DIY: Making a GoPro camera mount with a GrimmSpeed front plate mount

[PMok]

Here is a quick and short DIY for those of you who already own the GrimmSpeed front license plate mount and want to occasionally mount a front-facing GoPro camera there. It's not too cost-effective compared to some of the other DIYs out there if you don't already have the GrimmSpeed plate mount, but I do believe many of us have this part already since it's a popular front plate mount option. And so if you do, then it's only about $4 more in parts to do this. I had started out using the OEM tow hook and a GoPro handle-bar or roll-bar clamp mount, but I wasn't convinced it was secure enough so I fabbed up this solution instead.




Parts needed:

- GrimSpeed front plate mount. Really for this project you are only using the long threaded rod that goes into the tow hook hole. (About $80 for this mount kit so by far the most expensive part of this DIY, but I'm assuming you already have one of these and just want to use it occasionally for a camera mount in which you case you remove and set aside the plate and holder portion of the kit)

- adhesive mount for GoPro (not sure but I think most GoPro kits come with this, or you can buy a pack of 5 for like $8 [ame="http://www.amazon.com/GoPro-Flat-Adhesive-Mounts-Cameras/dp/B0042HLK24/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370329912&sr=8-2&keywords=gopro+adhesive+mounts"]on Amazon[/ame].

- 1 M8x1.25x30mm flange bolt (About $1.50 for two of these at Home Depot)

- small (roughly 3"x3") piece of sheet metal, preferably a 90* angled piece. This is the one I used: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-S...0#.Ua2NQpO3N8E


- some kind of thick washer or rubber bushing to help space out the metal piece away from the bumper

- some duct tape, gorilla tape or painter's tape

Tools needed:
- electric drill and 5/16" bit (or 8mm bit if you have metric)
- socket wrench (the M8 bolt I bought used a 13mm hex head)
- black spray paint can (optional just for looks)
- hair dryer/heat gun (optional)

Directions:
I had already bought a GrimmSpeed license plate mount that screws into the front tow hook hole, so I figured out the bolt size that goes into the front of that piece. (M8x1.25). Went to Home Depot, bought a bolt and piece of sheet metal bent in a 90* angle for about $4 total. The metal piece I used is typically used to hold two pieces of wood together. It conveniently already had multiple holes to accomodate nails. So I used one of these as a starting point and drilled a larger hole to fit the M8 bolt through it. If you use the same metal piece I did, be sure to drill on the shorter side of the bend, as you want the longer side of the metal to stick the adhesive GoPro mount to.

Next I painted it black and then stuck an adhesive GoPro mount on it. Probably not necessary but I used a hair dryer to heat up the surface before applying the adhesive mount to make sure it was on good and secure. Painting it is optional, I wanted it to be black so it wouldn't stand out so much but the bare metal will work just as well.

Now with the rod piece installed in the tow hook hole, thread in the bolt along with your 90* metal piece and the washer or rubber bushing behind it. The washer or bushing is what acts as a spacer to keep the metal piece from making contact with the bumper. You may have to experiment with thickness of the spacer or the positioning of the metal piece. I also used some gorilla tape as an extra precaution on the part of the BRZ bumper that gets closest to the metal plate to avoid scratching/rubbing. (Not sure how fitment will work with the FRS bumper but I presume similar tweaking with the spacing will get you the same results).

I used an extra extension piece of the GoPro mount in order to get the camera to sit up higher, at just below the front turn signal/headlight. You can obviously add or subtract extension pieces to adjust the height to your preferences. I like the headlight level as a good compromise: low enough to give you a good perception of speed, high enough to not be showing all road and no scenery.



Mount your GoPro, adjust the angle to taste, and go film some action!
As others have noted the tow hook mount solution is far better than using a suction cup or other method of attaching the camera to your hood or front bumper as these will yield too much vibration/fluttering. The tow hook mount is solid enough to keep the camera steady even at high speeds.

pay no mind to the goofy looking fool next to the camera:


Here is some footage I shot using this mount last weekend (the rear-facing footage is from a suction cup mount attached to a window).

[ame]http://youtu.be/4CBNhz_Gv1I[/ame]

Enjoy and let me know if you find ways to improve on this solution!

[PMok]

a few better photos of the mount.

[Euro]

Hey PMok,

made it to the forum ;-) The video came out great . If I can't get my moustache wrapped, this could be a nice consolation prize.