Rear view camera

[Simon]

OK, I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but the idea of a GT40 with a rear view camera doesn't fill me with joy. However, having said that, I'd be most interested to hear anyone's experiences of using one. The idea of pulling out in front of someone sitting in a blind spot or coming up on the outside of me at great speed worries me. As I work in the indusrty, the kit isn't a probem, but I DON'T want it to be either seen or be useless, I will ONLY consider it, if it's going to have real safety benefits.
Thanks
Simon

 

[Bill Musarra]

I did a quick search on Google and got 616,000 hits for rear view camera. Some are for mobile homes and are bulky and gaudy. Others however were tiny (fits the screw hole on the rear lisence plate). Some have units that are hidden in the dash and pop out like a CD player and then pop up for viewing. Several incorporate a tiny screen into the rear view mirror. Some color, some black and white, some use night vision.
I think they can be of benefit, especially for backing, if you are not going to use outside mirrors, and/or set them to eliminate blind spots.
In an earlier post on wink mirrors, I described how to set the outside mirrors up. Do it for your regular car first and see if you like it. It takes a little getting use to. It goes as follows:
Sitting in the drivers seat, lean your head against the window and adjust the driver's side mirror to the back edge of the car. Lean your head to the other side as far over as you did the driver's side and adjust the passenger's mirror the same. Now when you glance in the side mirrors they will look like they are way off, but what you have done is set them so that a car passing from behind will flow flawlessly from the center mirror to the side mirror. As the car moves further forward and out of the line of sight for the side mirror, it should be in your periferal vision eliminating "almost" all your blind spots. You might have to tweak it a bit. You should not have to turn your head to look over your shoulder to see if there is someone in your "blind spot" once set up correctly. Works great on the track. Works awful for those mirrors that tell you the object in the mirror is closser than it apears.
The drawback to this is when you try to back up, or if in a truck, tow a trailer. You will have to lean over to see the back edge of the vehicle or trailer. Electric mirrors would eliminate that.
For trucks, those accessory mirrors work pretty good if they are large enough. I had one of those tiny ones on my Lotus, Trying to change lanes at night, I spent too much time trying to decide if the guy in the next lane was far enough behind for me to change lanes, and ran up under the truck that had stopped in front of me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
So as I see it, you have several choices for rear vision. "Pays your money and takes your choice"
Bill

 

Nice one Bill.

I tried this and it works a treat!

Rick

 

[Tim Kay]

I'm surprised there's not more on this topic. I did a search for 'rear view camera' and 'rear view' and no other results in this forum. This topic seems to be a good one. If there is a possibility of installing a small cammera, maybe at each hind corner of the rear clip, hardly noticable, then certainly this could be a hot item. Being that I drive freeways in So. Cal (lots of traffic), I want desperately to find a clean camera set-up. I don't have side mirrors mounted and love the look without them. But saftey has to be a bigger consideration.
I have a real clean, small molded back-up camera on a Country Coach. Great color vision, yet for a GT40 would be to obtrusive on the rear clip.

 

[Bill Bayard]

Tim,

J.C. Whitney has a rear view mirror/TV setup(Automan, Inc) in their catalog. The camera requires a 1" hole, and has a 90 degree viewing angle. The 2 1/2" monitor(color) is integrated into a 10" LOA mirror. The standard model costs $500. The deluxe model gives distance to the object behind you in feet, temperature(F), and even has a compass, for those who tend to get lost.($600).
It appears to be a slick setup, but I would think that the wire run from the camera to the mirror (probably co-axial cable)might be difficult to hide.

Bill

 

[ChrisL]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm surprised there's not more on this topic.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are a number of other posts on this forum that discuss the poor visibility. In fact, it has been described as such a problem that I was expecting much worse than I got when I finaly drove it. I found that the only totally blind area was at about the 8 o’clock position… and then it would have to be something small like a motorbike (and they don’t hang around much).

I have to point out though that I’m 6’3 tall and the top of my head all but touches the roof, so I may well be getting a better view than others. But if that is the reason why its OK for me, maybe a cheaper solution for those shorter is to put thicker padding on their seats (and I don't mean gaining weight) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[BenL]

[ QUOTE ]
There are a number of other posts on this forum that discuss the poor visibility. In fact, it has been described as such a problem that I was expecting much worse than I got when I finaly drove it. I found that the only totally blind area was at about the 8 o’clock position


[/ QUOTE ]

The only place I've found that blind spot to be a problem is when merging with another road at an angle (e.g., the end of the offramp near my house). I've learned to turn the car slightly so I'm closer to being perpindicular to the road I'm approaching.

 

[Knighton]

Automan

 

[Robert Logan]

One of my customers in Queensland, John BOSCI, has fitted a set of mirrors from a Mazda RX7 and they are both large and electrical. I firmly believe that these are the two essential criteria (not always the desireable criteria) to get the rear vision to an acceptable level.

John's car has excellent vision and with the side mirrors painted the colour of the car they do hide into the bodywork.

Another set of mirrors that I have seen that would look good and function well are those fitted to thr S4 Lotus Esprit. Is it true that LOTUS stands for Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious. I hope not as I am soon to be the owner of a 1968 Lotus Elan S4 (one of the finest cars ever produced - Gordon Murray - McLaren Cars).

As regards rear view cameras, I believe that there is no where to display a screen on the dash that would not look UGLY (my opinion only) so this option is OUT as far as I am concerned.

Best wishes,

Robert

 

Ahhh Robert,
the cat is poised at the opening of the bag. When can it come out? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Robert Logan]

Tim,

Reveal yourself !!!!

Robert

 

[Bill Musarra]

Robert,
Some of the displays are setup so that they pop out like a CD player then pop up 90 defrees for viewing. Putting it in the dash should not be THAT difficult. Others pop up like the old Polaroid cameras.
Bill

 

[Tim Kay]

Robert,

[ QUOTE ]
Reveal yourself !!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Meaning?!?

 

I think it means the lucky guy has just ordered a RF turnkey. Refer RF on order post in this section. Regards

 

[Lynn Larsen]

This rear view camera system topic was on the forum some time ago. Wayne Presley did and may still sell a system like this. As I recall, at least, one was ordered during those conversations. Wayne's Website

Not long ago someone asked about overtaking mirrors as well. I received a Griot's Garage catalog and there were some in there. Of course, as I am paging through the catalog, I can't find them, but they had suction cup attachements so that they could be mounted on the side window or the lower corner of the windscreen for racing and then removed. They also have a website,Griot's Garage, where they may be found more easily.