VacuCam™ is Flexible!

*** DISCLAIMER ***
I've only just begun testing this mount particular mount, and so far it seems to be very effective, however one NAM member was concerned that a mount like this is too rigid and could result in a lost window if the car torques. While I have no proof to say whether this is true or not, please heed this caution. I cannot take any responsibility for any damage to your car as a result of this article. If it looks too risky, then please don't attempt this mount.

Personally, I drove 260 miles in one day on this setup and it worked great. However my driving consisted mostly of straightline freeway and local streets, and not twisties or AutoX. I would feel pretty confident to say that this setup will work great for general driving and caution should be taken if you're doing anything else.
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When you own a VacuCam™, extending it's usefulness is only limited by your creativity! Check out how I created this rear passenger mount. You can mount a camera facing forward, backwards, or both! If you want to capture video that includes the MINI framing the border of your picture, this is the way to go.

You just need two VacuCam™ mounts and one or two ball mounted Cams. The bar was acquired at Home Depot. It costs about $10 and it's called Angle Slotted 1-1/2" x 48". It's in the aisle where they sell nuts and bolts. If you don't have a Home Depot nearby, PM me.

Ok, back to the cool stuff. The Angle is perfect because it just so happens that the interior width of the MINI is 4' or 48 inches! And even better, it comes pre drilled with both elliptical and circular holes which allows fine adjustments to be made.

You should see a lighter weight version that costs a few bucks less. Don't get it. If you hold the Angle in the air from both ends, you should NOT be able to twist or torque it. If you can, it's too flimsy and will result in a jittery picture everytime you got over small bumps. The bar should cost around $9 or $10 not $7 to $8.

You will also need some additional hardware which comes free in our VacuCam™ Deluxe kits!

Buy This From Home Depot!



It comes in a 48" length which is exactly what you need. No cutting necessary! And it's predrilled! Can't ask for more!

You will simply span this bar across two VacuCam™ mounts, and relocate the cameras that would normally be attached to them to the bar! How cool is that??? Only have one Camera? Just order another camera kit from us.



When you install the bar, just attach one end only, and don't tighten it all the way. Don't worry if the bar isn't level on both ends, the ball mount allows you to level the image out. With the 48" bar you can mount it two ways. At the bottom most edge of the window, and about mid way up. The MINI tapers as you go higher up the window, and the 48" bar is too long to span from the top most edge. You would have to cut about 2 inches off in order to make it reach from the top and that's doable. But I've found that it's not necessary.



When I first envisioned the solution, I needed a way to test it. I looked around my studio and found a couple of C-Stand arms. They were heavy, but it worked well enough to seek out a more permanent soluntion!



See Video Clips of this mount:
WM9 (PC)
http://store.northamericanmotoring.c...cucam_pass.wmv
http://store.northamericanmotoring.c...m_clubdemo.wmv
QT6 (Mac/PC)
http://store.northamericanmotoring.c...cucam_pass.mov
http://store.northamericanmotoring.c...m_clubdemo.mov

See the whole article with pictures at my website:

http://www.Vacucam.com/passengermount.asp

 

I ran Tuna Canyon in Malibu today with this setup and I got some pretty spectacular video. I loosened the screws that hold the Angle to the mounts which allowed the Angle to slide about 1/2" in either direction. I figure if the windows move, this would allow some give to move as well. I seriously doubt it's going to ever move that much, otherwise, I think I'd have something more serious to be worrying about!

The mounts held on great. It did come off while in the parking lot. Direct sunlight isn't good on the mounts. But a few applications of Quik Detailer, and eventually even with the sunlight, they were stuck on really well. I had to almost peel them off to remove them when I got home, but a bit of Quik Detailer cleaned everything right up when it came to breaking down the setup.

The video clips are posted in the VacuCam Video Samples but I will link it here as well.

A few notes in case anyone's wondering about the excessive speeding and racing rule on NAM. The route we took today was the same as we took on the Malibu DVD I made. The actual run was about 30 minutes, but I condensed it to 3 minutes, therefore I cut scenes on the camera angles which may look like scenes back to back of a bunch of cars chasing each other. In reality, the M3 was on my tail on the straightaways, but on the curves he was no where to be seen. In front of me was Idiaz who is so freaking fast, I rarely had him in view. So I chose to show the footage that you can see us all in at once--which was mostly on the way up the canyon and the very beginning of the downhill. And yes, my new tires are squawking, but there is a good lesson to be learned from watching this video, and you will see it at the end.

Enjoy.

Windows Users

Mac or Windows Users with QuickTime

 

Very cool video switching. I especially liked how you could see the tread on your tires. I hope you never crack your lens with a rock it sure would hurt


This was the best video yet I enjoyed the interaction with the guys on the road

 

Hi DSA, thanks! Well fortunately the cameras are relatively inexpensive. Just a fraction of a miniDV camcorder, so no worries there. Also they are tiny, so that would have to be a pretty accurate rock! LOL. The chances of hitting the lens are pretty small. And even if it happened I could just screw on a new lens. =)

Thanks for the feedback on the video. =)

Richard