Mounting equipment to the top of dash....drilling into the top

MeefZah

MeefZah

New member
I'm not 100% on this yet, maybe the answers to this post will push me one way or the other.

I am considering mounting a ham radio to the top of the dash. No room, really, anywhere else. I ordered some RAM accessories and was going to use suction mounts to adhere it to the windshield on top of the dash, but it's not a clean look.

I'm considering screwing the bracket to the top of the dash, center, above the mpg / clock display. The radio would sit above the bracket.

Anything under there that would be negatively impacted by drilling / screws? Is the dash material strong enough to support the screws or will they pull out through the softer vinyl top? Is there a simple way to disassemble the dash top to expose the bottom and get some fender washers and nuts under it so I don't need to use screws only?
 
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If I were doing it I would cover the mounting area (s) with some aluminum tape - also called speed tape. Then I would epoxy my mounting blocks or bracket to the tape. Or stick heavy duty velcro to the tape and to your mount (s). That way when you want to remove it, just peel up the tape and maybe clean a little residue. Drilling holes in my truck would be a last resort. Also I'd set things up there first to see if there are visibility issues.
 
Honestly? That would be the last place to mount it. Might as well mount it on your hood. If you do it will be seen by everyone, which means the bad guys will see it too. You will instantly destroy the dash pad the moment a bit touches the dash. If you sell it you will need to replace it. Not cheap.

Out of all the posts I have read here in five years YOU would be the first person I have heard that wanted to drill into the top of the dash. Most just remote mount their radio and use a handset with all the controls.

There are many many places to mount it besides the top of your dash. My .02 and think before you drill.
 
As Greg said, my very first thought was you might as well put a "please rob me" sign in the window. In addition to a broken window, thieves will crowbar that thing off your dash.

Real bad idea...... or change your insurance to zero deductible.
 
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Not sure how big it is (or what the cooling requirements are - the dash will get a lot of sunlight), but you'd be better off mounting it either below the stock radio (ie the cubby hole) or maybe vertically by the passenger's leg (though this will be visible) or maybe even the ceiling.

Have you looked at mounting it somewhere remote (ie under the seat or under the glove box) and having the tuning dial, readout, and mic mount somewhere else (like the console below the radio)?
 
I would consider mounting it to the headliner before the dash, there is usually some cross bars that you could drill into. Just my .02
 
I'm of the opinion to never do anything 100% permanent, in places that are highly visible or difficult to replace.

The dashboard is both of those.
 
Just FYI the "dash board" is actually all one piece and referred to as the instrument panel. That includes the top, also the instrument cluster, vents, and the mounting locations of entertainment system, down to the HVAC controls. It alone costs approx $390 (less labor to tear literally everything apart and reinstall)

Not that I would mount anything on top of my dash but if I were to 3M makes some insanely good yet removable adhesives.

I would stick with 0% chance of drilling into that, then search the forum to see where dozens of members have mounted all types of two-ways. They are there and you will be amazed :) ;):
 
ChChChChia said:
Not sure how big it is (or what the cooling requirements are - the dash will get a lot of sunlight), but you'd be better off mounting it either below the stock radio (ie the cubby hole) or maybe vertically by the passenger's leg (though this will be visible) or maybe even the ceiling.

Have you looked at mounting it somewhere remote (ie under the seat or under the glove box) and having the tuning dial, readout, and mic mount somewhere else (like the console below the radio)?
Click to expand...

I have seen it mounted vertically near the passenger's leg and it looks pretty convenient and clean. There is a youtube vid of a guy who did it that way. I'll try to find it and post a link.
 
So to clarify the question and reasoning:

The issue is there is no place to mount a full size radio (non removable faceplate) in the 5th gen, except possibly in the center storage console, to the back of the center storage console, along the side of the center console, to the headliner, or on top of the dash.

There is no reasonable way to mount a radio in the dash or in any other place that is easily accessible by the driver since the 5th gen is pretty tight and the dash cubbies don't have much depth to them.

I can't mount the radio vertically to the sides of the console, because I need to be able to slide the seats fully forward to have enough room in the back to camp out of. A radio mounted to the console side would prevent the seat on that side of the truck from being slid fully forward.

