hi all. new here and found this place while i was researching what unit to get. lots of great info, thanks to everyone who contributes.

one thing i found was there is not a lot of install pics (during install) so i figured i would help out anyone who is going to do an install.

here is the final product:

i went with a Boyo VTL-300 backup cam and love it. great picture, sturdy metal unit, $160 shipped, super easy install, works great at night (with the reverse lights i added you cant tell day from night), what else can i say. bought it from 'barneyselectronics' on ebay, they shipped it fast and i had no problems.

here is the image:

here is where i mounted the xm box:

and here is the xm antenna. first i tried leaving it on the metal bar under the dash with the GPS antenna but the reception sucked. it works great on the dash here.

its kinda tough to see, but this photo is of the area just to the drivers side from where the head unit mounts. i put the USB box here and that metal bar you see is where the GPS antenna is mounted.

heres where i ran the USB wire so i can just place an ipod/mp3/flashdrive in that storage area.

heres the mess with the dash removed

overall it was a pretty simple install considering how complicated the system is. the biggest trick is managing all the wires and keeping it somewhat professional. i used a TON of zip ties to keep everything neat and organized.

i tapped into the VSS right there in the harness for the stock radio (gray/black) and tapped into reverse in the rear of the fuse panel under the steering wheel (black/pink). for the reverse wire it took some time to find the right one. there are 3 black/pink wires in the back of the fuse box. it was the one on the upper right connecter if you tilt the fuse box down and look at the back (so when installed normally it would be closest to the brake pedal).

there is an empty grommet on the firewall just under the main wiring harness passthrough. dont know what option you may have that this would be used, but on my F250 powerstroke lariat it wasnt used. i popped it out, cut a split to run the camera wire through and was good to go.

i also installed infinity reference speakers (crutchfield has them on sale right now) to replace all 4 stockers and they sound great. i couldnt believe how easy it was to install them either!

im still waiting on the peripheral peswips adapter i ordered off ebay b/c i couldnt find it locally (never buy from 'allbestparts'! its been almost 2 weeks and i am going to file with ebay b/c i paid immediately and his auction said he would ship within 48 hours. he wont return my emails either asking for a tracking number or info on my package!! ). that will complete my avic install.

after that, all i have left is to buy, build a box for and install one or two shallow mount pioneer subs (tried to fit my fosgate punch 10s but there just isnt room in an f250 crew cab ) and i will be good to go.

thanks again to all those that contribute to this forum! and i cant wait until we finally figure out the bypass

feel free to ask me any questions about an F250 install!

nice, clean install. these units look great in the super duty trucks and are really simple to mount in the 05s and up. again, great job!

woow nice on the ford (isn't F250 a ford )

anyway i will kill my self for this z2 to be on my envoy even if the navigation wont work on middle east, but no one is recommending it since the dash depth on envoy is 3" while z2 requires 4" poor me

on the other hand, do your f250 has steering wheel control? if yes did u need to install special adapters to let it work!!

Yes it's a ford, He's still waiting on the steering wheel interface.

loool you are following me

i was trying to get a 2nd opinion

so you advice to install it on my envoy

but can u help more and advice if pioneer sells middle east maps PLZ

SWEET!!! I cant wait to get mine in my 350......

On your 250.... What dash kit did you use?

and was there a wireing harness you used? I would like to try and cut down on the cut and splice of wires, because I may end up buying a new truck in the next year or two and want to take my Z2 with me.

got the dash kits and wiring harness from crutchfield. you can go online enter your vehicle and they will tell you the ones you need.

finally got the steering controls adapter yesterday so hopefully i can install that this week.

installed the peripheral peswips steering wheel control inferface last night and it works like a charm

3 wires and a 30 second "programming", piece of cake. took longer to pull the dash apart.

also tried the "backdoor fix" for watching dvds by switching the parking brake lead but it only worked for about 5 miles.

Great job man, looks great! I put a Z2 in my 05 Super Duty as well. I was impressed with how much room there is in the dash to work with. I put my GPS under the dash and I think I will move it to your location for better reception. Hopefully we will get the Z2 bypassed soon and I will be a lot happier.

great job on the pics, THANK you for sizing them properly!!!

Hey F250 Mike. Looks nice. I did my own install in my F250. Easy install and plenty of room. Mine was a Z1 though. I also used the steering wheel controller and it works great. I have xm, bluetooth, ipod and steering wheel controllers.

Only problem is somebody decided they wanted all my gear more than I did yesterday. Along with my gear they took out my rear window the dash and some other stuff as well.

Funny, I had a Viper alarm with the 2 way transmitter, and it didn't work. The alarm went off, but not the remote.

Now I'm bummin because the Z2's aren't bypassed yet like my Z1 was.

Hey F250 Mike. Looks nice. I did my own install in my F250. Easy install and plenty of room. Mine was a Z1 though. I also used the steering wheel controller and it works great. I have xm, bluetooth, ipod and steering wheel controllers.

Only problem is somebody decided they wanted all my gear more than I did yesterday. Along with my gear they took out my rear window the dash and some other stuff as well.

Funny, I had a Viper alarm with the 2 way transmitter, and it didn't work. The alarm went off, but not the remote.

Now I'm bummin because the Z2's aren't bypassed yet like my Z1 was.

Hey F250 Mike. Looks nice. I did my own install in my F250. Easy install and plenty of room. Mine was a Z1 though. I also used the steering wheel controller and it works great. I have xm, bluetooth, ipod and steering wheel controllers.

Only problem is somebody decided they wanted all my gear more than I did yesterday. Along with my gear they took out my rear window the dash and some other stuff as well.

Funny, I had a Viper alarm with the 2 way transmitter, and it didn't work. The alarm went off, but not the remote.

Now I'm bummin because the Z2's aren't bypassed yet like my Z1 was.

Great post! Used this info on my install yesterday.

Only issue was that my XM module wouldn't fit where yours is. Something is already there on mine. Tried several positions under there and the glovebox wouldn't close. Had to mount it stuffed vertical on the far right of the glovebox.

I mounted the XM antenna right next to the GPS under the dash and I think I'll move it to where yours is also. Is it just sitting there or did you use the metal plate?

Instead of cutting the VSS wire I just moved the blue power antenna wire over on the harness to match the factory harness and connected. I connected the reverse wire like your description. Not sure what that does..? Guess I need the backup cam.

What model # is your plate cam?

Chane, you have the upfitter switches and Mike does not, I believe that is what you saw by the glove compartment, the relays for those switches are located there. My truck came without the switches, but I found a dealer that sells a kit for about 80 bucks to add the switches and I installed them myself.