Garmin GPS in Model A

[J Witt]

I have a new Garmin Nuvi 65 in my '31 and it seems to work just fine on the 6V system. The non-running voltage is 6.4 Volts and it turns on and operates on that voltage. The the running voltage is around 7 volts or so, depending on how hard the alternator is charging. The Nuvi spec is 8 to 28 volts DC.

I have the positive terminal of the car power supply plug tied to ground and the negative (ground contact in the 12 volt system) connected to the hot side of the power feed through in the Model A.

There had been some discussion about this earlier, so thought I would provide another data point.

John

[H. L. Chauvin]

Hi John,

Have similar system on 6V.

The large "fixed" Garmin screen is easy to read while driving day or night. Also like the person telling me where to turn next on unfamiliar, unmarked back roads.

FWIW:

A. I have the Garmin Nuvi 50 with a Garmin "suction cup" type anchor mount. It has the Garmin ball joint protruding at the end of a black plastic arm for the Garmin socket on the rear of the screen so it can be rotated side to side and up and down.

B. It operates well with a 12V cigarette lighter wired with reversed polarity, fused, and connected to my Model A 6 volt battery/generator electrical supply.

C. Last weekend, (again FWIW), I made a new GPS mounting device for the Garmin suction cup to be securely attached to this new removable metal mounting device.

D. The mounting device is made with a painted piece of about 3-1/4" wide by 5-1/2" tall x about 20 gauge thick sheet metal.

E. The sheet metal was curved to fit with about a 3/8" lip over the top of the dash rail, formed at a slight angle so the sides of the sheet metal remain plumb.

F. The bottom of the sheet metal was also curved inwards, (towards the engine about 1/2"), with all four (4) sheet metal corners rounded and filed smooth.

G. One sheet metal mounting hole was drilled to receive the dash rail fillister screw to the right, (passenger side) of the instrument panel.

H. The front of this one hole was counter-sunken drilled and punched to form a recess for the back of the fillister head of the dash screw; and the back of hole was filed smooth.

I. I cut a piece of 3/16" thick tan, wool upholstery material, sized to cover the entire back side of the preformed and pre-drilled sheet metal, and adhesively glued it to the sheet metal with spray upholstery adhesive.

J. I cut another, about 1" x 3" piece of upholstery material to fit in the middle recess in the dash rail and glued same to back of the first layer of upholstery, centered on the drilled hole.

K. Reinserted dash rail screw and tightened.

L. With padding, this metal mounting devices will not scratch the dash rail, can be easily removed, and it very securely holds the Garmin suction cup below the level of the windshield.

M. Best to make a pattern with a manila folder prior to fitting and drilling the sheet metal.

Hope this helps someone with food for thought for mounting and installing a removable Model A Garmin GPS device.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by J Witt

I have a new Garmin Nuvi 65 in my '31 and it seems to work just fine on the 6V system. The non-running voltage is 6.4 Volts and it turns on and operates on that voltage. The the running voltage is around 7 volts or so, depending on how hard the alternator is charging. The Nuvi spec is 8 to 28 volts DC.

John

Wow, what a coincidence... I just got a Garmin nuvi 65 LMT for my 30 Town Sedan. I'm using the suction cup mount to the windshield. Today I installed a Power Outlet (Cigarette Lighter outlet) under the dash rail so it is hidden when not in use.

I love the 'Traffic' and 'Up Ahead'.

FWIW, check your Speedometer against the GPS. My Speedo reads ~10mph slow above 30mph.

[CarlG]

H.L. -- I really like your idea. How about a picture.

[w.michael]

Yes, my Garmin works just fine on 6 volts. But if you use the suction cup to attach the Garmin to the windshield, and then swing the windshield out, be careful. When the suction cup lets go, your Garmin, well, goes. Fortunately, the cord held, and did not come unplugged, and I fished it back into the car!

W. Michael

[quickchange]

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Use a garmin in my delivery buy taking an old swivel mirror, as it has right size ball, use a dash screw to mount it . this puts it below windshield height, so no restriction for the driver, & looking from outside from the front you don,t see it . ciggy socket screwed under the tube on bot of fuel tank , also out of sight .

[Bruce of MN]

Could we have a picture of this from you?

