"taking Oval To Blue Horizon" Lenny's Build Thread 2010-2015

[jimimaseye]

Following someone's recommendation earlier in this thread and inspired by Lenny, I bought some LED panels for a boot light replacement.

Well I have received and installed today. BLIMEY O'REILLY they are bright. Look at this:

_{(apologies of this picture has since been deleted in the future)}

I bought these: ebay..listing

Its a shame I have to close the boot whilst driving around. :-)

[SeanW]

I even used a couple in my front footwells :D

[GingerFlame]

I've just added LED footwell lights! LED's for the win!

Just need to replace the strip in my boot & then jobs a good en'

[Lenny]

Its a boy yall 11:43 Tadhg woods :)

[JC600]

Congratulations!!! :D

[SeanW]

N'awwhhh :-)

Welcome to world little man

And congratulations to Mum & Dad

Bet his sisters can't wait to bully, err, spoil him :D

So, Lenny, when does he get his first set of spanners?

[Lenny]

Congratulations!!! :D

N'awwhhh :-)

Welcome to world little man

And congratulations to Mum & Dad

Bet his sisters can't wait to bully, err, spoil him :D

So, Lenny, when does he get his first set of spanners?

Thanks guys,

First set of spanners for sure lol

Car rallys and everything :)

[Hassen]

Congratulations to Lenny and Vicki. Hope mother and baba are doing well.

Lenny, bet you can't wait for him to work on the car with you :p

[Wheels93]

Congrats to you both!! Look after yourselves and i hope you are all ok.Take Care!

[Focus-Jonny]

Awww congrats to you both! Amazing news!

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC mobile app

[Lenny]

Congratulations to Lenny and Vicki. Hope mother and baba are doing well.

Lenny, bet you can't wait for him to work on the car with you :p

You reckon he will be crawling around by May 2015 ?

I could attach some cables and send em under the dash phishing cables

Congrats to you both!! Look after yourselves and i hope you are all ok.Take Care!

Awww congrats to you both! Amazing news!

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC mobile app

Thanks very much guys

[jgriff]

Congrats folks

[Lenny]

Congrats folks

Thanks very much John,

Haven't had much time to be on here lately im exhausted got me apron on doing the dishes and washing machine.

They got home at 14:00 on Monday,

Extra job to watch the two girls with him as they never saw a newborn before,

[Hassen]

That's an adorable picture. The girls look more like their mum now Lenny. Does he look more like you? :P

[SeanW]

That's an adorable picture. The girls look more like their mum now Lenny. Does he look more like you? :P

That's a good thing, right?

*runs away before Vicki reads this :D*

[Stoney871]

He's toothless, wrinkled, smells of wee and has a breast fixation (but enough about Lenny ;) )

[VickiW]

That's a good thing, right?

*runs away before Vicki reads this :D*

Keep running sean!!!!

He's toothless, wrinkled, smells of wee and has a breast fixation (but enough about Lenny ;) )

Lol so true Clive ... He has Lennys hair line but with my genes being pure breed he's defo on my side of the family thank god! Even lenny fancies my dad lol

[Stoney871]

Even lenny fancies my dad lol

Err, worried now.

[Lenny]

That's an adorable picture. The girls look more like their mum now Lenny. Does he look more like you? :P

Thanks Hassan mate, thankfully the kids got there looks from vicki's side of the family, the only looks like me when he's got wind or he's hungry he's got my arrogant streak honestly though in regards to crying he's only cried four times since coming home on Monday wouldn't know you had him atall,

Looks really cute when he's yawning lol and making little gurgle noises :)

He's toothless, wrinkled, smells of wee and has a breast fixation (but enough about Lenny ;) )

ill get you back for that some day...

Lol so true Clive ... He has Lenny's hair line but with my genes being pure breed he's defo on my side of the family thank god! Even Lenny fancies my dad lol

Err, worried now.

No i just said he's a good looking fella for his age, and so is your mom.

[Lenny]

Update:

I was debating whether or not to put this in as an update but decided to follow through with it as it may help others whom find themselves with a five door focus and three kids

If your out there bro; Lenny feels your pain 😉

Three kids seats do fit snug in the back of the focus,

That's two booster seats with back support and a carry cott isofix base,

The only problem is reaching down to locate the seatbelt sockets between the booster seats while the kid is sitting in the seat is impossible.

As result ive purchased some seat belt extension sockets

See link to recommend supplier:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/190871699952?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

These arrived within two weeks from China and are top quality,

The plug rite in to the existing seat belt socket and leave around 2" of belt with attached seatbelt socket above the level of the booster seat where the children can easily buckle up themselves.

