Mirror tap and Fuse tap for Detector or Dash Cam?

[HyperM3]

I'm gonna be real with all you. That wire seems like a "theft deterrent" sorta wire. Does not seem relevant to actually keeping this cover assembly securely attached. Once you understand how it works getting it off is easy. But in order to re attach it with the rearview mirror still attached seems next to impossible. I just unclipped it and deleted that SOB.

Sorry to be a pain, but can you take a picture a little farther away showing all the clips and how they are oriented?

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[Rapture2423]

Sorry to be a pain, but can you take a picture a little farther away showing all the clips and how they are oriented?

No worries. Still sitting here trying to finish but keep getting phone calls lol

 

[Rapture2423]

You do have to start with the middle smaller piece pulling down and back towards rear of vehicle.

Then I just started around the upper edges one at a time using both hands. Didn't even need to use a trim tool. The bottom clips are the most stubborn. Don't be afraid to up the strength pull there. Once it dangles free you can slide your hand behind to feel that wire to twist.

 

[HyperM3]

No worries. Still sitting here trying to finish but keep getting phone calls lol

Damn, those pieces look huge. Why did I imagine them being much smaller to remove.

 

[Rapture2423]

Damn, those pieces look huge. Why did I imagine them being much smaller to remove.

They are closeups in 4:3 ratio on my Galaxy S24 probably why. I've done about a dozen mirror taps now and now that you mention it this is the largest cover I've had to remove before.

 

[Rapture2423]

Just to be clear. If you delete that wire just snip it. Don't mess with the clip it's attached to. That is an opening for another clip on the cover assembly for secure fit.

 

[Rapture2423]

Came out great in the end. Honestly took longer to make all the micro adjustments to the Blendmount to ensure the RD was level and far back as I like it.

 

[a77cj7]

Ahh interesting. I actually had some back and forth with them as they couldn't recognize the mirror and wanted to make sure the mount I picked would work. They advised that even if both mounts fit, it would be too heavy for the mirror. Probably true but I have both on my CTS-V and it's bared the weight lol. They did mention getting the m2 camera but I want to stick with Blackvue so not really an option. I'll have to look into modification like you suggested. I'd thought about it before and I think you're on to something, surely it can be modified fairly easily.

Took some pics of two of my setups, maybe it can give you ideas.


9500/m2 setup is in my fiancés ford fusion sport. You can see i had to extend the power harness as escort never intended their cams to work with the older style detectors.

https://ibb.co/yyZDP84
https://ibb.co/Pw4tVwK


Redline/m1 setup is in my bimmer.

https://ibb.co/xhW2HdF
https://ibb.co/XxHdWZC


Both run off mirrortaps on switched power, so no park functionality.


For my RR, I skipped the mirror tap and ordered the long cord, will feed it constant power for park functionality. Still no rear cam though.

The blackvue mount is much larger, but maybe you can make a twin setup work. Perhaps a longer bar on the bottom of the clamp that mounts both the mounts side by side? They both bolt flat to the mirror stem clamp. Will be some custom fab work.

 

[jrRaptor]

Glad ya'll were able to figure it out. I haven't been able to get out and take apart again and take pics yet. So thanks for the added details. Ya that clip is confusing and seemingly useless and probably not really needed.

Took the Blendmounts apart this morning to see if I can swap components and get them to work and it looks like it's pretty doable. I'll need to run to Ace Hardware this afternoon to get a couple longer bolts but it looks like I can sandwich the mounts together and eliminate one of the mirror clamps. Adjustments will be a pain but it's likely the only option. It looks like Blendmount designs their brackets to be somewhat modular which is a huge convenience. Hopefully I can get everything mounted tonight.

I'll take pics and show my solution just in case anyone is interested. It's strictly for a Blackvue DR970x+ LTE and Escort 9500ix, but the Blendmount's appear to be modular enough a lot of combos could be achieved.

 

[jrRaptor]

Hardware for the Blendmount's is #6-32 hex socket head cap screws. I picked up a few various lengths but really only needed to account for the added thickness of the radar detector mount bracket.

I'll mount it later and get pics but it should work nicely. The only drawback being adjustments left to right are going to be a pain in the butt. I also still need to run the wiring. I got fuse taps for the dash cam so I'll play around with the multimeter and the kick panel fuse box when I have time. The dash cam will need both constant 12v and ACC for park mode and LTE connection, camera has a voltage cut off so I don't drain the battery. The rear cam I'm not sure how to mount yet. the rear slider window will be a bit tricky probably. Open for ideas from the Ranger hive mind if anyone has any. I haven't googled possible solutions yet.

Blendmounts for Escort 9500ix and Blackvue DR970x LTE plus

This is the type of mount you need because of the space between the mirror and plastic trim and the length of the stalk - minimal clearance, less than 4 tenths of an inch.

I removed the clamp portion from the radar detector mount and removed the bolts from the dash cam mount and sandwiched the two together with longer bolts.

End result:

I'll get pics of everything mounted tonight, even if for just mock up. I'll have to remove everything for the window tint installation next weekend anyways.

 

[jrRaptor]

Dash cam and radar detector mounted

Ran the wiring last night and used fuse taps into the Passenger Compartment Fuse Box under the steering wheel. Fuse sizes are micro2 and micro3, I used micro2 - specifically the wireless charger (fuse spot #3) (need to find different fuse location, this is constant power for some reason, credit to @donnellb in this thread for suggestion micro3 fuse # 21 and 22 ) for ACC, and one of the spare (not used) fuse spots for battery (#28 I think). Rear cam wiring is tucked away for now until I find a mounting solution. I may try to 3D print something or just bend some sheet metal into something I can wedge between the headliner to keep rear cam stationary where the rear slider opens. More to come on that.

As for the dash cam, took me a while to get the LTE connection working. That was a pain in the ass. I do like that I can get a live view wherever I am. Really wish the Ranger's wi-fi was always on, that would be very convenient for cloud based dash cams and would negate the necessity for LTE. I have voltage shut-off set at 12.0v and so far it's doing good. I've been getting a lot of Park Mode videos saved but no push notifications so I'll have to figure that out.

I'd like to eventually upgrade the radar detector but this one has served me well to the point I had it rebuilt when it died. It works really well in my opinion. I need to lock out some of the bands because certain cars with radar make driving annoying (looking at you, Honda, Acura, and some Jeeps).

 

[Rapture2423]

Very cool end result. I have that dashcam with the dedicated battery in another vehicle. Now I'm tempted... how does the whole rig seem/sound while driving? Seem stable? Thanks for sharing

 

[jrRaptor]

Very cool end result. I have that dashcam with the dedicated battery in another vehicle. Now I'm tempted... how does the whole rig seem/sound while driving? Seem stable? Thanks for sharing

Very stout. If you tighten all the hardware, it's not budging, no added noise or rattling. Dash cam probably weighs less than the radar detector, the size is deceiving.

 

[Rapture2423]

Very stout. If you tighten all the hardware, it's not budging, no added noise or rattling. Dash cam probably weighs less than the radar detector, the size is deceiving.

Have you thought about running some washers or a spacer on the right side screw of the body clamp? Does the radar detector want to swivel left or right in the current config?

 

[jrRaptor]

Have you thought about running some washers or a spacer on the right side screw of the body clamp? Does the radar detector want to swivel left or right in the current config?

No, actually the swivel screw for the dash cam is covered by the radar mount. So to adjust the dash you have to remove the radar detector mount. It's a lot of work. But I centered it by eyeball and it was pretty much perfect. Tightened everything up and it doesn't budge, which could be good or bad depending how you look at it.

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