Backup camera ideas

Yeah that is very nice, glad to see my tax dollars at work. I figured $15 for a new tailgate handle if I screwed the pooch on my install. No way do I have the guts to blast a hole in the tailgate where someone could see.

 

The hilux uses the toyota pickup and t100 tailgate handle, which is slightly different from the tacoma.
I did find this horrible looking chrome tailgate handle surround camera for it though
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chrome-Rea...gate-Cover-for-Toyota-Hilux-Vigo/282756866903

 

The Hilux Revo is the current (Gen 8) version and has a similar blingy tailgate latch. The bodyshell with the freestanding tailgate camera in my post above is of a Vigo Champ (Gen 7, 2012-2015).

That chrome handle surround is seriously ugly, isn't it?

 

Installed mine where you insert the spare tire wrench, between the bumper and tailgate. I installed with extremely sticky double-sided outdoor tape and its been holding up with zero issues (over a year). I chose this spot to avoid needing to drill into the tailgate and keeping the camera discrete. If I were to even need to lower my spare tire, I would obviously need to remove it but hoping that doesn't ever happen.

 

I did put e-sky camera (from Amazon) inside the steel trailer hitch plug:



It is easy removable, and under that armor it is well protected from being run over. The only issue I have is road dust hitting the camera lenses, that are not quite strong for that. I already went through two cameras, that got lenses "sand blasted" causing the blurry image.

Here is the sand blasted camera image (with guide lines) vs the new one (without guide lines):





Here are these two cameras side by side (sand blasted on the left)



I'm still looking for better location for the camera.

 

it's a little expensive, and to be honest, looks exactly like the Pop'N'Lock with the keyhole drilled out

https://tailgatecamera.com/products/1995-2004-toyota-tacoma-backup-camera-bezel

 

At that price, they're probably paying full retail for the Pop N' Lock and modifying them with stud mounted cameras.

 

I saw this when I was researching cameras and thought I could accomplish the same thing a whole lot cheaper. My install doesn’t look as “factory” or well integrated with the tailgate handle but I like the wider view I ended up with.

 

When I installed my backup camera I tried a display that was held onto the mirror by two thick rubber bands. Unfortunately, in my 1998 model, the new mirror was too wide and it interfered with the driver side sun visor. (I think,but I'm not sure, that the camera was positioned so it had to look through the sun tinting at the top of the windshield.)

What year is your truck and if it is a 1998, maybe you could check and let me know if there are any clearance problems?? Thanks in advance!

 

Do you have an install guide for this? It looks really good, almost factory!

 

Sorry, but I just wired it up using the limited instructions that came with the camera. I took the lock out and opened the hole with a dremel until it fit. I used a combination of hot glue to tack it into place and used a stronger glue, E-6000 to keep it in place.