"picture of fitted in daylight update tomorrow"

[Lenny]

In Ford related News:

The Final three build thread progress updates of 2014

will be post on here in the next 3 days

Looking forward to this myself will have difficulty sleeping tonight tomorrow's update is gonna be -32°C straight from North Pole :)

Two on Saturday (tomorrow)

One on Monday 24th November

[Lenny]

Christmas Update:

Very excited about today's update, :)

I've long awaited for this arrival from the North Pole and all i can say is; Santa Claus has really brought the ICE this year y'all :)

As some of you already know from previous posts and the shopping list; my initial choice of headunit was the Pioneer AVH-5600BT see link to highly recommended seller:

http://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/pioneer-avh-x5600bt-2-din-car-cd-mp3-dvd-player-7-screen-bluetooth.html

It is a very well specked unit with every feature one expects from a modern day headunit and comes at a very reasonable price,

The only problem i encountered with it suiting my needs was it only has one USB socket,

Now one is generally enough for most "normal people" so allow me to explain in more detail:

Okay so Vicki has an iPhone 4S and quite a bit of music on it, she drives the car 50% of the time as result i added the Pioneer CA-IW.201S to the list,

It connects to the media port & the USB at rear of headunit.

I personally don't have an iPhone, I've never had an iPhone nor any description of Apple device,

I personally prefer Windows and Android,

As result i bought the USB/3.5mm AUX input for myself to replace the 12V socket in the centre console as saw below:

I had planned on routing the X5600BT's USB socket in to the glovebox aswell as routing both the iPhone cable and Aux port USB to that location where they could be plugged & swapped as required,

However there was one issue with this and a potential error,

1. Its messy, and ugh "settling for second best and knowing best is available"

Not exactly an upgrade spending that kind of money its gotta be right not second best or tolerating.

2. Potential error as the media link would be constantly connected at the rear of the headunit while the USB source would be streaming from an Android device 50% of the time this may create an error and never work in practice.

I re-examined the range that Pioneer had to offer and found the Pioneer AVH-X8600BT to be more suited to my requirements for a little more money.

See link:

http://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/pioneer-avh-x8600bt-appradio-multimedia-car-cd-dvd-7-lcd-bluetooth-usb-stereo.html

Overall there's no cosmetic differences between the

Pioneer AVH-X5600BT

&

Pioneer AVH-X8600BT

on appearance they look identical,

There both 50wx4 which is irrelevant in my case anyways as ill be using the three sets of RCA's to feed two dedicated Amplifier's

There's lots of technical jargon in the difference alright between the two but main differences between them is the additional USB port, HDMI port, and detachable screen.

Purchasing this headunit instead of the proposed Pioneer AVH-X5600BT guaranteed 100% seamless compatibility with both Apple and Android devices

without the need to be plugging and unplugging cables behind the dash

because part of an upgrade is to make life more convenient rite? :)

Results now are:

In the centre console there is a dedicated plug for Apple Devices

The 12v socket is replaced with a USB & 3.5mm AUX input,

All are constantly connected to the headunit capable of playing any device while keeping it safe and hidden inside the armrest compartment.

It's still compatable with the Pioneer CZX-5497A - Auto EQ Mic aswell

Which we discussed on page 45 of this thread,

Also arrived today along with the headunit :)

ill be using it to self calibrate once Speakers have been upgraded in May 2015.

So without further adieu here's some pictures of the new headunit :)

More pictures later when i calm myself down :)

[Lenny]

Update:

Saw these 12V socket Voltage Gauges on eBay pretty Cheap price but good quality,

Recommended Supplier: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201121573028?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Ideal for plugging in to the 12v socket in the boot compartment to keep a close eye on the battery.

Arrived today from "uk" but really arrived from China, seller claims to be UK resident but items ship from China took 15 days to arrive but still all good.

The HD dual camera discreet DVR system purchased on 30th October has also arrived from Hong Kong took 20 days to arrive,

This one had a bit of a sting in the tail;

Reality arrived in full HD last Thursday 20th November when i received a letter from Airport Customs regarding Import tax

Suppose someone's gotta pay for there office Christmas Party at the Airport this year the Customs have given me free run on imports since 2006 I've escaped the radar so i cant really complain i suppose,

They sent me a letter informing they had received a parcel addressed to me,

and demanded to see proof of payment for the parcel i.e. PayPal Receipt, or bank transfer information.

They informed me i had two weeks to respond with information or they will return the parcel to sender,

I immediately emailed them a copy of the PayPal receipt for 60.38GBP inc. Shipping.