Originally Posted by quickchange

Use a garmin in my delivery buy taking an old swivel mirror, as it has right size ball, use a dash screw to mount it . this puts it below windshield height, so no restriction for the driver, & looking from outside from the front you don,t see it . ciggy socket screwed under the tube on bot of fuel tank , also out of sight .

[John/CT]

The ARKON model GN079WD replacement suction mounting pedestal for Garmin products has a 3-Inch arm. It mounts conveniently on the gas tank and positions your GPS device at the level of the dash rail. Very little vibration, especially of you have a balanced engine. Amazon for $13.

[Fred K-OR]

. "It operates well with a 12V cigarette lighter wired with reversed polarity, fused, and connected to my Model A 6 volt battery/generator electrical supply."

H.L. wish I had someone to remind me of this a year or so ago. I burned out two plugs from my Magellan Roadmate before dumb me realized what I did not take this into account-that is reversed polarity.

[J Witt]

Here are some pix of the installation in the roadster. The suction cup mount is the one that came with the Garmin, as is the power cord.

The cigarette lighter plug is mated with an adapter which has the wires fed through firewall at the center wiring box. The adapter has a built in 15 amp fuse.

Incidentally the inner sleeve of the adapter, which is normally ground in a negative ground system, is electrically hot in this setup. This particular adapter has a flange on the outer end of the internal sleeve which was hot and is carefully taped up to prevent a short.

The GPS showed the speedo is abut 2 mph slow -- not too bad, I think.

[quickchange]

Bruce send me your mail & can send pic direct , I can start a new thread with pictures but some how can,t post pic on a thread already started ,

[H. L. Chauvin]

FWIW:

1. My 2-1/4" diameter suction cup made by Garmin, was designed to allow the flat front face of the GPS screen to extend inwards only 2-1/2" when measured from the Model A metal dash or any other flat surface one may prefer.

2. I first tried my suction cup mounted on the passenger's in-side of the gas tank which may work extremely well in many other Model A cases; but not mine ...... as is.

3. Unfortunately, inside the car, the previous owner painted my particular exposed gas tank surface and did not sand same; hence, it has miniscule waviness in the painted surface. Coupled with the very minor curvilinear 1930 gas tank metal surface, this surface, (again in my Model A), only allows the suction cup to hold a partial vacuum for about five (5) minutes with the engine "not" running after many times trying same ..... less time when driving on normal back roads.

4. I next experimented with this Garmin suction cup and found where the suction cup worked well on a dead flat metal surface; hence, I went to a dead flat, smooth metal surface inside the cab, (per No. 2 above), which holds for hours on back roads.

5. In attaching a suction cup to the windshield, and partially blocking view, (against the Law in some States according to Garmin), it may or may not fall, especially when windshield is open ...... but each to his own because all Model A owners and no doubt conditions are different.

6. If one's gas tank does not hold the suction cup well, and one is interested, Wal-Mart, in the roofing/gutter section, has 8" long, by about 26 gauge thick factory painted light gray "shingle step flashing" metal angles with about a 4" angle leg on each side that should work well. Forty-five cents or so each. The gray color can be spray painted black, or any other color. Wal-Mart also had the upholstery material protective backing in the auto interior's section in 36" wide rolls.

7. For a Garmin suction cup, (verify dimensions of a specific Garmin Model no.), cut a piece of metal about 3-1/4" wide x 6" long and bent and drill per above no. 2. The suction cup has to fit on a "flat" 3-1/4" wide metal surface "below" the head of the dash rail screw.

8. Tip for bending metal ........ place in a vise sandwiched between (2) short pieces of Wal-Mart 1 x 2 wood strips, with rounded edges ....... bend by hand and tapping with a piece of wood ...... factory painted enameled metal will look neat in contact with wood as opposed to looking beat up and marred with metal vise jaws and beat up with a metal hammer.

9. Round all four corners point towards engine and file smooth all sharp edges if making a removable dash mounting device.

10. No matter how mounted, the next wrong turn one is forced to make at night .... in heavy traffic .... in an unknown Small Town ........ the Garmin lady will graphically guide you all through the dangerous Druggy Red Light District back of the railroad tracks ........... and graphically steer you back on the main highway in a jiffy ........ with accompanying courteous voice Commands. Not too good an idea to stop back of the tracks to ask for directions.

