jgaz 546 Posted January 18, 2022 10 hours ago, theksmith said: he has an aftermarket stereo with a dedicated backup camera input, so the generic camera just plugged right in (RCA style plug). then we tapped the reverse lights for power to the camera, so when you put it in reverse the camera comes alive and the head unit then sees a signal so it switches the screen to that input automatically. Thank you Kris. Ever seen any decent installations with a stand alone screen? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 3,852 Posted January 18, 2022 14 minutes ago, jgaz said: Thank you Kris. Ever seen any decent installations with a stand alone screen? not personally. though in my research the brand Boyo has come up a few times as having inexpensive but decent cameras/screens - a few steps above the random generic brands on Amazon. i usually trust the reviews and details provided on Crutchfield.com when shopping for audio/video. something like this for a Jeep or car might work well and be a clean install: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_707VT1743M/Boyo-VTC1743M-Bundle.html?tp=83 or, if you have an RV or trailer you want to put a camera on, then you're probably looking for a quality wireless system with a bigger screen? i would be hesitant to get a wireless system for a daily driver though. my concern would be the startup/switching time for all that extra technology. i find even the very minor initial delay on my Pioneer head-unit to be annoying... after cranking, it shows a "warning" screen briefly before it can do anything, including switching to the backup camera. once it's up and running, then it switches nearly instantly if shifted to reverse though. Brady has a BOSS head unit, and it's the same overall experience. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jgaz 546 Posted January 18, 2022 Thank you Kris. Very helpful as always. I apologize for the derail. I love to see Brady “hands on” with the mods on his Jeep. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 3,852 Posted January 18, 2022 12 minutes ago, jgaz said: I love to see Brady “hands on” with the mods on his Jeep. me too! he's got a packed school schedule and a part-time job, so finding time to work on it with him is difficult, but he seems to love it when we do. 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 3,852 Posted January 29, 2022 (edited) we took Fiona and Gadget on a short trail over near Lake Pleasant this morning. Edited January 30, 2022 by theksmith 5 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dzJeepChic 2,445 Posted January 29, 2022 Awesome photos! 1st one is my fave... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stacey and Scott 1,176 Posted January 29, 2022 4 hours ago, theksmith said: we took Fiona and Gadget on a short trail over near Lake Pleasant this morning. Father and son, old and gray young and green. Accidentally on purpose subconscious messaging...? Things that make you go hmm?? 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SonoranWanderer 403 Posted January 31, 2022 On 1/17/2022 at 7:47 PM, theksmith said: i find even the very minor initial delay on my Pioneer head-unit to be annoying... after cranking, it shows a "warning" screen briefly before it can do anything, including switching to the backup camera. once it's up and running, then it switches nearly instantly if shifted to reverse though. Brady has a BOSS head unit, and it's the same overall experience. In the FYI, just in case anyone cares, the Kenwood units run the backup camera as highest priority, even above the accept/warning screen. Or at least that has been my experience with two separate Kenwood units ordered in 2017 (DDX774BH) and 2020 (DMX907S). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 3,852 Posted March 31, 2022 (edited) Fiona got a hard-top! Brady has wanted one since we got her, but even used they typically goes for around $1,500 - on the rare occasion you can find one locally. well thanks to @Number7's knack for spotting Craigslist deals, we picked one up with slight damage for an absolute steal, even including the $150 in gas to retrieve it from Kingman. FYI, an entire soft-top does just barely fit inside a 2-door if you take out the rear and passenger seats! 😅 the previous owner damaged a rear corner while taking it off. besides that and a few minor scrapes and scratches, it was in good shape. we'll try to do a proper fiberglass repair at some point, but i threw on a piece of duct-tape for now to get it through the car-wash without further damage. it could really use some tint... but an engine/trans skid and a couple new tires are the more immediate needs. also, me driving it to Kingman and back really upped the priority of adding cruise control! BTW, we now have a factory soft top for sale if anyone needs one! Edited March 31, 2022 by theksmith 5 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shellback91 1,756 Posted March 31, 2022 22 minutes ago, theksmith said: Fiona got a hard-top! Brady has wanted one since we got her, but even used they typically goes for around $1,500 - on the rare occasion you can find one locally. well thanks to @Number7's knack for spotting Craigslist deals, we picked one up with slight damage for an absolute steal, even including the $150 in gas to retrieve it from Kingman. FYI, an entire soft-top does just barely fit inside a 2-door if you take out the rear and passenger seats! 😅 the previous owner damaged a rear corner while taking it off. besides that and a few minor scrapes and scratches, it was in good shape. we'll try to do a proper fiberglass repair at some point, but i threw on a piece of duct-tape for now to get it through the car-wash without further damage. it could really use some tint... but an engine/trans skid and a couple new tires are the more immediate needs. also, me driving it to Kingman and back really upped the priority of adding cruise control! BTW, we now have a factory soft top for sale if anyone needs one! 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
