Rear camera

[JM Rubio]

any people has mounted a rear camera iin his gt40? It is a superformance chasis 2114
Thanks

[Bill Musarra]

Rubio,
I have always thought the rear view of a 40 was not very good no matter what mirror you use. The inside central mirror other than period correct is virtually useless. I have come up with several ideas which I have implemented into my build. There are really good cameras that will cost a good bit. The CMOS cameras are OK but not as good as the CCD. The CCDs can get a litle pricey. I got the little ball type cameras and installed them into the side mirrors(RX7).


The RX mirrors are or were electrified. This gave me a base to build off of. As a result the two cameras are almost hidden in the casing.


I also added a central camera at the top of the spyder near the rear clip.
It isn't done yet but will be inside a reverse scoop. If you aren't considering night driving then one of the snall ball cameras will work and the enclosure can be very small like you see on BMWs and Mersedes. The camera I am using there is a square one that I chose because I wanted as much infrared lighting as I could get for night driving. All of the cameras are 120º visualized with a monitor that displays 4 cameras at once or two at once or one at a time.


These systems are not that expensive. The sky is the limit on stle and price. There are certain cameras you should try to use and they don't include those dinky tag backup cameras. The field of view should be 90º or no more than 120º. The distortion of the lens makes it difficult to judge distances, so you have no idea how close to you they really are. Those with 170º and up, will make the oncoming cars(from the rear) very small and can be missed with a quick glance.
I have figured out how to utilize the 120s to my advantage. The central camera just faces rearward. It needs to be up high to give you a good field of view. The side cameras are tilted out to the edge of the mirror and their infrareds are blocked out. They will reflect on the inside of the glass and create halos, which are distracting, and they aren't needed. I secured them in plexiglass and laminated that to the back of the mirror after scratching open a field of view.



For utilization, I have set the cameras up so that if a car is overtaking you in the adjacent lane, as it leaves the field of view of the central camera it then appears in the side camera. As it leaves that camera the nose of that car will be at the rear of my door. So I know that if a car is in the side mirror, I can't pull into that lane.
If you need further info, PM me and I can give you lots of information and sources.

Bill

[Robert]

Originally Posted by wbmusarra

Rubio,
I have always thought the rear view of a 40 was not very good no matter what mirror you use. The inside central mirror other than period correct is virtually useless.

Bill, great writeup and photos! I do appreciate your efforts. However, no good deed goes unpunished: I would like to share some comments and questions, please.

Rear and side view cameras. While waiting for my car to arrive I checked on some rear view video cameras. One salesman said he would not consider any rear-view camera employment unless it was image corrected, i.e., it electronically flips the image so the images are not reversed as when one gazes into a mirror. I attempted to discern the value of that suggestion, but was never very successful. What are your thoughts on this issue? Or, is that circumstance not worthy of consideration?

Compromised rear view through factory rear-view mirror. I have only taken the drivers seat of a GT40 on several occasions, and there was always numerous things to trip-out on, NO, I mean that kept me distracted. So, I always forgot to check out the view in the rear-view mirror. Is the view compromised mostly due to the stacks, or? This is important to me at present because I'm contemplating having the engine builder use a side-draft 8-stack set-up, which should lessen the blockage normally associated with the vertical velocity stacks.

Thank you for your generous, helpful assistance.

Robert

[Robert]

Originally Posted by rubio@rvracingpress.com

any people has mounted a rear camera in his gt40? It is a superformance chassis 2114
Thanks

I discovered this link to a company that has a decent selection of cameras and accessories. Forum member Grant Steele posted this within a prior thread.

STM5600D Digital Commercial Duty Rear View Camera / Back Up Camera System 5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

Robert

[Robert]

Originally Posted by rubio@rvracingpress.com

any people has mounted a rear camera in his gt40? It is a superformance chassis 2114
Thanks

I discovered this link to a company that has a decent selection of cameras and accessories. Forum member Grant Steele posted this within a prior thread.

STM5600D Digital Commercial Duty Rear View Camera / Back Up Camera System 5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

Additionally, J. Salmon posted the following link to a company with a unique approach to back-up cameras and especially a twist on LCD screens.

http://www.laipac.com/multimedia-rear-mirror.htm

Robert

[Ben]

This is what I am considering, but haven't made up my mind yet:

Camera (180° may be too wide though)
automobile camera,automobile camera supplier,automobile camera manufacturer, CW-637

I'm thinking that the way to go is to use a LCD screen with AV in, such as this GPS unit. A unit like this is thin, has good resolution, are inexpensive, and can obviously serve a dual purpose as a GPS.
Wholesale - 7.0quot; LCD Screen Windows CE 5.0 GPS Navigator Bluetooth/FM/AV In/TV 2GB Maps TF Card, Free shipping, $76.29~93.48/Piece, 1 piece/Lot | DHgate.com

There are a million LCD screens to chose from, so the above is just one I came across.

[Bill Musarra]

Let me answer Roberts questions first.
What you described in the first question is mirror imaging. You gotta have it or the image is reversed. Think of it this way. You look out the back window and a car goes past you on your left side, but to the driver looking into a mirror it goes past on the right. Which would you rather see on the video screen??? Right , or left. That is what is called mirror imaging on a monitor.
Ask anyone with a forty how the vision out the rear cabin window is. They will tell you it is lousy. Blind spots as big as a mack truck whether you have a carb or injection. It doesn't matter. That is one reason they put the side mirrors on, to help with rear vision and the blind spots. Trouble is they are small mirrors. Some cheat with the convex lens. This helps the field of view, but it makes the images seen smaller and the distance factor is terrible. "The image seen in the mirror is closer than it appears" I wrecked an 85 Lotus Esprit because of that very fact when I couldn't tell where the guy in the next lane to me was. I was trying hard to figure it out and didn't notice the truck in front of me had stopped for the red light.
As far as the injectors is concerned I think it won't matter whether you have vertical or angled injectors. My injectors with tea strainers on them are not that much in the way. The limiting factor isn't the mirror, its the rear clip. The plexiglass opening is what creates the blind spots. With the rear clip off the view is great. Now when I add some real filters to my setup that will really block my view.
Now lets talk about cameras and monitors. Any reputable seller out there will mix and match cameras and monitors to give you what you want. If you want one camera they got it. Three, they got it. Four, they got it. CCD is the way to go. It gives you a television type screen to look at. The CMOS units will look a little green on the screen. They are a little grainy even though they are color. It isn't distracting at all, but remember CCD is pricey. Most multiple systems(CCD) will run north of $400. I ran across this article from an ebay seller of rear camera systems back when I was looking. It still holds. If he is on ebay still, he is one you can deal with. Straight up guy. I will add that if you choose anything better than a tag camera, don't go over 120º. 90º is perfect but you will pay for that convenience.
eBay Guides - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REAR VIEW CAMERAS
If you Google rear view cameras, you will get 12,000,000 hits.
This group does a good job of giving you choices. After reading the above be your own judge. They have videos explaining their products and how all are interchangeable.
Backup Camera | Rear-View Camera | RV Backup
Here is another good group.
Backup Camera System | Vehicle Safety Products | RearViewSafety.com
Multiple camera systems,
Backup Camera System 3 Camera Setup | RVS-770615 | Back Up Systems
They offer a "black box camera" which is a continuous loop camera(when the chip is full it records over itself. It is setup with some extra monitors like limited GPS, G force etc. The video is top notch. One of our forum members picked one up for about $99. He sent me a video he did and it was great quality. A second camera can be added to this I believe.
BLACK BOX CAMERA SYSTEM | RVS-300 | REARVIEWSAFETY.COM
DVR single or multi channel
4 Channel Mini Mobile DVR | RVS-870 | Rearviewsafety.com
Want to go on the cheap
Wholesale Rear View Cameras - Car Reversing Cameras and Rearview Systems - Rearview Cameras from China - Car Video
And there is always Ebay
rear view camera | eBay
I would say that when you look around, take notes or save the pages to a file on your computer so you can compare them. There is a lot of information about these units and some of the differences are subtle.
What little advice I can give is this. If you put a tag camera on your car at the level of the tag, you won't see anything much except for backing up. The camera has to be high in order to see anything "around you"
Any of you wishing to talk more about this give me a call and we can discuss some of the finer points a bit more. I don't answer my phone at work, but you can leave a message and I will call you when I have enough time to talk.
678-687-4611
I am no expert, so don't think I can give you the final word on anything you are looking at. I have looked at most of the "systems" out there. Some are better than others. My system leaves a little to be desired, but you don't need the greatest out there to accomplish what you want unless you are one that wants to have the best

Bill

[Robert]

Originally Posted by wbmusarra

Let me answer Roberts questions first. Bill

Thank you so much for all the additional info and numerous links. This will all help me greatly fetter it out, and I will be better equipped to make an informed decision. Let me know if I can ever help you, and for your kindness, I'll dance at your wedding

Robert

[Bill Musarra]

Robert,
I am a little to old to be thinking of a wedding, but you can dance at my next big life event!!!!

Bill

[Robert]

Originally Posted by wbmusarra

Robert,
I am a little to old to be thinking of a wedding, but you can dance at my next big life event!!!!

Bill

While this is not a contest, I do believe I am significantly older that you. I'm so old I learned how to read from the Dead Sea Scrolls, my Social Secuirty Number consists of only two numbers, I can remember bits and pieces from 1963, I take a 1/4 tab of Viagra each day to keep from peeing on my shoes, I knew Dr. Pepper when he was still Mr. pepper, I took my first drivers license test in a chariot, I remember when Doogie Howser was a kid, the captain of the first cruise I went on was Noah, I used an abacus in high school math class, I found dirt around my house that is younger than I am, and finally, my momma was betrayed by a talking snake.

Nonetheless, I'll keep my promise to dance at your event . . .

[Jack]

Now that's funny Robert, but I'm a couple of years older than you!

[Robert]

Originally Posted by molleur

Now that's funny Robert, but I'm a couple of years older than you!

Okay then, I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Opps, you said you were older, not bigger. Sorry, I'm just plain too old to know, ya know.

[Jack]

Dream More While You Are Awake

[Bill Musarra]

I really know the things I am older than(in the real world that is).

Aluminum Foil,Television, and VJ day.

Bill

[Jack]

Happy that we have a sense of humor bud!

[Robert]

Originally Posted by wbmusarra

I really know the things I am older than(in the real world that is). Bill

I would never have expected this of you Bill. Was your reference to the real world connected with phschodyllic drug use, or are you holding out on us about your ability to pass through to another world? Wait a minute, I think I've figured it out: Your an Antarean!!!

About 10,000 years ago a group of peaceful alien lifeforms from the planet Antarea formed an outpost on the planet Earth, on an island known to mankind as the mythical civilization of Atlantis; according to legend, Atlantis sank as the result of an earthquake. Twenty members of the group remained behind in cocoons, to ensure that the rest had sufficient life force to return to their home planet. Eventually a group of four Antareans returns to pick them up. After disguising themselves as humans they rent a house with a swimming pool, which they charge with life force, to give the cocooned Antareans enough energy to survive the trip home. They then rent a GT40 from a local owner named Bill who unknowingly takes them to the location of Atlantis to retrieve their cocoons.

[Bill Musarra]

Dammm. I gotta work on that transporter again. Make a note to self. Get better drugs.