First Job Done (Reverse Camera).

Sorry for the delay in posting this but it has been a hectic few weeks since we got the van.

We have now got around to drilling the first holes in the van, and fitted a reverse camera which was picked up on ebay for £40. It is a no frills camera and monitor from China which is designed to be ran from 12v socket or reverse light wiring. This kit was marketed towards vans/lorries/bus and comes with a HUGE wire which made instillation really easy.

Camera kit in the box.
Contents:

IR Camera
Cable
Camera Bracket
Monitor
2 x Monitor Brackets (3M and Suction)
12v Power Adapter
Useless Instructions

Tools/Stuff Used

Decent drill with charged batteries
Decent sharp/new HSS metal drill bits (I used 3 for pilot holes and stepped up)
Decent sharp step drill bit
Socket set with Torx drives (to loosen the rear lights)
Self-tapping screws or bolts & nuts (I chose bolts in the end)
Stanley knife and fresh blade
Insulation tape
Gaffer tape/duct tape
Rubber Grommets
Butyl tape
Silicon sealant
Spray sealant
Isopropyl alcohol
Cloths

I forgot to take a picture of everything laid out, I’ll do a better job next time.

The Process

The first job as with any purchase before jumping straight into drilling holes… Check the camera works.
Me and Becky plugged in the camera and monitor to check everything works and then spent a bit of time holding the camera in place until we found a position which suited us. We chose to go quite low to give what felt like a more natural perspective. We made our selection at what would be the lower right of the rear left window should they be fitted. A small sharpie mark was made where the drilling should commence and the tools were unleashed.

The rear window ply lining was removed and 2 holes drilled from the outside in using 3mm pilot holes before stepping up to 6mm to enable a bolt through (I got scared/carried away and forgot photos of that).

Butyl tape was stuck on the back of the bracket before being bolted to the rear door. This was probably overkill but I had a roll with me and anything to help keep water out is good. After bolting up, the butyl excess spreads out nicely and was cleaned up with a new knife blade.
While the butyl tape set, another hole was drilled above the bracket to allow the camera cable to fit (a much bigger hole that I would have liked!). The cable hole was cleaned up and a rubber grommet inserted before threading the cable through and mounting the camera to the bracket.
Silicon sealant (Gorilla universal) was pumped into the hole around the wire and grommet to create a gapless and hopefully waterproof seal. The sealant was also used around the camera bracket for good measure and give a more consistent finish.

While the silicon set another hole was drilled (the last one) inside of the door to allow routing of the cable through the existing conduit to the van body and into the cab. A grommet was used in the hole to protect the cable but no silicon as it is internal.
The rear light cluster was loosened using a torx bit to allow access to the rubber boot and conduit that goes between the door and the body. Both ends of the conduit were removed and holes cut near the top to enable the camera cable to be thread through. Once the cable was threaded and cable tied, the conduit was cleaned and taped with insulation tape and gaffer/duct tape before being replaced. Once in position and the light cluster tightened, silicon sealing spray was used all over the applied tape and joins to ensure everything remains waterproof (Not photographed).

With all the holes drilled and cable threaded into the cab, the rest was easy! Just a case of routing the what felt like miles of cable along the track at the top of the van and into the cab. The monitor was stuck to a flat part of the cab interior just above the clock which gives nice clear visibility without being in the way. We opted to use the 12v adapter option instead of wiring into the reverse switch, so we can choose to have the camera on whenever we want it (very handy in the tight multi story car park at work, supermarket car parks etc). The 12v plug has a handy little switch on it so you can easily turn it on/off.