I've never been happy with the available GoPro mounting places in a stock Z (no cage or roll bar). Well, the other day I noticed some pre-tapped holes in the rear deck behind the speaker enclosure. Dug through my pile of old screws and bolts and found three that fit.

Bought some angled and flat aluminum stock from Lowes along with some angle brackets and made the rig in the photo below. It does vibrate some but not much and it does not affect the image much. With a strap running back to the strut bar it does not vibrate at all. Heavier material like good tube stock would be better but I don't weld or anything. These materials cost about $30.

The best mounting spot is not in the center but to the right. With the GoPro set on medium FOV it is just right. You can see out the windshield and some out the passenger window. You can see the driver. You can see the speedo in the dash cluster and my iPhone showing lap times in Harry's Laptimer.

The only problem is image exposure. In bright sun the car interior is properly exposed but the street (track) is blown out. I can probably fix this using the spot meter setting.

 

what about vibrations? The way this looks I think it will shake worse than Shakira

 

If you tweak it with your hand it vibrates like a guitar string. Driving on the street, even bumpy ones, this does not really show up in the video that much.

But, as mentioned, I run a small strap from the bracket to the strut brace and there is no vibration at all.

Its not pretty, but with the strap on, it works well and gives the view that I'm looking for.

 

Why not make a mount from the passenger headrest? That is what I plan to do now that I took my Harness bar out. (which I will be selling if you are interested)

 

I used one of the 3M mounts and an extension right in front of where you mounted this contraption. It was perfect with no vibration at all. I actually left the mount on the car since it is so small and easy to just click the camera when I go racing.

Most of my angles are from outside, although my new favorite view is the helmet cam. I used a 3M mount on the side of my helmet and it offers an awesome view.

Cool concept nonetheless.

 

I've done that before and there was tons of vibration. Video was barely usable.

 

I thought about the 3M mount but my car is in really good shape on the inside and I did not want to stick anything to the interior trim that would mess it up. As it transitions to a track only car that won't matter.

I also tend to like outside mounts better but like an inside view on occasion.

I've done the helmet mount too. I must move my head around too much because the video was all over the place!

 

I use the suction cup mount on my hatch glass & invert the video in the settings.

 

I've done that too but wanted the camera lower and more forward. But, it is fairly stable in that location. Seems like from that position the rearview mirror blocked forward view too much and to get it lower you have to move it way to the back.

I'm pretty picky about camera position and view and this little rig only cost about $30 and an hour of time. May not be much of an improvement but I'll find out at VIR next month.

Of course a roll bar or cage would be the best camera mount.....

 

You can buy all kinds of extension kits for the go pro mounts to make it how ever long you want it & keeps it just as stable.

If you're happy with it, that's all that matters. I just like utilizing my Z for everyday activities. Golf bags, grocery bags, luggage, car meet chairs.

 

My contraption comes out in about 30 seconds. Still, it may end up being more trouble than worth.

 

Like I said, If you're happy with it, more power to ya.

I design equipment @ work & come up with brackets for our equipment. I've made a couple for the Z, like one that hangs down under the rear bumper that's mounted to the old heat shield screws above the muffler.

Since I have a side out exhaust I don't use the heat shield anymore. if you have any Idea's for a different placement shoot me a PM & I can make something out of 10 gauge stainless for ya that holds up pretty good.

 

I just use a $50 crusecam headrest mount for that angle.

Do you have any video from that mount?

 

I'll have to look into that. When I strapped the GoPro to the headrest the video was too bouncy to use.

No. I did some test video around town and it was good but I deleted it. Will use it for a session or two at VIR in October and I'll post a sample then if it turns out good. If there is a lot of vibration and the quality is bad.....you'll never hear from me until I put the contraption on eBay for $19.95.

 

search for gopro gimbal. you can have dampening and also stabilization. it will stay level no matter what. we use those on remote control planes and quads.

 

I like the way Shakira shakes.

 

If you get the tripod fitting and secure it to the headrest mount, the video should come out stable. Like this:

<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3IktqAUHw-E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


You have to make sure the tripod fitting stays snug though. It loosened up a little at nationals just before my best run and that particular run's video was very jumpy.

 

OP, no offense but that contraption is hideous and unnecessarily large. It also looks vibration prone, and using a strap that attaches to the strut bar probably makes it uglier and more cumbersome.

And when you made your headrest mount, you probably made it out of something flimsy, like aluminum (like your contraption). My headrest mount has no vibrations whatsoever.

The interior trim is plastic. It's not going to rip or discolor or anything. When you take the 3M mount off, just heat it up a bit to soften it up. And if there's any residue, use GooGone or even WD40.


A ball joint joint and camera mount for the GoPro has been added since the post, but this will give you an idea of what my headrest mount looks like:
https://my350z.com/forum/9902810-post110.html

I also tuck an old cap (the hard part of the cap) under the bar (long side) to reduce vibrations since the cushion in the seat's shoulder may allow for bounciness and to keep the cushion itself from being dented in by the bar.

 

Jordan at www.gpscity.com had a nice headrest mount make from RAM mount parts. He has all the mounting needs, all you have to do is call.

 

Agreed. But I just painted it so it looks like it came from the factory now.

As ugly as an old cap stuffed under a wrought iron stair bannister?

Seriously, how it looks is not important to me. And unlike a headrest mount I can use it with an instructor/passenger in the car if needed.

Cool. When I tried it, it was my impression that the vibration was coming from the seat itself.

Good to know and if that is the case then I really would be able to ditch my contraption and avoid a headrest...contraption...too.....even a beautiful one like yours.

However, I've seen the 3M from a GoPro mount pull a chunk of the plastic off of a guys helmet....maybe he didn't heat it up enough.

Anyway, if I go with the 3M mount I won't even take my contraption to VIR. But if I do take it, I'll post a sample video.