Widescreen LCD install in sun visors
If you want to draw a big crowd around your car at a show, you need a bunch of LCD screens.
The goods - Pyle PLVS7HM
A while back I used some 5" LCD screens from eBay. They were a generic no name brand. They were cheap, and they were bad quality. The plastic shroud looked terrible, and the picture quality was poor. I ripped them out of my headrests and saved up for some better ones.
I searched for new 7" screens. I looked at Clarion, but those were in the $350 range. I came across some cheap Pyle screens. I was nervous because the Pyle brand has a bad reputation. I read a few reviews saying Pyle's LCD screens are an exception to this. I ordered a few to test them out. If I was not happy with them I could always turn around and sell them on eBay.
The screens come with a slim remote control and 3 mounting options (visor shroud, headrest shroud, and headrest clamp).
I tested them out and was amazed at the picture quality. The plastic shrouds were very good looking, and the remote was very cool. At under $200 for a great quality 7" LCD, this was a winner!
The screen has 2 video inputs so you don't need a video switcher. You can show a movie on one screen and play a video game on another if you want. The remote controls all picture adjustments such as brightness, contrast, color, and tint. You can "invert" the picture in 4 different ways. This is perfect for backup cameras, or if you need to mount the screen upside down.
There is even a calendar built in. Although you can't sync it with your palm pilot, you can... Well I don't know why you need a calendar on a screen. The calendar says "BEST WISH FOR YOU" in bold text. And guess what... The screen even has Tetris, a built-in game that you control with the remote.
The bottom line: this screen is packed full with features, it looks clean, and most of all is easy on the budget.
The Install
I could have just ripped the mirrors out, used the included visor shroud and run the wire on the outside of the visor. However... I wanted to do this as clean as possible. I wanted the screen to sit flush with the visor. I wanted all wires hidden. And I wanted to re-upholster the visor with the same silver vinyl used in my seat and door panel inserts — "billet diamond" from Katzkin.
Before and After
Remove the visors
Start by removing the visor from the car. There were just 2 screws behind a plastic cover. Unplug the connector for the mirror light and set the visor on a workbench.
Both sides of the stock visor
Rip out of mirror
I am a guy. I don't think I've EVER used these mirrors.
Cut away the ugly tan vinyl.
It doesn't really work with the red and silver theme in my car.
Homelink garage door opener
Set it aside. I will re-install it later.
Starting to look pretty bare
After I removed the "pullout" extension. It would interfere with mounting the screen.
Sketch the cutout
I used a shroud to draw the cutout. Gotta love the turkey jerky!
Whip out the jigsaw
And don't forget work gloves.
A perfect fit
Wiring
The wires come straight out from the bottom side of the screen. The strain relief is quite bulky so I carefully cut it off to expose the 5 22 gauge wires inside. I use a dremel to cut out a hidden path for the wires in the visor.
I cut the wires so I could extend them a few inches as well as route them cleanly through the visor "hinge". I had to carefully solder them back together. There was not much room to work with so I couldn't use heat shrink, so I just used electrical tape.
Shave the back of the screen housing
There was an extrusion on the back of the LCD housing that would stick out past the visor if I didn't cut it off. So I unscrewed it from the screen and used a dremel to cut the extrusion off. I cut a piece of cardboard and taped it in place to protect the electronics.
Tidy up the wires
I pushed the screen into place and bundled the wires.
Re-mount the homelink garage door opener
The screen took some of the space where the garage door opener was. I had to cut a new hole to move the opener about an inch.
Fill voids
There are now a bunch of big holes from where I removed the homelink opener, the "pullout" extension, and the mirror. I taped off the screen and used "great stuff", expandable foam. It really is great stuff! I let it dry for one hour. I used a long razor blade to shave it down. I re-applied it in certain areas
Smoooooth it out
I used bondo body filler to smooth out parts of the visor that I had modified. It is amazing how many imperfections show through the vinyl. After a few coats of bondo, LOTS of sanding (wearing a dust mask of course), the visors were smooth on both sides. Oh, and I first used JB Weld glue to hold in the screens and homelink system.
Wrap it up
I decided to wrap each side of the visor with a separate piece of vinyl. Sewing was too complicated. I used a sharp razor blade to make an incision down the edges of the visor about .25" deep. Sort of like butterflying shrimp. I would then tuck the edges of the vinyl into these grooves.
I used 3M hi-strength 90 spray adhesive. I sprayed the back of the vinyl, and one side of the visor. I let it tack up for 30 seconds. Then I stuck the pieces together.
I pushed the vinyl down and smoothed it out. I then cut away the excess, leaving about .25" to tuck into the grooves with a very small slotted screwdriver. I used this method to finish the other side, including around the edges of the screen.
All done!
