GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

liquorboxracing wrote: I do not like this park brake safety wire feature now that I have it hooked up. I am going to bypass it with a relay in the next couple weeks. Basically it renders the head unit unable to play a DVD unless the parking brake is applied. I understand the concept behind it's design but would really like for passengers to be able to watch a DVD if on a road trip.

I am sure that you are done with this by now... but I found that simply grounding the parking brake wire to the head unit bypasses the parking brake safety. What did you end up doing? Maybe you said but I didn't see it anywhere

Plcd22 wrote:I am sure that you are done with this by now... but I found that simply grounding the parking brake wire to the head unit bypasses the parking brake safety. What did you end up doing? Maybe you said but I didn't see it anywhere

Actually I haven't done mine yet Plcd22. I have been so busy with work and some of the esthetics on my car that I haven't taken the time to change the wiring on the stereo. I had planed on either wiring it through a relay that would switch when the head unit was powered on or simply grounding it through a push button switch. I do need to make time to do that one evening.

liquorboxracing wrote:

Plcd22 wrote:I am sure that you are done with this by now... but I found that simply grounding the parking brake wire to the head unit bypasses the parking brake safety. What did you end up doing? Maybe you said but I didn't see it anywhere

Actually I haven't done mine yet Plcd22. I have been so busy with work and some of the esthetics on my car that I haven't taken the time to change the wiring on the stereo. I had planed on either wiring it through a relay that would switch when the head unit was powered on or simply grounding it through a push button switch. I do need to make time to do that one evening.

I see - Time has a way of slipping away before you know it...

Doesn't work on all head units but mine was very easy, took the (parking brake wire, think it was pink) and put one of those loop ends for going around a screw on it and then just removed one of the screws in the unit itself put the loop over it and screwed it back in and it was grounded and DVD played anytime!

Let us know when you get it and what rout you took! hope it is as easy for you as mine was!

I put my roof caps back on. These have been in my attic for the past 6 years. Can't remember why I took them off. I dug them out and ran a polisher over them at work yesterday and put them back on last night.

20160408_204222 by Tim Robbins, on Flickr

Super nice weekend ( finally! ) so I've had my camera out all weekend so far. Did some long exposure light painting shots of the Vibe tonight and thought I would share them.

IMG_4391web by Tim Robbins, on Flickr

IMG_4395web by Tim Robbins, on Flickr

Very cool pictures !

vibenvy wrote:Very cool pictures !

Thanks'! Shots like that are very fun to do. They take a bit of time, and some trial and error to nail the highlights without getting any light bleed or streaks, but man they fun to do. Here's a couple more from that set.

IMG_4410 by Tim Robbins, on Flickr

IMG_4399 by Tim Robbins, on Flickr

Well I decided tonight that instead of continuing my search for a functional strut tower brace, that was also designed with some esthetics in mind, that I would make my own. So I fired up the lap top and laid out the design in the Bend Tech Pro software from work. I wanted a double bar design like the DC stb's, and I wanted it made from good steel seamless tubing. I'll be using .8750 o.d. 4130 chromoly .035 wall thickness. I have an extra set of oem strut mount plates for my Vibe ordered, and will be making the brace bars weld to .125 thick steel plate tabs that will be fitted to the mount plates. This is design number one. Here's a couple screen shots of the assembly.

20160513_223502_HDR by Tim Robbins, on Flickr
left front 3/4 view

20160513_223441 by Tim Robbins, on Flickr
right front 3/4 view

20160513_223041 by Tim Robbins, on Flickr
top view

20160513_223028 by Tim Robbins, on Flickr
front view

I'll be messing around with some different designs before actually making the assembly. I'll post more designs later.

Nice mods. I doubt I'll be that ambitious but I'm doing a few upgrades to my '08 vibe to convince myself not to blow money on a new car. I notice that you got some TS-A1675R speakers that you installed. I was eyeing some on deep discount locally but crutchfield says they are not compatible. Did they cause any problems installing? I assume you put them in the back doors, but would they fit in the front?

how much to duplicate the roof rack delete? same color?
and great photography by the way

liquorboxracing wrote:Super nice weekend ( finally! ) so I've had my camera out all weekend so far. Did some long exposure light painting shots of the Vibe tonight and thought I would share them.

IMG_4391web by Tim Robbins, on Flickr

IMG_4395web by Tim Robbins, on Flickr

How do you get the pics with the under the hood view with the hood being shut? ive seen a ton of these but have no idea how it is done.

TraumaForYou wrote: How do you get the pics with the under the hood view with the hood being shut? ive seen a ton of these but have no idea how it is done.

You need a tripod. Take a photo with the hood up, then another with the hood closed.
In photoshop or a similar program you stack the two photos then mask one layer where you wan the one underneath (hood open) to show.
So imagine 2 photos stacked, the top one is the hood down...but there's a hole cut out in the middle of the hood.
...but that hole is digital and feathered around the edges nicely to blend.

8)
if you can send a photo from a tripod of your car from the angle you want
(one hood up and one hood down)
I'd be more than happy to do the editing for you

Never would have thought of that. pretty cool and thanks for the offer!