Article by: RobRed

Applicable Models: 1995-1997 80 Series, 1998 – 2000/ 100 Series Land Cruiser or Lx 470

Last updated: February 11, 2018 at 17:32 pm

You may have already seen my article and video “Tour of the Center Stack” [Video]. In that video I showcased a solution to mount my iPad over the factory radio cutout in my 2000 Land Cruiser. The mounting worked very well for over a year with out the iPad falling off the dash to it’s doom or the Land Cruiser burning to the ground, but it wasn’t perfect.

A couple things I pointed out in the video continued to bother me… the AC and air Recirc buttons were blocked visually so I couldn’t glance the status. The outside temperature and security display were blocked as well. Additionally there were two major items about the install that I wanted to address. First I wanted the ability to tilt the iPad to be easier to read from the driver position. Second and maybe most important is that I didn’t want to be tied to the iPad mini, I might want to option to go bigger.

Using the Otterbox case cover as the mounting plate is secure and easy so I didn’t want to abandon that if I could help it. I want to create a mount that was incredibly rigid and had enough flexibility to use other devices if I wanted. Behold Dash Mount 3.0

The iteration of the Land Cruiser dash mounting solves all of the issues and concerns I mentioned previously. With this mount I can run all the way up to an iPad Pro 12.1″ or the 10″ model in addition to my trusty iPad Mini. What’s different here is that I designed a 1.5 DIN Chassis to mount in the factory radio space using the factory radio mounts. Why 1.5 DIN and not double DIN or single DIN? Well I wanted space for the Clarion Equalizer that is mounted in the arm rest to relocate to the dash / radio area. Here’s what I did:

First I went to the hardware store a purchase a small sheet of 16ga steel. This will be the box for the new chassis. I modeled the design of the new chassis in cardboard (poor mans CAD) to see if it was I wanted. Next we went about the construction and finishing. Yeah I said “we”. I happen to be at the TrekBoxX shop and convinced David to do some quick fabrication for me. Don’t ask him about this, he won’t do it for you. Here is a visual tutorial of what we did and the results. I hope this inspires you to design and build your own custom mount. I’ve tested this with the mini, standard an ipad 12″. It’s rock steady even on Death Valley wash board roads.

Step 1 – Rough Bends and shaping of the chassis

Step 2 – Test Fits against the dash Panel

Step 3 – Test in dash positioning. We wanted this chassis to flush.

Step 4 – Tack weld edges of the box and grind smooth

Step 5 – Transfer measurements from Dash test Fit to the new chassis and drill holes for Toyota Radio Mounting Ears and Ram Mount ball

Step 6 – Mount the Toyota radio hardware to the chassis using misc hardware from the bench

Step 7 – Test Fit Ram ball and test mount chassis in the dash with Clarion Equalizer and Toyota center stack bezel and controls.

Step 8 – Disassemble components and finish chassis in rattle can bed liner from Home Depot.

Step 9 – Reassemble mounting hardware, Ram ball and mount Clarion equalizer to chassis.

Step 10 – Prepare equalizer wiring in dash and install the chassis with EQ.

Step 11 – Check wiring for functionality and install the center stack bezel.

Step 12 – Mount Ram ball to old Otterbox based iPad cradle

step 13 – Connect iPad cradle to dash Ram ball via Ram 2.75″ double socket arm – Enjoy all that you’ve accomplished!