[jimvette59]

It happened to my wife and I in NYC, very scary But we made it out with no extra bullet holes. LOL

[H. L. Chauvin]

Something forgot to mention in #12 above ...... which "may or may not" help, especially for our "non-vibrating" road worthy Model A's ...........

"If" one has minor vibration problems whereby the Garmin suction cup does not hold for long on a windshield or a gas tank, if one looks in a Model A parts catalog, the dash rail, (belt rail), has 1928-1929 and 1930-1931 rubber washers which are supposed to be installed with the screws, "behind" the metal dash.

These rubber washers coupled with the upholstery backing on a metal plate, "may or may not" assist in reducing Model A road vibrations when traveling backroads and "maybe" allow the Garmin suction cup to hold on longer when dash mounted.

Maybe we could ask Congress to spend a few billion or so to look into this very vital Model A GPS vibration matter ...... smile ............ life is what "we" make it.

[MrBruce]

Hi Fred
I was just assembling the parts to put a inverter (6+ to -12 neg) back in my S/W Town Sedan (had one for CB but gave it away). Forgot about cell phones and GPS's. Sounds simpler to do what you did? So you took a cig lighter socket and wired it (rev) from the Model A and it will run on that? I have a Tom Tom? Mrbruce

[Fred K-OR]

Originally Posted by MrBruce

Hi Fred
I was just assembling the parts to put a inverter (6+ to -12 neg) back in my S/W Town Sedan (had one for CB but gave it away). Forgot about cell phones and GPS's. Sounds simpler to do what you did? So you took a cig lighter socket and wired it (rev) from the Model A and it will run on that? I have a Tom Tom? Mrbruce

I did put a 6+ to -12 inverter in before the cig lighter socket. But be sure to change the + to - and - to + when you go into it. You can check this with your volt meter to make sure you did it correctly.

[t farr]

The male plug adapts the voltage from 12v to 6v to deliver 51/2 v for the unit. Just isolate the female with reverse pole and if you take the plug out of the unit make sure its insulated or away from the body.

[Fred S]

Originally Posted by MrBruce

Hi Fred
I was just assembling the parts to put a inverter (6+ to -12 neg) back in my S/W Town Sedan (had one for CB but gave it away). Forgot about cell phones and GPS's. Sounds simpler to do what you did? So you took a cig lighter socket and wired it (rev) from the Model A and it will run on that? I have a Tom Tom? Mrbruce

I installed an insulated cig lighter running 6 volts reversed for my Tom Tom. The Tom Tom is a very old model. I never could get it to work with the engine running. Worked fine with the engine off, but when I started the car, it would say "Searching for satellite" and never find it. Seems the electrical noise from the engine caused interference.

I recently installed different spark plugs, so I should try it again.

[Ray in La Mesa]

I made a GPS mount using a 28-29 closed car inside mirror bracket. Bent & trimmed sheet metal tabs to handle the thickness of the GPS body and slip over the lower clips. The upper clip I just made a new clip and installed a longer screw to adapt to the height of the GPS body. Mounted it on the header wood.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Hi Ray,

Your GPS mounting method sounds like it provides easy and quick access in plane view.

Most of us traveling in our modern cars have been spoiled with good signage and directions displayed on our Interstate and Major Highways where most do not rely on a GPS device.

However, if one has just acquired a Model A and is contemplating travel on back roads & rural road traveling at a slower speed, an in car mounted GPS screen display may or may not come in handy.

For example, I find a GPS most helpful where an unfamiliar rural highway has several route numbers where (2) or (3) routes merge into one route; hence, at a junction or intersection, the "real" route number you are following is "not" listed .............. or in an urban area, where the route number that one is following is replaced with a Street Name; hence, it is not difficult to miss a right or left turn.

Another example encountered several times is where there is no sign or road marker at a rural or semi-rural intersection or junction ....... usually all of the locals know which road is which ........... and they never request their Highway Departments to provide directional signs.

Just one (1) opinion as to why a GPS in a Model A, (on rural back roads) may or may not be helpful for some.

Then some who can chew gum, play their guitar, read the newspaper, and tie their shoes at the same time may prefer to use the GPS on their hand-held cell phones.