Who has installed a HUD unit from a Pontiac? I just picked up a HUD unit at the local Pull-A-Part, now I'm in need of wiring information.

Thanks,

Mike

I hate to say use the search...so I did it for you

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/093356.html

A bunch of folks have HUDs. Read the thread above and ask if you have questions.

Use the link that jscott1 provided! It contains most of what you will need to know.

The first thing you need to do is determine which general "generation" HUD unit you have. The means of display height adjustment seems to be the quickest way to distinguish among the various generations of GM HUDs:

1st generation -- Uses a lever on the side of the HUD display unit.
2nd generation -- Uses a mechanical cable.
3rd generation -- Uses a switch-activated motor; '97 and later later versions added radio info to the display.

jscott1 has posted connector wiring info for the 2^nd generation ('91-'96 Bonneville) HUDs, and I have posted a wiring schematic and a link to complete connector wiring info for the early 3^rd generation ('94-'96 Grand Prix) HUDs.

[This message has been edited by Marvin McInnis (edited 04-23-2009).]

The early 3rd gen is arguably the best.

They are smaller and easier to fit in the dash and have motors for adjustment versus a mechanical cable.

bookmarking in recents so i can get back to the topic at home.

------------------
First LX9 Fiero GT, 1987 | My Fiero Fuel Economy | MPG Display for OBD I
Youtube Videos of My GT | 87 GT Inside Test Run | 3500 Fiero GT Test Run 01
3500 Fiero GT Test Run 02 | 3500 Fiero GT Test Run 03 | 3500 Fiero GT Test Run 04
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem
Fiero's are people too. We pay just as much attention to them, if not more than our loved ones
screw paying those bastards. im not going to become rich by paying for things.....

If you are not using the mirrors, the 4th gen, with the radio display is usefull as the display is seperate from the circuit board, however it needs the light sensor re- soldered for stock use (common problem), or moved by adding wires if the circuit board is hidden (it auto dims as well as using a dimmer). I plan on leaving it at full brightness by bypassing the dimmer and allowing it to only automatically dim(if sensor is not re-soldered it can fade in and out, and if hidden it would always be dim). By not using the mirrors the display is definatley smaller, allowing minimal cutting of the dash and making the display appear brighter. . I plan to mount it under my 5x7 component speakers by making a custom plate (really only a 4" midrange and a tweeter that sounds much better than the oem 4*9's) and cutting a hole in the drivers speaker cover to see the hud info.

Plans so far are for using: speedmeter, radio, left and right signal as well as high beam

I initially planned on trying to use the 3rd gen that I got from the wrecking yard, but I decided to use the 4th gen once I found it and a radio from the car (only 2 band eq but Igot the cd player for $10 and my stock cassette has been hesitant to start )

quote Originally posted by jscott1: The early 3rd gen is arguably the best.

I agree ... and most of the remaining installation challenges will be mechanical rather than electrical or optical.

jscott1,

Thanks for the information. Fact be known I did use the "search" function but only came up the non-OEM HUD information.

FYI, I have a 2nd generation HUD I removed from the local Pull-A-Part. Not real sure of the make or model. It was definitely a Pontiac. Will go there later today to confirm the make or model.

Again, thanks for the information

Cajun

I think he is on the way to the meet in San Antonio.

josef644,

Thanks for the feedback. If nothing else this is a bump to keep the thread active.

Mike

This might help.



From a '95 Bonneville

John Stricker

Thanks jstricker,

Just what I was looking for.

Again, many thanks for your help.

Mike

With the help provided by jscott1 & jstricker I have been able to wire up and test (mockup on a test bench) my newly acquired HUD unit.

Now I have another request, for those of you who have installed such units could you share photos of your install? I'm uncertain as to where is the best location for the install. I'm currently favoring the center area of the dash. It would help to understand where others have installed their units.

Many thanks again guys for all the help. With you help sorting out the wiring and actually wiring and testing went a whole easier than expected.

Mike

quote Originally posted by Cajun: Now I have another request, for those of you who have installed such units could you share photos of your install? I'm uncertain as to where is the best location for the install. I'm currently favoring the center area of the dash. It would help to understand where others have installed their units. Mike

Mine is installed in a firebird dash, I don't know if that helps. I posted a pic of the mount in one of the HUD threads.

jscott1,

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking more inline with an install in a stock Fiero dash. Guess this means back to the drawing board for a design.

Again, thanks for the help.

Mike

Don't give up quite yet, you may be able to place the main circuitboard with the display above the speaker, or use the newer version and or a different speaker like I have, just installed and finally tested yesterday.

