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Added HUD

TyroElite

TyroElite

New member
Well, I've had the parts around for nearly a year now and finally decided to tackle cutting a hole in my dash to put the HUD in. Its all in and working GREAT!!! Look for a how-to (video too) coming soon. As I was wrapping things up, I found an easier way to do things but I am waiting on some electrical pieces to be deliverd and then the how-to will show the "RIGHT" way to do it. I've missed having the HUD so much.
 


You guys just utterly amaze me. I have long believed that given a good environment in which to flourish, the community would respond. And all of you are proving this to be true with the tremendous amount of work everyone is putting into making the How To's and now a video one to boot (which I think will be a first).

Great job, I am eagerly looking forward to this How To, and I already have a HUD.
 
That's great!

Cars that came with factory HUDs have a special coating in the windshield. Did you use the special coated windshield? If not, how does it looks on the regular windshield?
 
I think it was Abrasive (correct me if I am wrong) that said the 'special' glass isnt necessary and you could use the regular windshield. Perhaps he will step in here and clarify things. Basically he is well qualified in this area and speaks from a certain amount of authority and expertise.
 
It looks very bright on my non-HUD windshield. There is a very slight amount of double image but not enough more than my buddy's GXP w/ HUD. I'd say its worth it with or without the HUD spec windshield.
 


Tyro, Id be interested in an experiment if you are up to is. Abrasive suggested that it was the distance from the HUD to the windshield that caused the issue with clarity. I have no reason to doubt him because as rynoman03 state, he knows his stuff.

That said, do you have anyone that could help out with this? If so, go out and sit in the car looking at the hud and have your helper kinda push down on the windshield from the outside and see if it makes a difference or if you can see changes in the focus of the HUD on the windshield.

Obviously you dont want to push down so hard you break something but I think that would take a lot with a windshield, but it would be interesting to hear what the results are, even better is if you could get pics. Maybe lay a black cloth or something over the windshield and have someone press on the outside of the windshield and you take pics. Just an idea.
 
I can do that. I can also try and just bring the HUD closer to the windshield and see if it changes at all. When I put the How-to up, Ill include that too. There are mounting points for the hud so I dont' know how the distance to the windshield could be different really but I'll try it out and see what happens.
 
TyroElite said:
I can do that. I can also try and just bring the HUD closer to the windshield and see if it changes at all. When I put the How-to up, Ill include that too. There are mounting points for the hud so I dont' know how the distance to the windshield could be different really but I'll try it out and see what happens.
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Of course someone thinking with more common sense than I would come up with a better solution. Geeeesh, well yeah, adjusting the hud would be a bit easier now wouldnt it.

There are hold down screws for it, I would assume that you could put washers or something there to move it closer to the windshield. Of course that is no help if it is already too close, but hey, its a start.
 
The hold down isn't verticle screws, they are kind of at an angle, more horizontal style so it wouldn't bring it closer that way. I did notice tonight that the higher(taller) I sit in my seat though, the less ghosting I can see. I need to do some more testing this week when my harness pins get here.
 
Well definitely keep us in the loop on this because as far as I know you would be the only one to have done any kind of testing like this. If you were to stumble across something that allowed you to adjust height to some degree (lower or higher) I would say you be a star in the community amongst those that have had windshields replaced.
 


This is cool, I added the HUD to my 02 GT about a year back, the double image used to bother me but now I am used to it, but if It could be fixed with shims that would be awesome, and I am willing to verify effectiveness if you need.

Oh, and did your car have the harness hidden in the dash, or did you have to add it?
 
well, it had the plug for the HUD in the dash but strangely it was masking taped off to the side to another harnes... I've never seen a factory wiring harness masking tapped off. It didn't have the harnes for the control knob though.

How much double image do you see? Mine is mostly seen in the smaller words (MPH and temp etc) and it is a ghost image about 1/8 to 1/4 inch above the main numbering.

On another note, I drove my buddy's GXP tonight and my HUD is actually brighter than his is. How weird is that!
 
Yeah, thats how my wiring was, the one for the switch was there, but it was taped over behind the radio:confused:

It is cheaper for them to make one harness and tape off the extras than to make two of them and try to get the right one in the right car(inventories, part numbers lots of extra stuff they try to avoid).....

The double image is only at night and maybe 1/16 of an inch or smaller, If i go through a drive-thru at night and the HUD brightens(goes into daymode) the double image disapears if that helps any


On a side note, when the imports were actualy imported this was common, sometimes the switch would be there under the dash with the wires on all cars(usualy for a/c) and only used if said acc. was added...oh and they would send the parts in the trunk
 
you have an 02 right? They have the HUD controls on the dash off to the side somwhere I believe. In the 04+ like mine they have the control in the center by the shifter. There is a seperate wiring harness that they would install for cars with traction control/HUD controls that has most but not all of it run already. The last part is what I'm waiting on my pins to get here for. :)

During my install, I did take apart the HUD unit itself to see what was rattling inside. Turns out it was a small plastic piece but I couldn't find where it had come from so I just took it out. WHile I was looking, I found that there are 2 mirrors used not 1 like I think some previous models used. I think that may play a part in the focusing issues. I also found that there is some small LED or sensor on the top half of the HUD unit. Its right near the plastic window and would shine towards the front of the car. I'm not sure what it is exactly. I could be a sensor for daytime/nighttime but I would have guessed it to use the same thing the DIC uses to switch from day to night mode. Any other guesses on that?
 


just an interesting note-- i have the HUD in my 97, original. i dont see ghosting on my HUD. (at least never normally) so i assume that my windshield is original (or is still a HUD coated replacement) ... on my way to work this morning, i kinda slouched down in my seat, and bingo, see a bit of ghosting! so it's perhaps related to seat position and window position.
 
Seems like we got the makings for a good experiment here to solve a long time issue/debate amongst the community. Ive never noticed any ghosting in my HUD, at least not that I can recall or stood out to me, but I'll be looking for it now when I get the car fired back up.
 
SyntheticShield said:
Seems like we got the makings for a good experiment here to solve a long time issue/debate amongst the community. Ive never noticed any ghosting in my HUD, at least not that I can recall or stood out to me, but I'll be looking for it now when I get the car fired back up.
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i equate the situation to the auto-dim in my regal's driver outside rear view mirror, and for that matter, the one in my suburban as well. if i have the mirror tilted such that im not looking straight into it, i get the ghosting of the real reflection WITH the darkened image!
 
I think that seems to make a lot of sense. The front mirror that actually points the reflection at the windshield is actually slightly curved to increase the size of what is reflected. I think this may also help to further the effects of ghosting.
 
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