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My Transformers Autobot. Avalanche Prime. Lots of Pics

It is coming along excellent, great looking AV.
 
I have been focused more on making sure it runs fine for the coming winter months than actually upgrading stuff.
I've also been dreaming of some futuristic mods I could do that will not break the bank and fit in with my theme of not being too over the top.
I won't divulge my secrets as much as I am tempted to but stay tuned because some new plans are definitely in the works for the coming months.
 
Dluvr22 said:
Latest update on my build up of the truck.
I finally got the Z71 logo looking the way I want.

i7fo.jpg


0cr3.jpg
Click to expand...

So when will you transform that bent step bumper back to it's rightful place  :rolleyes:  ?
 
:laugh: i hit my parents garage and mine looked the same i pulled the cover off and hammered and pried and pulled it back in it was about a 20 min job after the cover was off
 
I tried.
I worked on that for a whole day.
Actually that side should be fine even though it looks off in the pic.
I do think the clip holding the diamond plate insert is coming off causing it to look that way though.
It was the other side that got hit while backing up by a low pole that I could'st see beyond the tailgate.
I used a ratcheting strap around another pole, the biggest hammer I could find and my jack stand to get it to to be as straight as I could.
My jack stand never recovered and can't go back down all the way any more

Only you guys on this forum will notice the difference
 
that's pretty sweet too :cool: how did you do the rack on the tonoe covers? (i know its mispelled haha) i need to re do my cladding i got a special paint from a friend of myn that does hot rods said it should keep them looking brand new for 3-4 years
 
Dakotawilk said:
that's pretty sweet too :cool: how did you do the rack on the tonoe covers? (i know its mispelled haha) i need to re do my cladding i got a special paint from a friend of myn that does hot rods said it should keep them looking brand new for 3-4 years
Click to expand...

Credit for that goes to BigBlockBirch and other members on this forum who were imaginative enough to dream up ways to mount bikes to the avalanche.

These are the parts I used.

2 48" Yakima round bars
4 Yakima Q-Towers
4 Yakima Q30 Clips
6 Yakima SRS Locksets
2 Yakima Frontloader bike racks

Yakima does not sell a setup for the avalanche in this fashion and it is very expensive to buy each piece individually.
I hit up my local craigslist for about 3 months finding deals for each piece except the locks which I pick up of eBay.

I do like he setup as it is very sturdy when on and takes just a few minutes to take the bike rack off if I need to remove the bed panels. Th rack is still on during the winter months as with all Yakima products, it is made to withstand the elements
 
i took sidewalk paint (temporary) and painted the curb in front of my house yellow before i brought my camper home so i knew that nobody would be there when i got there with the camper  :laugh: as soon as i parked the camper i washed off the curb  >:D
 
wyotonka said:
i took sidewalk paint (temporary) and painted the curb in front of my house yellow before i brought my camper home so i knew that nobody would be there when i got there with the camper  :laugh: as soon as i parked the camper i washed off the curb  >:D
Click to expand...
wow haha thats SMART!  (y)
 
Quick Question for you...

How did you hook up the cameras to your PC?

I never really thought about it until I bought one to hook up in my truck. It has a standard composite video connection and a +12 volt feed. Is this the style you have on yours? If so what did you do to get them to load into your PC?

I was thinking maybe webcams would work but those don't generally come in a form you can easily hide in the body like those small ones you have.

Plus this camera I have also has IR LED's around it so it is almost 2" around which would NOT fit well in the tailgate or mirrors like you show.

I am considering putting it in the grill to provide an IR display at night.

Rodney
 
redheadedrod said:
Quick Question for you...

How did you hook up the cameras to your PC?

I never really thought about it until I bought one to hook up in my truck. It has a standard composite video connection and a +12 volt feed. Is this the style you have on yours? If so what did you do to get them to load into your PC?

I was thinking maybe webcams would work but those don't generally come in a form you can easily hide in the body like those small ones you have.

Plus this camera I have also has IR LED's around it so it is almost 2" around which would NOT fit well in the tailgate or mirrors like you show.

I am considering putting it in the grill to provide an IR display at night.

Rodney
Click to expand...

Rodney
Apologies for taking so long to provide an answer.
Sometimes we have to make compromises as we are pioneering some of the things we do and technology just has not caught up to our needs.
I looked high and low for webcams to use in the side mirrors and rear but it was next to impossible.
I had to overcome so many challenges that I decided it would be best to go this route until the tech was available for my needs.
The current set up uses 3 RCA to USB converters to get the input from the side mirrors and rear cam to the screen The front facing cam however is a Logitech HD webcam and that gives the best quality in all lighting conditions.

Initially I went with webcams all around but that also had its challenges.
Besides being huge and obtrusive, there was also challenges to getting he PC to recognize them simultaneously.

Unfortunately it is a little known shortcoming of windows where if you have 2 or more USB webcams or USB devices of the same make and model, windows is unable to assign them individual unique IDs in the registry as windows will recognize tem as one and the same.
This is especially a challenge because it will look odd to have two different webcams in the side mirrors.
I could get by with a different model in the font and yet another model in the back but windows will only recognize one of the side view mirror cams at a time and these were microsoft HD webcams.

There was also the issue of processing power.
To get a PC in the minimal space I have meant I could not go with the latest and greatest processor out there.
Having the PC process 4 video streams simultaneously in the HD quality that I wanted while playing music in the truck and navigating was too much of a task even with a quad core processor
I have decided however that my next version will incorporate a mobile 4 channel DVR which could record to a USB portable drive and have the option to be viewed on the dasjh board.
This will reduce my processing issue and allow the PC to have the bandwidth for other tasks as well as give me to option to only have it record when it senses movement around the vehicle as well is save battery as the PC will not be required to stay on at night when the vehicle is off.

Here are some videos for your enjoyment.

My morning commute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u6D9kefxpw

Night shots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSDEAdpSz60&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tklUpibo51U&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir3we24l6Hg&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkXMoe6aT9o&feature=youtu.be


3 Cameras at work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_RKudJzdoc&feature=youtu.be

I could go on and on with the challenges I faced but It would be easier to reference you to the thread I did while I was working on it.

http://chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,135029.0.html

After all the work I've done to my truck one thread will not be able to cover it all so I'll just add links to my other projects in the first post .

 
Yes, I have been following your threads since I want to do something similar. What MP are your cameras?

I MAY go a totally different route but want to see how to do it regardless. These ARM boards I have I can put two 5MP cameras to and then try doing things like 3d mapping and such with them using the onboard video hardware. Or computer vision stuff.

I also recently found software called iSpy that works with cameras as well. I am using it for my in house security and am considering using it as a basis for an in vehicle camera system. I think if I build a plugin or two it could be expanded for use in a vehicle. Would be expensive to run off the PC power wise for a security camera but could easily be used while on the road as mirror replacements or enhancements.

Rodney
 
OK. So I decided to change the look of things a little bit before summer gets here.
The will be a few new additions so watch out for updates
 
Second LED Bar Install

Ok so I am now in my lighting phase so I plan to do some light upgrades to Avalanche Prime.
One of these will be a one off mod if I can pull it off so stay tuned.

eczy.jpg


Unfortunately I was so into getting this installed I forgot to take a pic out of the box.

LED Bar Brackets Kit purchased separately:
vw6u.jpg


These are being sold for the Silverados on SocalSupertrucks.com.
This is one of only two sites I found on the web that sells these and it seems both sites are related
 
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