I wanted to contribute this, because there didn't seem to be an all in one DIY, that addressed permanent on position hard wired radar detectors. So enjoy/ check out what I did with my afternoon.

1. The first thing we do is take an inventory

you will need the following from amazon.

a. blendmount kit
b. add a fuse micro
c. electrical tape
d. a pair of scissors and some pliers.
e. hard wire kit for your model radar detector
d. 10mm socket.
(the extra stuff like the small zip ties I use etc. should come with your kit you order)



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what we have here is an add -a- fuse, an escort direct wire kit, and a "blendmount" I favor the blendmount because it is completely adustable, and I gurentee you there is one out there for whatever bletronic, escort, or valtine you're running. (Todays install is a 9500ix)

2. we then test fit the radar detector, because no one is perfect.



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3. We then remove the radar detector, and the right side of the blendmount, install it in place tightening the lower bolts first, then the upper.



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4. Then install the radar detector back on the mount and aligning it, be sure to have it forward enough you can access the power button on your radar detector.



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now good job, you're half way there. It's up, but it doesn't have any juice. So lets get to wiring


5. Now this is your fuse box to the right of your clutch pedal. Take the door off to access it.



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6. Now look at the back of the door, pull the "audio" fuse and a spare fuse, then install them in your add-a-fuse



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7. Clip your direct wire kit 3m connector to the add-a-fuse (it will most likely be blue, it's hard to miss even though it's small but you'll need some pliers to get it to click into place)



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8. install your add-a-fuse back into the audio fuse circuit



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9. pull out your direct wire kit. You can use one with or without the secondary control. I like to use one with, where I can press a button to mute my radar detector to the left of me, instead of toward my mirror (police officers notice the "mirror move" when you get clocked)



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10. put your secondary control in the corner of your a piller on the drivers side. then snake the wire down into the crack toward the fuse box.



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11. now once you reach the bottom, go over the top and down into the fuse box.



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12. connect the positive side to the 3m connector. crush and wrap with tape, the other side of your add-a-fuse.



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13. snake, your ground cable out behind your fuse box.



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14. undo the bolt at the 12 o'clock position under the accelerator (10mm) and then slide the ground on to the bolt, and then bolt it down.


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15. snake the wire up the drivers side a piller.



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16. push the power cord in above the radar detector, so you know how much drop down you'll need.



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17. Push all the excess wire into the headliner of the car.



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18. Use a second small zip tie to connect the power cable of the radar detector to the home link controls, this will help it blend. Clip off the extra.



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19. Enjoy a very clean, very effective install. Push the power to turn it on, push the power to turn it off. No annoying auto start every time you crank the engine, so you wont look like a tool to any passengers you have.



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20. From the outside it will look as follows.



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let me know your thoughts guys.

 

or just buy the kit the uses the homelink for power much cleaner

 

i dig it, nice job, thanks for the time and effort of posting this for us. appreciated.

 

The point of this install was to hard wire with constant power. I control when it's off and on, instead of it just booting on with the car. This makes it so it doesn't do the annoying beep power up every time I start the car to drive 5 minutes. The Homelink wiring is linked to the car running (not the battery), e.g. when it's on, it's on .. when it's off, it's off. This is ok, but not what I wanted. The purpose of this build was to avoid that entirely.



Thanks man, I really appreciate it.

 

zip tied ground?
After 15 years in installation.... i can say at least i have that ive never seen...
i sure wouldnt recommend that anyone ground anything in their car that way.
split the end of the ring, push it down correctly, and add a fastener on top.. theres plenty of stuff in there to ground properly to ..
just a tip is all.
When it stops working after 2k miles, that would be the first place i look for sure.

 

There is a bolt it bumps up against, now you can screw a bolt to the end of the screws protruding edge, or you can cap it. But a plastic zip tie works surprisingly well to insulate it, and because of the diameter of the screw it is properly grounded, as there is no play (there are also 2 fuses between my radar detector and the power source) the tape acts to fully cover any exposed edge. Check with me in 2k miles, and I'll tell you how well it worked ... because a zip tie is for all intents and purposes a plastic fastener when used this way.


that said, if the damn thing shorts ... it's a 25 cent fix.

 

At least a zip tie is somewhat permanent, I had someone tell me their friend told them to duct the ground wire from their deck to a piece of metal.

Great write up, pretty good install. I don't like the placement of the remote button. I like my car to look as factory as possible so that probably why. I should of did a write up on my install.

I made my own mirror bracket from about $6 in material from Lowes. And I made my own direct wire kit from the plug that goes in the lighter and a 10' piece of phone line. Involved some soldering. Whole project took about 2 hours (+time for paint to dry) and cost me about $15. I wish I had the patients to make DIY's because I have some pretty good ideas.

Personally I would just unbolt that nut and put that ring connector on there. Keep up the good work.

 

I think if it come to it, I'll just add two bolts and sandwich it.

 

ok, I changed it ... because I'm linking to it in my sig ... be happy, but for the record it still worked.

 

Maybe it's because I have a V1 but man... all I needed was:

1. V1
2. Blendmount
3. Wire pig tail(http://store.blendmount.com/mirrorta...px?Thread=True)

It requires less work and looks a million times better IMO.

 

the v1 has a sequential piggie back (eg. Radar --------box ------convertor ------ control) the escort has a split power (eg power-----box-----radar)

There is no way to make it cleaner short of changing the mounting position of the radar control box, and if you want to, you can. I just like having it right infront of me.

 

Sunglass cubby maybe? I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard with basic fab skills and my sunglasses don't fit in mine so it's useless for me, I bet very little people use it or even less know it's there.

 

I have old school raybans I was thinking my broke *** ashtray could make use as a mounting point, I just may have to lengthen the cable. But for the average DIY kind of guy, this is a good (not scary) way to getting use to working on/with the electrical system ... which most new tuners are scared shitless of, so I thought I would throw it up. I mean hell make it your own. I'll probably re-wire this late and cubby and or ashtray mount it.

 

are you a 6-speed? If you are the coinholder is a bad place to put the control head because you'll be hitting it all the time. I rest my arm there when I'm cruising.

 

.... yes I'm 6 speed ...




I was thinking I would dremel the lower and mount it with just a flip cover lid, so I could ride with it closed, or open.

FYI my coin holder broke (just like everyone else with a track edition) and I'm going to have to replace it so I may "mod" the one that's in there broke.

 

This is a great DIY by the way.

I'd rather not have the hassle of turning it on and off every time I get in/out of the car. But I do really like the secondary controls near the steering wheel (so I don't have to reach all the way to the top of the windshield every time I wish to press a button) so I don't believe the rear view mirror power tap will work with secondary controls.

Does anyone know if the "hard wire" (the Beltronics Direct Wire SmartCord) can be used so that the radar detector will turn on automatically when you start the car?

 

I wish my Z wasn't a base or else I would have already hooked mine up to my mirror.

I guess my option is to do something similar to this, however, I want mine to turn on and turn off with the car

 

Okay I just installed mine exactly like this DIY and the radar detector doesn't turn off when I turn off the car. Here's my question, If I were to plug in to a a different fuse than the audio fuse hole, would it turn on and off with the car? If so, which one?

 

To answer my above question for future readers. Use the one of the "blower" fuse spots if you want the radar detector to turn on and off with the car. It works perfectly!