During the conception and planning of the truck project, I was concerned about being able to see behind me when I backed up. So I did some research and found Safety Vision. I sent them a request for product sponsorship. When I received a reply from Jason at Safety Vision I was vary thankful.
We went through some of the different Collision Avoidance Solutions that they have, and what I would need. He consulted with Joe McCleary and they sent a rear vision color camera with audio and a flat screen lcd monitor.
This was a great chance for them, let alone us to place this system in a vehicle that will be used to promote the safety of severe weather and hurricanes. Let alone to be used after a disaster with communications.

The first thing to do was decide how and where to mount the camera and monitor. The monitor as you can see in the picture below was the easy decision. When I would look at the rear view mirror, the monitor would have to be used very sinilar to the mirror. So I mounted it in one of the little drop down doors in the overhead console. This normally would house the remote control for a garage door. This would make it simple to run the wire through the ceiling down a column to where the power and backup connections would be made.Also, be very easily visible while backing up.

This allowed for a view very similar to the rear view mirror, but even better being it had the camera mounted on the roof in the back. It also provides audio, so you can hear and see what is behind you. I do plan on installing a backup alarm, the annoying beep beeep beep just as another safety precaution.

Now the camera was a little more difficult. Being I originally wanted to mount this on it's own platform on the roof system that was designed for us by Tulsa Welding School. But, we decided to mount it directly to the roof. We can later relocate the camera for a better view later when we install the roof platform. The camera also has LED lights when the lighting is low. This also enhances it's performance.

As you can see in the picture, the camera is nicely mounted on the roof. I had planned on taking many pictures, but my experiance told me that each and every vehicle will be different.
You will need a number of tools. A 3/4" drill bit, drill, flat and phillips screwdrivers. First you need to make sure you don't have wiring or support brackets underneath where you plan on mounting the bracket. Being you will have to drill a 3/4" hole through the roof. They also provided the needed materials to make the mounting trouble free and water tight. I used a little extra rubber sealant just to make sure there were no leaks.

Make sure you water test the mounting to make sure it is actually water tight before continuing. They provide a ring that fits in the mounting bracket also, that seals the 3/4" hole you have to drill to feed the cable through the roof. Also, rubber tape to place between the camera bracket and roof to seal the screw holes. Again, I used a little rubber sealent to ensure water tight assurance.

As you can see, the final product was simple. It took 1 person, me, about 3-4 hours to do the install. Make sure you prepare yourself with the correct tools, and have made the needed desicions where to mount the camera and monitor. Where you plan on running the cables from the camera to the monitor. You want both the camera and monitor to be visible, and easily viewable while backing.

I want to thank Joe and Jason at Safety Vision for their product sponsorship. Without this system, we would not be able to see what is behind us while backing up. The installation of the rackmounts blocks our rear vision, and this Backup Collison Avoidance System sovles that issue for us.
Thank You Safety Vision!

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