2006 Ford Taurus

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ncarpenter

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To start, I apologize for the low-rez pictures, this is from my camera phone. Until I get everything 100% installed, I figured I would tease with some 'in-progress' pictures first. This is a 2006 Ford Taurus SE (base model). I recently purchased this after driving a Crown-Vic P/I model sedan. I vowed to attempt a much better job with the install than what I had with the CV. The console is a Jotto Desk standard 9" model.
The stack configuration is as follows:
2 lighted switches for control of front and rear lighting on vehicle.
1 RadioShack Pro-2096 digital scanner
1 Kenwood TK-760g VHF mobile
1 Kenwood TK-860g UHF mobile

The switches will eventually be replaced with black illuminated switches from Carling. The other two switch holes will be covered with blanks. The switches control lighting to the front and rear of the vehicle. There are currently two 911EP LS12 mini-lightbars mounted at the front and rear in amber. I will later be adding LED hide-away modules to the front turn marker lens housings and the rear reverse light housings.

The console was too large to fit with the armrest bolted down. I ended up removing the center armrest (it was rather simple, just pop the coin tray out to gain access to the bolts, and the entire armrest will come up) and moving it back about 4". I then secured both the armrest and the console with metal zip screws. I also placed a piece of foam between the console and the front dash where they made contact to prevent excessive rubbing. Wiring comes direct from the fuse panel, where I used fuse-taps for each radio (except the lighting, all on one fuse due to the low wattage of the application...fuse taps replace the original fuse and also adds another fuse solely for the radio). Radios are on an accessory fuse while the lighting is on an 'always-hot' fuse. Antennas have not yet arrived, but there will be a standard VHF whip, a phantom UHF and 800MHz antenna installed on the trunk.

DISCLAIMER: I use amber lights for my duties on fire department. I conduct building inspections, and one of my job functions is to inspect fire hydrants nearest the building I am inspecting to ensure water flow and pressure. I did not equip with red lights since I live in town and do not respond directly to the fireground with my vehicle, amber lighting is primarily for traffic safety.

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(My friend has dubbed me "the evil technician" because of the last picture with the red-eye, lol)


I will post higher res pictures when I get my camera back, and when the project is finished. Enjoy!
 
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ncarpenter

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RESCUE4NFD said:
Nice and Neat install,post photos of your antennas when you have them mounted...

RESCUE4NFD, I know how you like antenna pics and I will try not to fail you! (Plus, I personally think you deserve a medal on this site, I have yet to see you ever bash anyone and you're always on top of things!! Thanks, man!)
 

ncarpenter

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WatnNY said:
Looks good to me, nice nice install! How about pics of them blue lights going?

Haha, I'd love to! But, sadly, we're not allowed the color blue for fire dept. use in the great state of Michigan. They're amber...but when I get the antennas installed, I'll include the lights on for ya. Heck, I might even make a video.
 

SCPD

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You are very observant to have placed your "disclaimer" right up front. You headed off the usual posts that would have resulted if you didn't.

Why didn't you connect the power for the two Kenwoods directly to the battery?

A very nice install! I like your description of having to move the stock console back 4". If I were making a similar install I may not have thought of that.
 

ncarpenter

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Exsmokey said:
You are very observant to have placed your "disclaimer" right up front. You headed off the usual posts that would have resulted if you didn't.

Why didn't you connect the power for the two Kenwoods directly to the battery?

A very nice install! I like your description of having to move the stock console back 4". If I were making a similar install I may not have thought of that.

Yea, I try to keep whacker patrol at bay whenever possible. Too many self-appointed spokespeople for the group looking to pick a fight.

Regarding the battery, I really don't like connecting anything directly to the battery when I can keep it all contained in the cab of the vehicle. (Plus, the Taurus sucks when it comes to running a wire through the firewall, there's a lot of crap in the way. Unfortunately, It's not like the Crown Vics that have all that room in the engine compartment). That way, I can also easily control the radios on the accessory switch so as not to drain my battery, and it's just so much easier (and cheaper) than installing a delay timer. The Kenwood has a really good power management characteristic, so I never have to worry about sharing a fuse port .
 

ncarpenter

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CVPI4Ever said:
Nice install.

I think the light on the rear deck should be centered.

My friend and I took all sorts of locations into consideration. However, without modifications, the visibility of the light is hindered by the center brake light when center-mounted. Additionally, I usually face my vehicle in the same direction of traffic when I pull to the shoulder. Mounting it to the driver's side give me a better warning ability to oncoming traffic behind me. We do not have freeways in my district, just two lane highways, so I never have a need to pull into left lane of traffic. Additionally, the heating elements for the rear window do not cover the middle of the window just above the brake light, so there is always frost in that area during the winter, which also hindered the visibility.

It was a difficult decision, but in the end we concluded that this would be a better setup for traffic warning. It has a sweeping pattern that somewhat resembles a traffic advisor type lightbar. The lightbar slightly angles down, which concerned us a little. However, we found that this actually increases the spread of the lightbar for regular vehicles approaching, as well as high-profile vehicles. The visibility for the driver (me) is increased because the light is mounted directly behind him (which is usually a blind spot anyway.) Thanks for the input!
 
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