You'r version I would attempt to place over the speaker, and cut a hole for the display I may even be tempted to do a door mounted component speaker with the tweeter in the dash.


The functions that I am currently using are:
- speedometer - jacked off the lead to the power steering that was never installed from factory.
- left and right signal lights - taped of the bulb socket
- high beam - taped of the bulb socket
- and radio setting (displays when radio settings are modified/ volume is changed) used gtp radio
no dimming, riged for full brightness, with dimming automatically from light sensor

I used the 4th gen version, which the display is seperate, and cut out the circuitboard box from the main enclosure. I then soldered the sun sensor to leads and placed it in the stock sun sensor holder for the auto climate unit from the gtp. The display is bolted to a strip of aluminum that is friction fit between the dash and the steel mount, and held in with one bolt. The main problem is the display is much smaller (roughly half the height) however the advantage is it appears brighter as the light is not spread over as much of the windshield.


I had used a 5X7 component plate before, and used a plastic plate, now I used aluminum to mount the speakers closer to the side of the car as below, with the hole cut out for the hud to shine through, as well as a hole for the light sensor to stick through.


Here is the cover, with the cutouts for the hud, and the sun sensor


It is difficult to take the pictures, however here are two:

------------------
1988 Fiero GT

an idea i had for the installation of a hud (somewhere down the road for me...when i start my swaps)...what about using the backside of the guage cluster in the stock fiero dash, and cutting and mounting accordingly there??

quote Originally posted by greasemonke50613: an idea i had for the installation of a hud (somewhere down the road for me...when i start my swaps)...what about using the backside of the guage cluster in the stock fiero dash, and cutting and mounting accordingly there??

The main problem with this is that the further back you go, the higher the hud will be on the windshield.
A sample from another thread is on the first page of the following link
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum3/HTML/000041.html

The way I went was for minimal cutting of the stock dash, and reversable by replacing the speaker cover. Wiring was by my switches in the ashtray and by using the bulb holders to jack the power for signal and high beam

daytime driving/signal---------------n/a
fog light----------------------------hud
air horn----------------------------dimming mirror
rear fans---------------------------a/c until climate control fixed https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/099304.html

yet couldn't you just angle the display to show up where you want it to?? it's just an idea...i have an extra complete guage cluster sitting in my 85 an hour south of me that i think i'm going to use as a test bed for my ideas

Daniel,

Thanks for the feedback and thoughts on a different approach. I had not thought about the speaker location. As I had mentioned earlier, I have a 2nd generation unit that I'm attempting to fit. However, with the information you have provided I plan on making another run to the locat Pull-A-Part to see if I can locate a 3rd or 4th generation HUD unit.

I suppose as they say, "it there is a will, there is a way". I have not dought that in the end I will sort it out. Since I leave for work in a few days I will have plenty of time to figure out the install.

Thanks guys,

Mike

I believe the circuit board from the unit you have may fit a little differenly in the speaker location, I had one out of the enclosure, and it uses two circuit boards linked together. Just be warned that with my method there is very limited room for the circuit board, if the speaker was any bigger I don't believe it would have fit. The main reason I switched to this hud unit was for the radio settings, as my stock radio has been acting up on me, not wanting to turn on. So I ended up installing the HUD, radio and Climate control unit from the gtp, actually the radio was from a boneville as the gtp one was casette and I wanted cd, fortunatley the pontiac radios have the output signal for the hud unit on the gtp. Yoy could probabaly lenghthen the wires for the 4th gen hud going to the display unit and intall it pretty much anywhere (although there is a heatsink behind the display)

I am working on this HUD install for my 88. I found that when I powered the unit in the car that I had a double image projected on the windscreen. I got a piece of window tint and placed it on the window this removed the double image. I plan to have a clear piece of window tint installed on the whole windscreen when I got to do the final install.

Joe Sokol

------------------
85 SE Daily driver with a 3.4 DOHC build underway
88 Formula/GT 4.9 Allante Intake (My Baby)

I noticed the same thing about the double image although the double image is not as bright. I will see how it looks before I plan on doing anyting to minimize the second image. For the short drive that I tested it so far it has not seemed to be to much of an issue.

Daniel,

I finally made it to the local Pull-A-Part, picked up a 3rd generation HUD (???) unit out of a 2000 Grand Prix. Do you have any wiring information on this unit?

Thanks again for your assistance.

Mike

Wiring schematics in following link:

http://www.grandprixforums....ur-97-03-a-8171.html

Hope this helps.

Thanks Daniel for the quick reply.

I'll check the link out to see what I can locate.

Mike

How common are the HUD's ? How do I spot one in the car at the junkyard and how hard are they to get out ? I think I want to play with one to !!

