Back again with new plastic parts! Since I stuck the 37" spare up on the back, I've been considering the real usefulness of a backup camera. My son is 3, hes 3 feet tall and my kid-sized blind spot is pretty big at this point. Plus my pickup has a backup camera and as much as I rarely invest too much attention into it, it does come in handy now and then. I like to do clean, purpose made modifications for stuff like this. I didn't really care for any of the JK specific backup cam kits out there, and I sure as hell wasn't going to screw something universal into my bumper. I don't even have a bumper. So I put some time into finding a camera with the specs I was looking for and landed on an Alpine unit. I knew where I wanted it to sit, dead center and high enough to get a good view. I had a concept in my head but, as usual, it really fleshed itself out after some sketching and modeling. I took a few pictures because I really enjoy the process and I figured this is just another opportunity to share.
The start of every great adventure, sketches and measurements. This is where the vague concept turns into something that could actually exist
That's just one page of 3 or 4, but it shows the basic concept and a template with preliminary measurements. I say preliminary because there is invariably some disagreement between the ruler, caliper, 3D model and the actual print. I've done this dance a few times now and I got pretty close the first time around. In the interest of quick print times and saving on filament, fit templates come next. I put all the holes (or any other design constraints) in place in the model and print a skeleton to slap up to the real life surface and see what adjustments need to be made. I'm running the Teraflex carrier but the measurements should translate to the stocker as well because, well, the wheel has to fit.. Three fit templates this time around
First fit template in place. Looks good but I ended up moving the bottom bolt hole up 1mm
With the dimensions in the model matching up to the carrier 100%, it's on to being creative. I figured I'd fill in the center hole in the wheel and flush the bracket with the face so the camera could poke out a little and have plenty of viewing angle without a big tire halo. I incorporated a mounting solution for the camera that's only accessible with the spare off for some measure of security. I really enjoy making sunken bolt holes. Since this piece will mount up and hold the camera, I call it a proof of concept. A simplified part that will demonstrate that the idea behind the part is sound. In this case, the POC will allow me to mount up the spare and hold the camera in position to make sure the picture is how I want it, that the mounting plate is robust enough to crank the spare onto, etc.
Finished part, hot off the print bed. I popped it off in the morning and had it rigged up in a few minutes. I included a quick wire solution on the back side as well.
And on
And with the tire mounted
Next up is to temporarily wire the camera to check the view. It's adjustable in the bracket as-is so I'll have some room to wiggle with the current design. I'm confident that the picture I'm looking for will be within the adjustment angle I have. Additionally, I have a few features (hours and hours of tedious design) I'm planning. The camera needs a little sun shroud/rain guard over the top and sides. That should also help with a finished look that's less "hey everyone look at the camera back here". The Deadpool looking recesses to the left and right sides of the camera will be rigged with a third brake light. This is actually a test bed for a motorcycle headlight integrated turn signal/running light I'm working on. I'm going to make those recesses deeper, plop in a red LED strip (maybe a red/amber switchback with integrated signals but I don't know how crazy I want to get) and then print thick, clear covers to fill in the recesses. They will act as diffusers to make nice, evenly distributed light instead of the typical bright spots that LEDs produce. I'm also considering adding an additional reverse light over the camera to help at night. I'll probably do a stick-on test with that first to make sure it doesn't wash out the camera view. Either way it will be nice to get that stalk 3rd brake light off. I'll also be adding wiring routes for the additional lights and a few drainage friendly cutouts. The finished part will be printed with a carbon fiber impregnated PETG filament because awesome.
I'll update with progress, hope you enjoyed it!