They respond informing me delivery of the imported parcel would take place in coming days and i must pay the import tax fee of 19.42GBP :o

i was instructed to have the exact fee in the form of cash available to the Post person upon delivery at the door.

So after that spit Roasting from Custom Officials the HD DVR system finally arrived well packaged and 100% intact see link to recommend seller and images below:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221206242052?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Spectification:

Video Resolution: 2CH 720X480P

Image Resolution: 3M(2048X1536)/2M(1600X1200)/1M(1280X960)

Video Format: H.264

Support TF card: 2GB-32GB

Display: 3.5'' LED Screen

Two camera can record at the same time

Uninterrupted Cycle recording, No leakage seconds appears

Back camera reversing trigger function

Language: English, Russian, Korean, Japanese and Chinese

After purchasing the DVR system on eBay i read the tech spec details in the eBay listing in search of storage information and discovered it takes a TF (Trans Flash) Memory card up to a maximum capacity of 32Gb

Turns out TF is another name for "Micro SD" so all good not abnormal.

These memory cards are quite expensive to purchase locally in shops fetching as much as 56.42EUR for a SanDisk 32Gb Micro SD in local Tesco :o

Yes there's plenty of them available on eBay but I've heard lots of violin stories from people whom purchased cheap memory cards and flash drives on eBay listed and selling as 32Gb or 60Gb capacity

Then when they arrive there actual formatted capacity is 4-10Gb

So for a period of time there i was caught between a rock & a hard place; physically sick at thoughts of having to pay local shop prices

and

Fear of getting stung by dodgy eBay memory card sellers while in search of a bargain,

I searched the forum to find discussion threads regarding dash cam's and asked the people on those threads "what seller do you recommend to purchase genuine Memory Cards from"

Within 30 minutes i was provided with a link to purchase a Kingston 32Gb Micro SD HC Card for a very good price of 9.99 GBP

Thanks to "SeanW" for recommending and here's a link to the reliable supplier:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291166483317?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

It arrived to Ireland in three working days via tracked mail,

very well packaged all 100% :)

My plan is to fit the DVR unit inside the roof of the glovebox; attached to its supplied suction cup bracket,

The idea being:

It's completely hidden and secure, functioning like a flip down monitor when required.

The DVR also came with a video output cable which will connect to the headunit rarely needing to touch the main DVR box.

In order for the suction cup holder to mount the glovebox roof i needed to purchase a 3M adhesive backed suction cup adaptor plate from China see link to recommend supplier: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221219111828?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Very cheap, light weight and arrived within two weeks :)

There are two items remaining on order to complete the DVR install,

The USB socket fused power cable which steps down power from 12v to 5v there are various types of these available; i had considered purchasing one which had the specific micro USB male connection which would plug directly in to the DVR system without the need of a middle cable,

But on after thought i chose the USB port type as its guaranteed to be future compatable in the event of replacing the DVR system or charging another device the standard Universal Serial Bus socket is king :)

Link to recommend supplier:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171419465010?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

The second item is a Piggy back fuse adaptor which i will plug in to an ignition positive feed in the passenger footwell fuse box providing the system with power each time the key is turned in the ignition

Link to recommend supplier: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-Kit-Mount-B-Cable-size-2m-12-Volt-Quad-ATV-Trike-Twin-Charging-Socket-/191193077237

AutoStar electronics may be a little more expensive to supply the USB power socket kit, but AutoStar electronics only supply quality built items good peace of mind it wont set your car on fire.

I always purchase all electrical cables sockets and connectors from AutoStar electronics through all my guides Dave is top man and always provides quality.

[Lenny]

Update:

Last update on progress for remainder of 2014 this one guy's,

First off id like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year, drive safely double braking distance and arrive alive,

I will remain logged on to the forum throughout the festivities but this is the final update of progress on the build thread until January.

So here we go,

It seems no matter how much you plan an upgrade list there's always something ends up getting unused and perhaps resold because in the process of the build; you've spotted something slightly better suited to your requirements.

Well when purchasing the reverse camera i searched eBay for two weeks examining each model and spec prior to purchasing what i felt at the time was the best for me,

I had found one for the Mk3 focus which replaces the boot handle incorporating the camera inside the replacement.

Sadly though; it was too wide to fit the Mk2.5 model so i couldn't purchase, :( was genuinely disappointed.

Instead i settled for one of these universal units from China for 9.75GBP with Free Shipping.