They are farly common on higher trim grand prix's and bonneyvilles, and are easy to remove, just wiring is difficult, cut 4" off to splice in, They are fairly easy to spot, as there is a hole in the dash on the drivers side that the immage is displayed through, and it is also in a hump , halfway in the dash.

Hmmm, pull and pay is buy one part get one free this weeked to, might have to make a trip !

Thanks !

Daniel,

A couple additional questions;

In you post, photos of your install, what is the round black item to the right of the display window?

When I removed this last HUD unit, I noticed in the donor car in the center of the dash near the windshield there was a molding piece that had three items located in it as what is shown in you photo. I'm thinking the latest HUD unit I acquired is a Gen 4, as the display has additional information. Such as AM/FM info, etc.

Do I also need those items to ensure the install is complete?

Mike
Again, thanks for your assist.

Those items are not required, however if you would like to see the radio settings on the display it is a great time to upgrade to the newer pontiac radio. The dome is not necessary, but the light sensor on the circuitboard should be visable to sunlight. This can be left where it is if you find a way to use the stock enclosure, or wires soldered on to the legs to relocate it. (the climate controll sensor housing is the perfect fit, currently using the climate control light sensor, with resistor left in place)

The dome is the light sensor for the auto climate controll, It appears to be the same unit that is soldered onto the board for the gen 4 hud display - you don't need this one ( I chose to use the case as it seemed to be a good way to hold the light sensor) you could just solder leads to the sensor from the board to get the sensor to see sunlight. If it is not visable, it will never reach full brightness during the day (dimmer not required, as it is auto dimming). It is also common for the sensor to need to be re-soldered on the oem application, so if the display fades in and out, or away just re-solder the leads for the 1/4" light sensor (you can see the light sensor on the circuit board easily when it is still in the housing)

I am in the process of installing the automatic climate controll fom the gtp into the fiero as well, so I thought I would use two light sensor housings that are the same. I just need to determine where I would like to place the other light sensor, maybe on the passangers side speaker to be symetrical.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/099304.html

Thanks Daniel for the feedback.

I guess this means that I will need to make another trip to the local Pull-A-Part for the auto climate control unit from the donor car that I pulled the HUD unit from. The radio has already been pulled by another.

Again, thanks.

Mike

Just be warned, the wiring and install of the HUD is by far easier than that of the automatic climate control, although wiring may be easier and more compact with mini solid state relays, the automotive relays were much less expensive from the junkyard. Still working on getting it to work right (mainly a/c and rad fan) I believe a solid state relay will fix this.

For the HUD to display the radio settings, any pontiac radio from the similar year should work, just need an extra wiring harness to get a pin out from the radio (I got mine from a boneville from the mid to late 90's) or if the wiring harness is in the gtp still ,just cut it out and build the adapter with it.

OK now this thread has caught my interest again. For a couple of years now I have been sitting on a bunch of stuff from a 91 Grand Prix GTP 3.1 turbo setup including the hud. It is probably a generation 1 with the slider and seperate dimmer. Big piece of equipment to fit on a Fiero dash pod and dash in front of driver. If I remove it from the housing and fabricate something smaller it looks like it will fit in the general vicinity however I don't want to swap my dash out for an extensive firebird swap to make this thing work.

Has anyone here used this setup sucessfully and integrated it to the existing Fiero dash with good results?

PS gave the intake, turbo setup with inter cooler and ecm to the shop that did my DOHC obd1.5 swap. They are planning on putting it into the white 87 GT fastback I used to have.

You should be able to somehow mount it between the speaker and the speaker cover, or mount a speaker in the door and you could mount the circuit board easily where the speaker used to sit. (there is a second circuitboard that would need to me mounted behind the speaker if it was left in place). I went with this other, 4th gen as it has a seperate display as well as radio setting.

quote Originally posted by Mike Murphy: If I remove it from the housing and fabricate something smaller it looks like it will fit in the general vicinity ...

The electronics aren't the problem. It's the special, folded optics that you need to keep that account for most of the bulk.

quote Originally posted by Marvin McInnis: The electronics aren't the problem. It's the special, folded optics that you need to keep that account for most of the bulk.

Yep the elctronica and mirrors are bigger than the Fiero speaker cover area.

I have a line on an 08 Corvette HUD unit. Hope that is adaptable.

If you want to keep the HUD in stock form the optics are required. In the photos above I have removed the optics making the HUD appear brighter, but roughly halph the size. You can do this because in stock form it used 2 mirrors, so to change the optics you need multiples of 2 to flip the image, you can get away without the optics.