A couple of guys on here asked me to do a write up on my hard wired backup camera so here it is...

I decided to go hard wired and have the monitor on all the time. I like this best because it's like another rear view mirror. It also fills in below where the rear dutch doors block the view. I can see my hitch for hitchin' and can back the truck up to within inches of anything.

The monitor is very clear. All the parts were sourced from ebay and it cost me about $55 total. Now I can be sure I'm not running over the kids or their bikes.

The monitor is suction cup mounted and the wires routed under the headliner. I grabbed 12V power from the overhead message center with a wire vampire.


I routed the coax and two wires (+ & -) from the overhead console, down the passenger side headliner to the rubber boot on the top of the liftgate. Pushing the coax and power wires through that boot was a real pain but well worth it.


The wires were routed down the driver side and out the lock mechanism hole. There is room for the wires in there and I taped them to keep them from falling in the way of the lock. (please pardon the dust)


You can see the back side of the outside handle, there is lots of room for the tiny camera and wires to be routed. I drilled the hole for the camera with a 3/4" hole saw, It fit perfectly.


The camera, very stealth on the rear latch trim.




I used this camera and a 25' Coax cable with male RCA connectors
Wide Angle 150D Reverse Night Vision Camera XS 0.8in | eBay


This 3" monitor:
3.5" TFT LCD DVD VCR CCTV Car Reverse Camera Monitor N | eBay


Future upgrade is to include an AV switch to allow me to connect in a front bumper cam and a trailer rear camera. When I'm towing the 30' travel trailer, I can see what is going on back there.

I hope you like the write up!

 

Excellent write up, I've been wanting to do this for a while. I also want a camera on the back of my 31' TT, hate not knowing what's behind me.

How strong is that suction cup? I've never had good luck with them. I suppose I could buy two of those kits and add an extended coaxial cable for the trailer.

Oh yeah, any particular reason you chose that camera and not the license plate camera? I'd rather not drill into the trim.

 

The suction cup has a ratchet mechanism that gets a good tight seal. Have not had any issues yet between 85* an 35* temps. I figure I could mod a mirror mount and glue it to the windshield if it becomes an issue.

I put the camera in the trim so I could control the angle and view on install. I wanted to see down to the hitch at an angle I could get depth perception to the trailer when hitching. I taped it on with duct tape before drilling to get the angle just right. I also got a spare trim piece so if I screwed it up, I'd still have the original. Got it from a fellow FTE'er.

It's a way easier job than it looks. Probably took 2 hours and the longest time was spent routing the wires from front to back.

 

Cool, thanks. Keep me posted on the A/V switch and trailer hook up, sounds like a good plan.

 

I just updated the first pic with better lighting and you can see how the camera fills in where the dutch doors block the view out back.

Here is a pic showing the monitor in detail. I can clearly see my receiver and the corners of the bumpers. Since it is mounted to look almost straight down, I can tell when the back is inches away from anything.

 

Jason,

Great job. Interestingly, I just rented a Tahoe in Reno, NV last
weekend that had the backup camera in the rear view mirror.
I'd prefer that to a separate monitor, plus my blendmount is there already.
(I kept thinking about VASheriff while I was driving).

I found I got too focused on watching the camera in parking lots
and I really had no idea was was happening to the sides/front.
I nearly swung the front end into somebody waiting for me to finish
backing into my parking spot because I had to focus so intently
on the camera image to observe it. Somehow the mirrors
only require a quick glance to observe what's going on
- but the camera requires me to stare at it to make sense out of it.

I wonder why that is?

 

Your experience is totally normal! The camera/monitor takes a week or two to get used to. I find I only really use it for a couple of specific scenarios but it works really good for them:
1) Backing out of the driveway to checking for kids and bikes BEFORE the truck starts moving.
2) Putting the finishing touches on a "back into" parking space.
3) Paralell parking, this one is huge. I can park this thing awesome now!
4) Hitching for towing or checking on the hitch while towing.

Must not ignore everything else around me when using the camera. It just takes some practice.

There are integrated mirror/monitor combos that cost more and since I have it on all the time, I prefer the two different views but the integrated ones are SLICK!

 

Jason,
Thanks for that info (I'm in rep prison at the moment).
I'll put this back on my wish list.

 

How did u only have $55 in it. Both items r running $72. Still not bad just courious on how to save as much as I can!!

 

Fair question. The camera was priced a little lower in October when I got it and the monitor was one a guy bought for a project and then decided to go bigger. So he took a hit and I got it cheaper than the one I added on here for reference.

 

Makes sense. I was just checking. Did they come with enough wire to install!

 

I had to buy a 25' coax with RCA connectors and it was just the right length. I also ran the power to the camera from the message center in the console. I used some spare trailer wire since it is real low amp draw and the two wires (+&-) are joined.

 

I've got the coax, I work for the cable company, just need the RCA connectors. Sweet. One last thing, did u remove the outside handle piece to drill the hole?

 

I actually drilled it on the liftgate to make sure I was getting the correct angle for the placement/view I wanted.

I did remove it to make sure I was not hitting anything important behind it first. (mounting bolt, etc.) It was also easy to route and tape the wires with it removed, after I drilled. It's only 6 bolts and a few clips.

I looked up the liftgate lock replacement tutorial to see how to remove the clips for the latch and lock.

 

Pretty damn slick!!!