| Author | Message | ||
| ron and patti (Hayleyscomet)
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Anyone have a good suggestion as to what to use for a backup camera hood? It would have to be big enough to hold two small cameras. One looking back and one looking down. Thanks, Patti | ||
| ktrout01 Rating: N/A |
R+M Fiberglass makes a nice one that may be big enough to fit a couple small cameras. I just wish that they were closer to the East Coast so shipping caps wasn't almost the cost of the cap itself !!! | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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3" p.v.c. pipe coupling | ||
| Ed Jewett (Kristinsgrandpa)
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There was a thread about this about a year ago and some pretty ingenious methods were used. One that I liked was some one used a quartz lamp body. They are water proof and the lens snaps open to access the cameras. If your cameras are small enough 2 would fit. They come in two sizes 300 watt and 500 watt. Use a 1/2" pipe coupling and a CGB from an electrical supply house to seal the bottom where the wire enters. CGB's come with different size grommets, so take a piece of your wire with you to get the proper grommet size. I bought a couple of CGB's the other day and they were $4 and some change each. Lamp bodies are at flea mkts. everywhere. Check the archives for more options/opinions. HTH Ed. | ||
| Rob King Rating: N/A |
Ed and Tow Dogs Sounds interesting but have some additional questions ED: what is this quartz lamp body, you say find them at flea markets, good idea to know what I should be looking for, What is a CGB, never heard of them? How do you access the archives? TWO DOGS: Tell me how you used the PVC coupling I am just at this stage in my conversion, looked at backup cameras and monitors today, pricing them out Thanks to both for the info Rob | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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hard to explain...cut 1" to nothing on both sides.that way it mounts on back of bus at a downward angle & has a shade over camera.. | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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for looking both ways ...screw to top of bus ,put cameras faceing front & back inside 3"p.v.c. pipe coupling... | ||
| Pat Bartlett (Muddog16)
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When i purchased my caps from R&M the shipping wasn't cheap for sure, i bought the camera pod from R&M, they only charged 100 bucks to install it, when it arrived, i'm glad i paid that, that was money well spent(considering i'm nuts for getting into this in the first place) anyway that camera pod was very well made, the best question is would i buy it again, and the answer is yes, i've done some fiberglass work, its messy and i really stink at it! | ||
| Macgyver (91flyer)
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Fabrication. That's the key... You can do it yourself for a lot less than buying one.... Go to the automotive store, buy some woven fiberglass matt. You also need to get some "chopped" fiberglass. Not the chopped matt, just plain old chopped fiberglass. Get some resin and hardener at the same time. Sandpaper is a must, of course... And here's the key... Get some blue foam. The insulation kind, and a small can of BONDO. If you can find it, get some mould release wax, if you can't, just get a small can of paste carnuba wax. Go to the Home Depot and get a small square of lucite high impact non-yellowing. LIGHTLY Glue the foam to the bus where you want the camera pod, build it up to the thickness you want, then just shape it to the size and shape you wish. Once you have that done, use the bondo to fill in a couple of layers to fill in the cracks and pits, sand to a smooth finish. If you get to the foam during sanding, put on another layer of bondo until the finished product has NO BLUE foam showing, and it's the exact size and shape you want. Important: Make sure you have a FLAT spot where you will mount the window for the camera to peek through. What you want to avoid during this is any ridges, you want the transition to be smooth and allow for enough room for the fiberglass to be cut, roughed and the window to be siliconed in with enough space to mount your cameras and position them. I prefer a bubble shape for anything, it releases easily from moulds.... Ok, once you have your final shape and it looks good to you, WAX IT. Put at least 4 coats of wax, I'd go for 8 with one hour between coats. This will allow for an EASY RELEASE of the mould from the plug. Don't remove it from the bus for this... leave it right where it's at. Also, mask off the area around the plug you've just made about 2 inches around. Wax that part of the bus too, right up to the masking tape. Between waxings, don't foget to lightly wipe off the remaining residue just before applying the next coat. This will make your plug, and the area around it VERY smooth, and will keep the resin and