Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[peter scott]

Rearward visibility isn't too good in the pre-XK Jaguar saloons and drop heads so I thought I might try one of the cheap reversing cameras that are widely available. My first thought was, could I find one that I could mount behind the glass of the rear number plate box?

The one I chose proved to be just a little too deep when using its swivel mounting but the camera was small enough if I removed its mounting.

For ease of wiring I decided to buy a wireless set-up. With the transmitter fitted inside the number plate box the screen received a good signal when the car was in my driveway but out on the open road the reception varied considerably depending on the presence of other vehicles and buildings.
To overcome the poor reception of the wireless system I bypassed it with a long RCA male to RCA male cable and routed this over the offside rear wing and along under the Furflex at carpet level.

I intend to use the system as an additional rear view mirror for normal driving as well as for reversing so I am not powering it through the reversing lamp switch.

I have arranged that the camera is always on if the ignition is switched on. To get power to the camera I used the reversing lamp wiring and the switch simply as a terminal block by connecting the normal reversing lamp switch wires together on one terminal. I don't use a reversing lamp but the feed wire in the number plate box forms a convenient live connection for the camera.

I recently changed the function of my front fog lamps to act as flashing indicators. http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk/LED%20Lighting.htm This then made the fog lamp switch redundant and available as the power feed for the screen so that I could turn it off if needs be.


I had already converted to negative earth to let me use other modern accessories. The other departure from original is the need to make a hole in the number plate for the camera to look through.

One final slight complication was that this camera system detects darkness and turns on a set of red/infra red LEDs surrounding the camera lens. I didn't want to cut a larger hole for the camera + LEDs and I didn't want the light sensor changing the screen characteristics after dark so I soldered a small 100k ohm resistor across the sensor terminals so it no longer uses the LED mode. I mounted the display on a metal plate up side down. The display image can be selected for upside down use and it remembers its settings. The plate is the same width as the HMV 100 radio and fits in the slot provided in MkIV cars. (I had previously fitted a MkIV heater to my SS and I copied the under dash radio mounting.)
The guide markers on the 7" display work well and the start of the red zone corresponds with a gap of 3" between my rear bumper and the car or object behind.




Yes, I know that I still need to tidy up the wiring at the display.

The camera and screen that I bought included a small transmitter and receiver that didn't work well in my installation. Below is the same items without the wireless parts but requires a 5 metre long video cable with a male RCA connector on each end. Routing the video cable as I described above I found that 5 metres was too short but that was because I routed it through a hole on the near (left) side of the number plate box. If I had routed it through a hole on the offside of the box then I think 5 metres would have been enough.


The specifications for the camera that I bought as shown above quote "Lens Angle: 170°" but measuring the actual view angle for my set-up it is closer to 110° as shown below but I still think that it should cover my blind spot quite well for lane changing.


_________________
http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Bitumen Boy]

Nice work. I'm a big fan of reversing cameras, to my mind they're a greater contribution to safety than a lot of other things (ABS, for example) that have been compulsory on new cars for years. I fitted one to a small work van a few years ago; mainly to help with parking, but the number of idiot pedestrians that I saw and didn't hit when they wandered in to my blind spot in the works car park astonished me. IMO they are well worth the little that they cost these days.

[peter scott]

Thanks BB, with a small rear window and inadequate wing mirrors I'm hoping it will help, not just with reversing but also for lane changing / entering motorways. I haven't tested this aspect yet but am aware that with the camera giving 170 degree vision vehicles not too far behind will be quite small on the screen. That said, I think my worst problem is with vehicles in my blind spot close up in the next lane and perhaps the camera will be good in that situation.

Peter
_________________
http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[bjacko]

I too am a fan of reversing cameras. Before they were around I fitted a reversing beeper to warn pedestrians. To cover blind spot vehicles I use a wide angle mirror on my door mirror. The other side already has a wide angle mirror which also dips when reverse is selected which is helpful when parking.
_________________
1938 Morris 8 Ser II Coupe Utility (Pickup)
1985 Rover SD1 VDP

[Ray White]