- Joined
- 25 February 2012
- Messages
- 2,165
It's finally time to make a thread, I think. All my work on the car thus far has been fixing little things that broke or were neglected by previous owners. But lately, I've been able to actually do stuff I want to do to it.
This build is inspired by the Audi R8 "Blackbird edition" (google it) - that car is black so the name fits, my car is Midnight Pearl so I've dubbed it the "Midnight Run" edition. Also inspired by Alex Roy's book The Driver, the film 32 Hours 7 Minutes, and so on.
Essentially the goal is a clean, stealthy, fully reversible long-distance road rally build.
A couple of things I've already done:
scorp's excellent mirror mount and hardwire for the V1
Centric (StopTech) slotted rotors and Hawk HP+ pads
Koyo radiator
CT Gen 2 headers & gen 1 exhaust
So now the build can begin in earnest!
Last year I set up a Uniden HP-1 scanner and attached a SpectrumForce VHF antenna to the rear hatch garnish.
That system worked well for a while, but I really don't get enough range off that tiny antenna, and having the scanner flopping around loose in the car while driving is pretty annoying. So I decided a more permanent installation was in order...
First order of business: a better head unit. I needed something with enough aux inputs for all the analog gear, and enough USB ports to charge all the iToys. The Pioneer DEH-80PRS fit the bill so I picked up a spare center console and a double DIN bracket (why DDIN for an SDIN radio, you ask? Keep reading) and got to work.
So, what am I going to put in the other DIN slot? Well, on 11/16, Uniden is said to be announcing their next generation of scanners, including a single-din model which will likely include all the advanced functionality and flexibility of the HP-1.
What to do about antennas? The little SpectrumForce doesn't really give me the range or clarity I want, especially for low-band stuff like CB and the frequencies used by our very favorite California Highway Patrol.
A friend kindly donated a spare OEM spoiler. On this spoiler I intend to mount four antennas - three for the scanner, linked up through a thing called a triplexer (basically turns an array of antennas into one big antenna), plus one for a CB radio. The antennas will be removable and will screw down to NMO (New MOtorola) mounts which will be drilled into the spoiler.
I dropped the spoiler off at the body shop this morning to get drilled out and painted purple:
The head unit is currently driving the OEM speakers but I may add some deck-powered tweeters because the scanner chatter is currently a bit hard to understand (what with it being down by my feet and all).
Other plans include a laser interceptor and hopefully the Raytheon night vision system from the 01-05 Cadillac Deville. I've got a navpod bracket on hand so if I am able to make the night vision work that is where the display for it will go. Also planning to machine a custom piece for the panavise mount to allow the attachment of a 2nd phone (one running Waze and one running V1Connection) as well as provide a place to clip the CB mic.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
This build is inspired by the Audi R8 "Blackbird edition" (google it) - that car is black so the name fits, my car is Midnight Pearl so I've dubbed it the "Midnight Run" edition. Also inspired by Alex Roy's book The Driver, the film 32 Hours 7 Minutes, and so on.
Essentially the goal is a clean, stealthy, fully reversible long-distance road rally build.
A couple of things I've already done:
scorp's excellent mirror mount and hardwire for the V1
Centric (StopTech) slotted rotors and Hawk HP+ pads
Koyo radiator
CT Gen 2 headers & gen 1 exhaust
So now the build can begin in earnest!
Last year I set up a Uniden HP-1 scanner and attached a SpectrumForce VHF antenna to the rear hatch garnish.
That system worked well for a while, but I really don't get enough range off that tiny antenna, and having the scanner flopping around loose in the car while driving is pretty annoying. So I decided a more permanent installation was in order...
First order of business: a better head unit. I needed something with enough aux inputs for all the analog gear, and enough USB ports to charge all the iToys. The Pioneer DEH-80PRS fit the bill so I picked up a spare center console and a double DIN bracket (why DDIN for an SDIN radio, you ask? Keep reading) and got to work.
So, what am I going to put in the other DIN slot? Well, on 11/16, Uniden is said to be announcing their next generation of scanners, including a single-din model which will likely include all the advanced functionality and flexibility of the HP-1.
What to do about antennas? The little SpectrumForce doesn't really give me the range or clarity I want, especially for low-band stuff like CB and the frequencies used by our very favorite California Highway Patrol.
A friend kindly donated a spare OEM spoiler. On this spoiler I intend to mount four antennas - three for the scanner, linked up through a thing called a triplexer (basically turns an array of antennas into one big antenna), plus one for a CB radio. The antennas will be removable and will screw down to NMO (New MOtorola) mounts which will be drilled into the spoiler.
I dropped the spoiler off at the body shop this morning to get drilled out and painted purple:
The head unit is currently driving the OEM speakers but I may add some deck-powered tweeters because the scanner chatter is currently a bit hard to understand (what with it being down by my feet and all).
Other plans include a laser interceptor and hopefully the Raytheon night vision system from the 01-05 Cadillac Deville. I've got a navpod bracket on hand so if I am able to make the night vision work that is where the display for it will go. Also planning to machine a custom piece for the panavise mount to allow the attachment of a 2nd phone (one running Waze and one running V1Connection) as well as provide a place to clip the CB mic.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned!