It is a nice gift

One of the reasons I wanted to buy a truck built before Infotainment systems was the ability to avoid remote access by parties unknown. We already have one vehicle with OnStar but that was before realized how could it be manipulated. That does not mean there are modern features I could use gladly, and the one I missed the most in the truck was rear view camera.

The great think about living in Capitalism is that there is a huge probability that you can find a solution for your problem and buy it for an acceptable price and yes, aftermarket rear view cameras are available. I fully admit that there are things I am too old and lazy to do such as figure out and thread a camera wire from the dashboard to the license plate where the camera will be installed, so I had done my research and found that wireless cameras were available. The info went into my one of my Amazon lists for future reference, but it seems one day I left it open, the Missus saw it¹ and got it for me for Christmas.

And the screen connects to the lighter port of your vehicle.

The installation was a snap if you are somewhat skilled with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. I connected the camera to the reverse lights so it comes on when I put it in reverse only although I have seen people have it constantly on as a electronic rearview mirror.

The grid shown on screen is somewhat adjustable, but it does not move according to the steering movement like it does in many modern vehicles. I found that the distances shown are more than appropriate not to slam into another car or tree or side of a building. One drawback easily fixed with a bit of patience is that the image takes about 3-4 seconds to pop up once you engage reverse, I am guessing that is that it takes for the camera to sync with the screen. If that is a bother, you may want to go with the wired system. The image is very sharp and clear even at night which amazed me.

I did find the mount not very helpful since it is designed to be attached to the top of the dashboard or the windshield. One of my quirks is that I absolutely hate anything that creates a blind spot and the face of the dashboard did not have enough clear space for the suction cup of the mounting system. I looked online and found the Aluminum Alloy AMPS to 17mm Ball Adapter, Drill Mount Ball Plate Base which I screwed into the dashboard.

Yes, nasty screws, but then again I did buy an old truck and not care particular to form, only function.

You may have noticed I am not specific on a brand and that is because there are several vendors with weird named with the same product under different names and all coming from the same place Far East indicating it is the same crowd. I will let you do your own picking.

Also, if you have the space and desire to do the more complicated work, you can buy an aftermarket “infotainment” system with most of the regular goodies but without the tracking capabilities of the factory ones. My truck came with a stereo that has Bluetooth and that is pretty much what I need to connect the phone and listen to my music while driving, get the occasional call and hear the GPS instructions.

1. I am leaving the computer open on Gunbroker or other gun and ammo sites from now on.