Thought I would post a thread showing the install of my new radar detector / laser shifter. I wanted a radar detector that would not be obvious to cars behind me and that would not grab the attention of sticky fingered passer byers.

First object was deciding where to mount the head unit. I wanted it somewhere that would be very easy to view but would not be right out in the open. I decided to flush mount it to the cubby hole door.

First step was to remove the cubby and tape it up to protect it from scratches.



Next drill holes on the corners.



Then take a jigsaw and hack it up a little more.



After that take the dremel to it to shave it down a little then do a test fit.



Time to remove the tape. It is close but not quite perfect so most likely I'll start looking around for another cubby hole door but I'm not really in a hurry. Most people probably won't even notice.



Next fun part was running the radar antenna cable through the firewall. I ran it through the same spot in the firewall that I ran the 4 gauge power wire for the stereo.



I tapped into the fuse block and ran a power wire to the switch that I added in my center console. I wanted a switch so I could turn it off when my laser jammer went off to avoid any extra attention.



Next I hooked everything up to the radar detector brain and stuffed it in behind the AC controls.



Here is everything installed inside the car with the cubby hole opened and closed. The cables do not interefere and cannot be seen. I do need to paint the back of the display unit but that is a small job.




I'll post pictures of the radar antenna and the laser paddle shifter things in a little while after I get them installed.

 

Done!

Here is a picture of the front bumper with the radar sensor at the bottom middle and the two laser jammers on both sides. They are even, straight, and level even though they don't look like it in the picture.

 

Nice Job Looks good. I've wanted to do something like that with a V1.

 

Very impressive work +1 for creativity.

 

When you re-install the monitor you may want to scrub the Passport name off. If you do happen to get pulled over you will get a ticket every time with a detector noticeable... if there were going to be a slight chance you would only get a warning, lol... Cool install! Will be interesting to see how you do the flush next time with such an odd shape.

 

Looks familiar.. =)





https://my350z.com/forum/audio-and-v...cs-no-56k.html

Great job!

 

It should, seeing yours is the reason I did mine like I did. I just need to get some trim or redo it so that it looks like it belongs there.

 

Inspiring minds.. all in a day's work =) LOL
How do you like the Passport? I struggled between getting the V1 or the 9500ix.. I don't think you can go wrong, but these days I wonder if I should have gone with the passport with all this speed/redlight camera business...
I am addicted to the arrows.. unfortunately.

 

I wanted to mount my laser jammers closer to the headlights:
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Here's my rear laser jammer (old pic):
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And here is where I mounted the readout:
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Did you use the speaker and mute button ?
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I had a Cobra before so anything would have been a huge step up. I am amazed at how much more warning the Escort gives me than the Cobra did. I still use the Cobra in my daily driver (09 Tacoma Sport TRD) and it is a joke. Today the K band went off with about 5 seconds notice, even when the cop went by me it was only a signal strength of 1.

For as much as I spent on this one it certainly is not the best rd available but I do like how it installs. I like it well enough that I am probably going to buy an 8500 (on ebay for $140) to use in my other vehicles.

 

Nice install. Are your front laser jammers straight with each other? It looks like they are running straight with the curve of the bumper and not straight with each other. It could just be the picture though.

I don't really need an external speaker. The speaker in the main unit is plenty loud enough even though it is behind the panel. The only time I can't hear it is when I have the stereo turned up louder than it probably should be.

 

I've had the front bumper off about 6 times since that picture....so they have been "aligned" a few times.

During 6 years that I have had this kit, I only got caught speeding once......my stereo was turned up so loud that I did not hear the Escort's warnings. My kit came with a LED that I did not mount (as suggested in a very visable spot). Maybe this would have helped me.

 

Hmmm, maybe I should mount that led afterall.