fiberglass from sticking permanently to the side of your beautiful bus. Once you have the plug shaped, and have it waxed GENEROUSLY and smoothly.... You're ready to create your mould. At this point, you'll want the WOVEN fiberglass fabric. Cut it into strips that will lay down AROUND the plug, but no more than two layers deep at this point. You want the initial shell to cure without bubbles and without ripples. Then cut larger strips that will lay down over your plug smoothly, but keep in mind that until they are wetted, they won't lay smoothly dry... Just "get it close". Mix up a batch of resin, don't skimp... You'll use this to wet out the cloth you just cut, as well as put a thin layer on the plug. Use the SLOW curing resin/hardener variety to give you plenty of time to work with it. You'll use the fast cure for the final product. You want the mould to be PERFECT.... Ok, once you have your batch mixed up, brush on a THIN coat to the plug and area around it up to the tape. DO NOT put so much that it DRIPS anywhere. Just a light coat. Now wet out the cloth strips you cut and apply them first to the area surrounding your plug up to the tape... DO NOT go beyond the tape, or you'll be repainting that area of your bus! Once you have that laid, then wet out and lay the cloth OVER the plug itself, making sure that there are ABSOLUTELY NO bubbles, and that it's not so wet that it's dripping down the side of your bus. (I'd suggest taping a plastic bag down the side of your bus underneath your work area anyway... just to be safe)... Once you have the first layer down... let it cure for 24 hours. Then repeat AT LEAST two more times, but you can go as many as 4 without being into overkill... What you're going for is a SOLID, RIGID mould to make a finished part from. Once you have at least 4 layers of cloth down, you're done with this part of the task. Take a deep breath, and let it cure further for at least another 36 hours after the last layer is down. Now... you're asking yourself, why the hell go through all this, just for a camera pod? Here's the reason... When you're done, you'll have a mould you can create ANY NUMBER of pods from... You can make more than just the one you want for yourself... and sell them. Nifty.  Now... once you have waited out the 36 hours... go out and GENTLY pry up one edge of the mould. Work your way around it, GENTLY prying it up all the way around... Eventually, it'll "POP" right off. Be ready for it, or you'll drop it... it'll spring right off like it's got legs! More than likely, the plug itself will still be inside... Work it out. You're really not concerned with damaging the plug anymore, so you can just get it out any way you can. The key is not to scratch the finished mould during the process... It should come out with little difficulty if you waxed it enough, but you'll likely end up with little bits that are still stuck inside the mould... Carefully remove them. Now... once you have your finished mould, you can do the EXACT SAME process to create the new pod! Except, you don't need the ouside strips, because that was just to give you working area and make sure the weight of the fiberglass on the plug didn't pull it loose from the bus. It also gives you a flat surface to gauge your glass laying. Wax your mould THOROUGHLY before EVERY USE. At least 5 layers of wax is a must if you're using carnuba... if you're using mould release wax, follow the directions for it. Here's where you use that chopped fiberglass. Take your waxed mould and mix up some resin. Enough to put a thin layer of resin brushed into the mould itself, plus enough to wet out chopped fiberglass. Apply enough to THINLY cover the inside of the mould. If your mould is significantly egg shaped, you can probably get away with using the regular woven glass matt... you want to avoid air bubbles at all costs. If you put too much on at once, you could start a thermal reaction that could result in the literal smoking of your mould and the work you've done... so be careful. Use slow and medium cure hardener until you're ready for the fast cure stuff... it'll take some practice to know when to use which... Put at least 4 layers down. You want at least 1/8" thickness for small parts, or 1/4" for larger parts... depending on the size of your cameras, you'll probaby be going closer to the 1/4" mark... be sure to take that into account when creating your plug up at the beginning of this text.... Follow the same laying steps and times as outline previously... Once you've waited at least 24 hours after the final layer has been laid, you're ready to pop it out of the mould. Once you do, trim it up, lightly sand the surface to get rid of the wax and scuff it to accept paint, then paint it. Now, cut out the spot for your window (being careful not to muck the paint), cut the lexan to size, silicone it into place and presto... you now have your very first production run of your new camera pod. Give yourself a big pat on the back and make another while you're trimming up the edges and mounting it to the side of your bus. To mount it... you can use "L" brackets with small cutouts where they poke out under the pod, silicone the edges to keep the water out, and paint the brackets to match your bus. You want it removable in case you need to get to the cameras.... You can, of course, use this method to produce just about anything you want..... From complete custom dashboards to door handles. I've probably left something out, or stated something that isn't quite right for the way someone else has learned this... if so, feel free to pipe up and say so. I won't be offended... This is what I do when I want to fabricate something... it works for me... Cheers! -Mac | ||