My plan as discussed on page 42 of this Thread was to replicate the camera ford are now fitting to the Mk7.5 Fiesta as saw here:

I had intended on going ahead with this plan

until a number of weeks ago;

i was browsing through the range of available items on Dynamicsounds.co.uk and came across the initial reverse camera design and it was built for the Mk2.5 model :)

See link to highly recommend seller:

http://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/beat-cam-fd1-ford-mondeo-focus-cmos-number-plate-car-reverse-rear-view-camera.html

I immediately listed the previously purchased universal camera on eBay auction which sold a number of weeks ago.

Its now replaced with a better suited unit which requires absolutely no alignment or drilling its exactly the sort of design i like to see; a straight swap upgrade which is incorporated to original build design taking ford and making it better and for me that's part of what its all about :)

Looking good with the pre crimped terminals,

That's it from me for 2014 its been a fantastic year in progress both within the build aswell as the growth of the forum.

Remembering the first ever FordOwnersClub Ireland meet took place in early September of this year looking forward to being a bigger turn out next year,

And the release of the Halfords Discount card has saved us all a fortune on both sides of the water.

As for this build thread;

Things are set to continue in 2015

Stay tuned for the remaining delivery's for the sound install recommencing in January - April,

Weather permitting then in May the car is coming off the road for seven days as its going to be stripped out, sound proofed and all the items installed, normal fella would do it in three - four days but having degenerate disc in my lumber spine I'm not really fit to be at it at all but this is my last hurrah and stripping the interior hence why I've packed every possible interior mod in to the plan.

There will be an update report at the end of each day during installation.

Followed by a front end replacement mid year to tidy things up see link:

ST Front kit:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231295593944?redirect=mobile

I'm not sure weather that listing is actually a good offer yet,

I'm going to check local dealership for prices aswell prior to purchasing.

[Wheels93]

Update:

Last update on progress for remainder of 2014 this one guy's,

First off id like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year, drive safely double braking distance and arrive alive,

I will remain logged on to the forum throughout the festivities but this is the final update of progress on the build thread until January.

So here we go,

It seems no matter how much you plan an upgrade list there's always something ends up getting unused and perhaps resold because in the process of the build; you've spotted somthing slightly better suited to your requirements.

Well when purchasing the reverse camera i searched eBay for two weeks examining each model and spec prior to purchasing what i felt at the time was the best for me,

I had found one for the Mk3 focus which replaces the boot handle incorporating the camera inside the replacement.

Sadly though; it was too wide to fit the Mk2.5 model so i couldn't purchase, :( was genuinely disappointed.

Instead i settled for one of these universal units from China for 9.75GBP with Free Shipping.

My plan as discussed on page 42 of this Thread was to replicate the camera ford are now fitting to the Mk7.5 Fiesta as saw here:

I had intended on going ahead with this plan

until a number of weeks ago;

i was browsing through the range of available items on Dynamicsounds.co.uk and came across the initial reverse camera design and it was built for the Mk2.5 model :)

See link to highly recommend seller:

http://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/beat-cam-fd1-ford-mondeo-focus-cmos-number-plate-car-reverse-rear-view-camera.html

I immediately listed the previously purchased universal camera on eBay auction which sold a number of weeks ago.

Its now replaced with a better suited unit which requires absolutely no alignment or drilling its exactly the sort of design i like to see; a straight swap upgrade which is incorporated to original build design taking ford and making it better and for me that's part of what its all about :)

Looking good with the pre crimped terminals,

That's it from me for 2014 its been a fantastic year in progress both within the build aswell as the growth of the forum.

Remembering the first ever FordOwnersClub Ireland meet took place in early September of this year looking forward to being a bigger turn out next year,

And the release of the Halfords Discount card has saved us all a fortune on both sides of the water.

As for this build thread;

Things are set to continue in 2015

Stay tuned for the remaining delivery's for the sound install recommencing in January - April,

Weather permitting then in May the car is coming off the road for seven days as its going to be stripped out, sound proofed and all the items installed, normal fella would do it in three - four days but having degenerate disc in my lumber spine I'm not really fit to be at it at all but this is my last hurrah and stripping the interior hence why I've packed every possible interior mod in to the plan.

There will be an update report at the end of each day during installation.

Followed by a front end replacement mid year to tidy things up see link:

ST Front kit:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231295593944?redirect=mobile

I'm not sure weather that listing is actually a good offer yet,

I'm going to check local dealership for prices aswell prior to purchasing.

Looks like 2015 is going to be an exciting year then! Fingers crossed all that cable running isnt too much of a pain in the backside.

I really want to change the headunit on mine. Just jubious about the satnav not working after replacement.

All the best though and have a great holiday! Seems we have both got a first xmas with a little one so enjoy and look after one another!

James