I already have a CB mounted in the center console and adding a second unit in there would eat up almost all the space; plus the cooling requirements of a radio putting out 50W differ greatly from those of a CB, and I think I'd have issues in that confined area - plus the radio I have doesn't have a fan on it, which makes the cooling issue more pronounced.

The back of the center console is doable, but just kind of inconvenient.

The headliner is a possibility but I just don't like stuff up there. The mic hanging off the ceiling is too truckerish for my tastes.

The dash top is not a really attractive idea, but it offers decent visibility and doesn't eat up any other space that I have reserved for other things. I'm not worried about resale value, and the concerns about theft are a non issue for me because the area I live in is remote. Cooling is a concern due to interior heat, but I think it's acceptable becaue it would get a ton of air flow when the truck was in use - and it would certainly be better than the heat inside the console if I mounted it there. I'm not concerned with crash damage; the airbags would pop before the mount would rip off and the radio would be blow away from the occupants. The dash top mount also would be 'okay' looking, after mocking the radio up it seems like it'd be not awful to look at.

Having said all that, I don't really want to mount it on top of dash because I think it's just kind of uninspired. It was a consideration, and I'd done a lot of research and thinking on it before I ever posed the question; in addition to having a fair amount of experience in creative mounting from past projects. I was interested in the feedback from others.

What I ended up / will end up doing: I returned the radio I had and I purchased a dual bander with a removable face plate (Icom 2370a); I'll mount the brain under the driver's seat and the faceplate and mic to the dash in a discreet location. I may use the RAM mount I bought to facilitate that; still undecided.

Thanks for the thoughts.
 
MeefZah said:
So to clarify the question and reasoning:

The issue is there is no place to mount a full size radio (non removable faceplate) in the 5th gen, except possibly in the center storage console, to the back of the center storage console, along the side of the center console, to the headliner, or on top of the dash.

There is no reasonable way to mount a radio in the dash or in any other place that is easily accessible by the driver since the 5th gen is pretty tight and the dash cubbies don't have much depth to them.

I can't mount the radio vertically to the sides of the console, because I need to be able to slide the seats fully forward to have enough room in the back to camp out of. A radio mounted to the console side would prevent the seat on that side of the truck from being slid fully forward.

I already have a CB mounted in the center console and adding a second unit in there would eat up almost all the space; plus the cooling requirements of a radio putting out 50W differ greatly from those of a CB, and I think I'd have issues in that confined area - plus the radio I have doesn't have a fan on it, which makes the cooling issue more pronounced.

The back of the center console is doable, but just kind of inconvenient.

The headliner is a possibility but I just don't like stuff up there. The mic hanging off the ceiling is too truckerish for my tastes.

The dash top is not a really attractive idea, but it offers decent visibility and doesn't eat up any other space that I have reserved for other things. I'm not worried about resale value, and the concerns about theft are a non issue for me because the area I live in is remote. Cooling is a concern due to interior heat, but I think it's acceptable becaue it would get a ton of air flow when the truck was in use - and it would certainly be better than the heat inside the console if I mounted it there. I'm not concerned with crash damage; the airbags would pop before the mount would rip off and the radio would be blow away from the occupants. The dash top mount also would be 'okay' looking, after mocking the radio up it seems like it'd be not awful to look at.

Having said all that, I don't really want to mount it on top of dash because I think it's just kind of uninspired. It was a consideration, and I'd done a lot of research and thinking on it before I ever posed the question; in addition to having a fair amount of experience in creative mounting from past projects. I was interested in the feedback from others.

What I ended up / will end up doing: I returned the radio I had and I purchased a dual bander with a removable face plate (Icom 2370a); I'll mount the brain under the driver's seat and the faceplate and mic to the dash in a discreet location. I may use the RAM mount I bought to facilitate that; still undecided.

Thanks for the thoughts.
Click to expand...
Sounds good, keep us updated.
 
Since you're mounting below the seat take care to provide some protection from water. Maybe something as simple as mounting it in an open plastic box?
 
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