| Macgyver (91flyer)
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Oh yea... really sorry for the really, really, really long post. -Mac | ||
| Dave Good (Eagle1)
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i bought a camera pod from R&M and it has space for two lights.What have you used for the lights? Dave | ||
| ron and patti (Hayleyscomet)
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Macqyver, we really appreciate your taking the time for such an in depth "how to". We're going to give it a try. Thanks, Patti | ||
| Macgyver (91flyer)
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Just remember to BE PATIENT... Take your time and learn what it is you're really doing. Imperfections can be fixed once the mould is complete by either filling, or sanding/smoothing... It is a time consuming process.... but once you learn how to do it, you can fabricate just about anything you want for a fraction of the cost to buy something ready-made. And the fact that YOU made it YOURSELF has a highly rewarding feeling to it. After all, that's why any of us are here on this board, right? For complex moulds, there are different techniques that you would need to follow... primarily, split the compound curvatures of any portion of a mould into a sections that when bolted together form a complete complex mould... It's really hard to DESCRIBE it without a picture... and unfortunately, I don't have one to show... but you can get a fiberglass book from Amazon for cheap that will show you how to do it properly... Fabricating your own stuff is fun if you just take your time. In the end, you end up with professional quality components that you can reproduce at your leisure for anyone that wants one for themselves. It's a way to make money if you put the effort into it... I'm seriously considering leaving computers behind and going into fabrication... I like working with my hands more than I have in the past... Maybe it's just me, but I am 30 now... and working with computers since I was a kid... well, I just have nothing to show (really) for the past 30 years of my life besides a couple of old vehicles and an aging computer and a stack of computer books about 9 feet high if I were to stack them up. Call me crazy... but that just isn't hitting my creative spot anymore! Cheers! -Mac | ||
| Macgyver (91flyer)
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Oh yea... One other important detail that I neglected... I realized it after rereading it just now... AFTER each use of the mould, make sure you DE-WAX the mould with a wax solvent/cleaner. Once it's cleaned, apply a single or double coat of wax to the mould again to keep it protected. Also, don't allow direct sunlight to shine on the mould, or it'll break down the resin. You can help prevent that by painting the outside of the mould with paint, or rub it down with UV protectant now and then. Cheers! -Mac | ||
| Pat Bartlett (Muddog16)
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Dave i haven't purchased any lights for the R&M camera pod, but that is on my list of things to do, if anyone already knows the answer to this, that would be a great help........ | ||
| Ron Walker (Prevost82)
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I used a 3x5 (I think that was the size) after market halogen driving light. Got mine at Canadian Tire..(Canada) LOL Get one with a chrome lens cover. You throw away the light base and just use the chrome lens cover and the glass light enclosure. Cut a rectangle hole that the glass enclosure just fits in, and install the glass enclosure from the outside of the bus and urethane in place, put the chrome lens cover on and drill 2 holes, screw len cover on...you're done. I make an access door on the inside of the bus for adjusting the camera and replacing the halogen bulbs. It works great...lots of light. It'll burn the retinas out of the guy driving behind you. Ron | ||
| Tom Hamrick (Tomhamrick)
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I bought a plastic vent for a clothes dryer for less than $5.00 and removed the hood. I then cut a piece of plexiglass to fit the opening to keep out the weather, painted it to match the bus and screwed it in place. It looks great and is cheap. Tom Hamrick 1984 Eagle 10S | ||
| Macgyver (91flyer)
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Cool trick. I can't see why it wouldn't work. -Mac |