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My Side View Camera mod

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I didn't post at the start of this project because there were so many ways it could have totally failed.
But now that it's done (one side anyway), the pics are below.

I have no service manuals or schematics for the car so I was on my own throughout the entire project. It was very scary.
I did not hack the factory mirror since the fallback was to put it back on if things did not work out. Instead, I constructed my own bracket
to hold the triangle window and powered window guide assembly. The camera and molding were then fastened on to the new bracket.

I would be happy to answer questions, but I am no way recommending that you attempt it unless you are very comfortable with taking
things apart that have no visible fasteners and know how to cut, form, and weld steel. You will need good wiring and body working skills as
well.

SideViewCamera1small.JPG
sideviewcamera2small.JPG
sideviewmonitor2small.JPG
sideviewmonitor1small.JPG
 
Guess the obvious question is. Warranty?
And is it legal?
Looks cool, but I would feel uneasy looking below the monitor to see the video.
Guess I'd sooner mount the monitor far closer to where the mirror was?
Pity the replacement bracket is not chrome?
 
Very cool mod - thanks for posting.

Have you tried swiveling the camera at all? Seems like it'd be a bit more useful if it were pointed further down, especially for parking, but I'm not sure if that may make it awkward to drive with.

I just got it done and haven't experimented with that yet. For the passenger side it would be nice to serve as a parking camera since that's where you really need it.
 
I've thought about this with the Model X prototypes...

and what I do know will be a problem for these - is rain. My rear camera -- when it even lightly rains, the camera gets clouded up by rain drops. Granted it's in the back of the car, so the spray kick up might make this worse back there. The camera usually self-clears once the rains stops and gets a chance to air dry again (unless there's a lot of road dirt too).

It will be interesting to see how the wind dynamics and rain will affect the side positioning though. May want to also consider a small hood for it too.

Last concern would be sun set/rise shining back in the camera -- how will that affect it?
 
Guess the obvious question is. Warranty?
And is it legal?
Looks cool, but I would feel uneasy looking below the monitor to see the video.
Guess I'd sooner mount the monitor far closer to where the mirror was?
Pity the replacement bracket is not chrome?


These are the additional reasons why I did not hack the factory mirror. It can go back on in 20 minutes if needed.
You can legally drive a Jeep with the doors and mirrors off so the real question is will I get pulled over? Probably not for that anyway.
It took some getting used to, but having it at center console seems fine. I agree that chrome would look better. Maybe chrome plated plastic. thanks
 
That is freaking impressive. I remember Elon saying he wanted to do that but there was a law that said all cars must have the side mirrors. Please keep this thread update with your progress and observations. Great job!
 
Sorry, but that's the ugliest most unintegrated thing I've ever seen. It's also dangerous to force you to look at the area beneath your 17" screen in order to see what's to the side of your vehicle. To see what's to the left of your car, you have to look down and to the right. That is dangerous and makes no sense. This is not cool at all. This is an accident waiting to happen.