray because if you get much thicker, you're tray will not clear the cubby casing to close properly.
2. Exacto Knife to cut the board.
3. Pencil & Ruler to measure and mark off the exact size piece needed.
4. Clear Silicone
5. Small can of Universal Black Spray Paint and can of Clear Coat (you can get this pretty much anywhere)
Since I did not take photos to do a step-by-step explanation, I'm hoping my quick sketch and final results will explain most of it:
1. Measure and cut a piece of board to fit exactly into the ashtray, plus an extra 5/8" tab. You also want to measure your phone and design your slit accordingly. The ashtray has about a 1/16" recess in it, so the board will fit flush with a slight curve to accommodate the curvature of the tray. The tab will fold down so it will press against the inner wall of the tray.
2. See this quick diagram I sketched:
The dotted line represents where the tab on the black board will seat once pressed in. Make sure you test fit to your liking...
2. Next spray 2 coats of black paint onto the board, allowing drying time each spray. Apply 2 coats of clear in the same manner. You can do more if you like but you really don't need much to get a semi-gloss/matte look.
3. Once everything is dry, you will use the adhesive silicone on the recessed "tabs" in the trays corners and on the 5/8" tab of the black board to secure the piece you've cut. It should look something like this:
4. You will need to keep pressure on this for roughly 20-30 minutes so it can settle and allow 24 hours to fully heal. I used paper towels to hold the pressure for the 20-30 minutes to keep my finger prints from smudging on the clear coat.
Now all you need to do is slide the tray back in and make use of it. Sure you could probably do a really nice fiberglass job for this project for an ultra sleek look, but this was virtually mess free and only took 2.5 hours to do (that's including drying times). Here is the finished result and thanks for reading through this DIY (and yes I know I have nasty stick-on wood grain trim...that's coming off this weekend with some 3M adhesive remover):
If any of my explanation is confusing, just yell at me and I'll fix it
#6
08-28-2009, 09:15 AM
#7
08-28-2009, 09:35 AM
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