Hangar works #6 – Phone mount

The 3-Wheeler has no built-in infotainment system. No radio, no CD-player, no GPS. It’s completely understandable, since it’s conceived for pure driving joy. It’s simple. Pure. Minimalist. So, the last thing we think of when driving our 3-Wheeler is talking on the phone. The little rocket is for enjoying the drive and not talking to the plumber because the washing machine is leaking.

However, if you’re thinking of doing a long-range journey, being able to reply emergency calls and have a GPS helping your way is an interesting option.

Part of this is solved if we’re wearing our helmets, because the intercoms they have are connected via Bluetooth to our smartphones. So, if we have our helmets on, we can talk to each other – which is the main reason why we installed the intercoms – receive and make phone calls and listen to the smartphone navigation system or an external GPS. We can also listen and share music.

But the second part, to which this post is dedicated, is how to solve having a visible phone or GPS on hand for the driver. A place where you can see the screen clearly and comfortable to handle the menu if necessary. And, of course, that it does not disturb the visibility of the instruments or the use of the dashboard’s controls.

Analysing the 3-Wheeler cockpit and dashboard, and again getting information from the Talk Morgan forum, we decided to go for the RAM ball adapter solution. It’s easy to do, not expensive, and the result is really good.

The brand RAM Mounts offers an incredible range of mounts solutions for all imaginable accessories. And for our purpose we need quite simple items from their catalogue. And very common ones, so buying them on the Internet is easy and the delivery fast.

If you’re planning to copy this installation, this is what you’ll need:

RAM® Ball Adapter with M6 x 1 Threaded Female Hole – Reference RAM-B-273-M6U

RAM® Double Socket Arm (the short one) – Reference RAM-B-201U-A

RAM® X-Grip® Large Phone Holder with Ball – Reference RAM-HOL-UN10BU. This size is the good one to hold large smartphones. There are smaller holders for normal size screen smartphones, if you prefer. But personally, we like our large iPhones as the screen is big enough to have a proper navigation image.

Full threaded M6 long screw. Use a really long one, at least 75mm long; you’ll cut it to the adequate length later. And don’t care about the head type (hexagonal, Allen, driver…) because you’ll cut that side.

A flat washer. With internal hole for the M6 screw. The outer diameter is of your choice, but you’ll need it to be at least of 15 mm to properly seat the RAM ball adapter.

And as regular tools, you’ll need a 4mm Allen key to remove the dashboard screw, a metal saw, a very thin metal file – triangular shape recommended – and a 11 mm hexagonal wrench for the RAM ball adapter. Screw fixing Loctite or similar thread locker glue is highly recommended too.

So, what are we planning to do? Having a look at the dashboard, we see that there are some M6 screws holding the front fascia. They are numbered as 15 in the below drawing of the standard dashboard (M6 x 20mm), and 21 on the next drawing of the classic “Heritage” dashboard (M6 x 35mm), which is our case.

The screw you’ll remove is the bottom one in front of your co-pilot seat.

This is how to proceed:
1- Wet with some droplets of thread locker Loctite glue the M6 long screw and drop a couple of droplets into the female M6 thread of the RAM ball adapter; and insert the long M6 screw into the ball adapter. Tight it hard. It should never move again.
2- Remove the M6 screw from your dashboard. The bottom one in front of the co-pilot seat. Keep it as you’ll use it as a reference to cut the long screw you inserted into the ball adapter to the correct length.
3- Saw the long screw you inserted in the RAM ball adapter so it matches the length of the dashboard screw. It should be around 20 mm for a standard dashboard and 35 mm for the classic “Heritage” one.
4- Use a metal file to retouch the thread where you cut the long screw, to assure it will enter properly and smooth into the dashboard.
5- With the washer inserted into the screw to avoid damaging the dashboard, and with a couple of thread locker Loctite glue droplets over the thread, screw the ball adapter into the free hole of the dashboard. Do not apply excessive torque; just enough to be sure it won’t move.

The whole can take you 20 minutes. It’s easy; really easy with the appropriate tools.

This pictures of ours is holding an iPhone XS Max. Quite large smartphone. Despite the vibrations, it does hold the phone quite well. It doesn’t slip or move. It just shakes with the whole car!

The iPhone doesn’t hide any control nor interfere with the instruments’ spheres. And we don’t hit it with our left knee and the glove box can be opened. We’re totally satisfied!

On top of that, the smartphone stays really close to the 12V lighter plug that’s beneath the dashboard. So, you can charge the device while mounted without annoying cables hanging around.

We believe this is a perfect solution. Now we can see the navigation screen while using Waze, Google Maps or any other smartphone navigation app.

The good thing of the RAM mount is that you have plenty of accessories; so you can mount your smartphone, GPS, fishing rod, satellite TV dish, missile battery, etc.

Hope you enjoyed this post and like our solution!