[Billy]

As many of you know, my 3rd Insight (all purchased new) is a beautiful 2005 in red, slightly modified for car shows. My LMPG is over 87, and I use it for highway driving & long trips. These are recent photos @ car shows. I have expensive clearcoat (Sikkens), hand painted graphics, tinted windows, color video camera mounted on left rear tail light lens, NO outside mirrors, front emblem & rear wiper removed, high-end Sony stereo, etc. I keep the car very highly polished, and even clean the underside, including waxing the back side of the wheels. Literally thousands of people have been seeing this car, and I answer LOTS of questions. (notice my display sign)


http://community.webshots.com/user/skittles31

 

[HafNHaf]

check your img tags. no pix!

 

[Billy]

Sorry; that should work now. You can click "full screen" for a better view of the camera lens, and the dashboard monitor. Billy....

 

[Rick Reece]

Billy,
Nice pictures. How well is the coverage on the camera. I have considered putting in a camera again but though about mounting it low in the bumper. Also perhaps I missed it but did you publish the steps in getting rid of the side view mirrors. It looks well done from the side shots and I am curious how you did it. Have fun, RIck

 

[Billy]

Hi Rick; thanks very much. If you look closely at an Insight rear tail light lens, it has a very slight outward angle........It turned out to be exactly what I wanted. The idea of my camera is simply to replace to view I used to have in the LEFT outside mirror. (I don't need a right side mirror, I rely on the rear view mirror) The camera has a wide angle, 130 degree lens, so I can see more than halfway across the car.

First, remove the door trim panel, unplug the mirror electrics, and remove the assembly. Then remove the mirror from the "pad".
The black plate or "pad" the mirrors are mounted on is what I modified. I just cut the "bump" or hump off with a saw, then sanded the whole thing down to about the right shape. Then some body putty (filler) and more sanding. After filling & sanding several times, the right shape appears. Then I wet sand it all the way to 1500 grit, then I painted it New Formula Red, then applied the graphic to match my rear graphic. It's not very difficult to do this; I've done it on 3 Insights now. By the way, the camera and 5" color monitor work perfect, the view is terrific, even at night. Billy....

 

[Rick]

Very nice Bill! I can tell just by the pictures how good the paint looks, and knowing how clean your first Insight was when you rolled through here you'll keep it in perfect shape.

 

[b1shmu63]

Great work, very nice!

 

[highwater]

hey Billy Very Nice Work :!:

Could you provide the exact part #(s) for the rear wiper removal.
I have been trying to get this done and the part #'s that have been used in other postings are not showing up at my local Honda dealer.
I would greatly appreicate it, Thanks

 

[Rick Reece]

Billy,
Thanks for the details. Next time I am on vacation I might have to look into a project like that. Have fun, Rick

 

[Billy]

Thanks, guys. I will look up my sales invoice and post the exact part numbers soon. I buy parts from majestic honda online. I keep Rain X on the rear window, so the rain water just blows off as you drive. I never used the wiper on my other Insights. It just looks cleaner without it. And these photos..........Look mom, no mirrors. Billy......

 

[Insightful Trekker]

<snip>
Look mom, no mirrors. Billy......

Reminds me of, "Look Mom, no hands."

Shortly followed by the screeching of a bicycle tire, and a crash. :lol:

(don't ask me how I know )

 

[Guest]

Hi Billy:

___As usual, excellent job and I expected no less knowing you were involved in the project. Truly excellent looking mod(s) if I do say so myself!

___As if you haven’t heard this a thousand times, that is the best looking Insight on the road today without question.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:3u18byxv][email protected][/email:3u18byxv]

 

[Billy]

Hi Wayne; thanks very much. I'm just an Insight nut; hey, a guy needs a hobby, right? I enjoy spending lots of hours cleaning the car, and driving to car shows to promote fuel efficiency. Just tonight I returned from a 462 mile RT to Seattle, over the Cascade mountains. I averaged 90.7 mpg for the trip, accomplished on LESS than half a tank of gas! Lots of fun for sure. Billy......

 

[Foxpaw]

Hmm, your sign states the maximum speed as 115MPH, but the Insight can go much faster than that. Maximum speeds in the range of 140MPH have been reported.

 

[b1shmu63]

Foxpaw I am interested in knowing what the top speed of an Insight is. If you have any links or other data let me know. I know that one dragster Insight gets up to 136 MPH in the quarter mile but I'm interested in the stock speed on level ground assuming of course that the speed limiter is defeated. I'm interested from an aerodynamic ratio to horsepower point of view. Never took mine over 85.

 

[Billy]

Hi Mr. Foxpaw; I think you are just teasing/kidding, right? But just in case, no.........I have never heard of 140mph speeds. There have been several threads concerning this topic. Today's cars generally are governed or factory restricted from exceeding the speed rating of the tires. Insight's Bridgestone tires are S rated, or 112 mph. On my speed testing my GPS showed 115.2 mph, which occurred in 3rd gear. Others on this site have reported top speeds of 111 to 116, but obviously 140 is not possible without modification. But you were just kidding.......Billy

 

[originalbadbob]

Hey Billy,
Looks very good. Some time if possible, could you post a closeup of where the mirror used to be?
What was the approximate cost of the camera and monitor?
Thanks,
robert

 

[Billy]

Hi Robert; I got the color camera and 5 inch monitor on line from qualitymobilevideo.com I think it was only about $295 for the system. It was easy to install, but care must be taken when locating and drilling the hole in the tail light lens. The placement is critical, in order to have enough room (length) in the lens cavity. Billy....

 

[Foxpaw]

Hi Mr. Foxpaw; I think you are just teasing/kidding, right? But just in case, no.........I have never heard of 140mph speeds. There have been several threads concerning this topic. Today's cars generally are governed or factory restricted from exceeding the speed rating of the tires. Insight's Bridgestone tires are S rated, or 112 mph. On my speed testing my GPS showed 115.2 mph, which occurred in 3rd gear. Others on this site have reported top speeds of 111 to 116, but obviously 140 is not possible without modification. But you were just kidding.......Billy

I wasn't kidding. I've never had my Insight up that high, but it seems plausable. It is possible that those who had claimed such high speeds had somehow defeated the governor.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

I could be done but _requires_ an ECM "hack" else the fuel injectors will be in cut-off mode.

Guess if you *really* wanted to bad enough, got out and pushed fast enough...