I love the rear camera function on my C7 but rear view mirrors, attention and care have allowed me to back up safely with only a couple of minor mishaps in the last 50 years.
What I do need is a front facing camera, located in grill just below the front emblem, that shows the lower nose of my fragile, slightly lowered, brand new car as it approaches parking lot bumpers or street curbs.
It would have to be turned on manually while attempting to park but that would not be a problem. I could live with that responsibility. If someone comes up with this accessory, I'm buying it.
I would design it and market it myself but I'm too busy driving and enjoying my C7.

 

Or better yet, could activate it self when the car speed is reduced to 5 mph.

And also give you and audible alert as you approace an obsticle.

 

One of the features on my Infiniti FX that I love is the all-around view camera. Would love to have this feature on other cars! Four cameras, one front and back and one each in the side mirrors...they work at under 5-6 mph...forwards and reverse.

 

Just buy a Curb-alert. Corvette mods has em for $149. Simple, easy, does what you need it to do...

 

I'm still a little surprised the car didn't come with a forward facing FLIR camera like some of the Cadillacs did.

 

Just ordered one. Thanks for the suggestion.


QUOTE=Modshack;1586654630]Just buy a Curb-alert. Corvette mods has em for $149. Simple, easy, does what you need it to do...[/QUOTE]

 

Thread back from the dead.

I'm going to try to implement a forward facing camera solution for our C7 but I'm interested if anyone has actually done this with (or without) success.

 

Keep us posted on this. The price & feature set of the Curb Alert is IMO not up to that of a $50 front-facing camera.

 

Just a suggestion.... How about an inexpensive back-up camera from eBay, which usually has a small camera and stand alone screen. Small camera could be easily hidden in the front grill, and install the screen behind the navigation screen. The camera could be on all of the time, but you won't see it until you raise the navigation screen, when needed. I leave the figuring out how to get the signal wire into the cubbie from within the dash to someone else. Powering the device could be the same as how Curb Alert does - the ground bolt near the alternator in the engine bay, fused wire connected to the power post behind the battery, under the cap. A discrete solution for an item you don't use that often. I hope this works for someone.

 

Great Idea... I am deaf so curb alert only works when my wife is along.
Unfortunately for me... she hits me when it goes off... Need an arm transplant.... LOL

However... I do think it has potential... But unless one can somehow wire it into our screen, not sure where one could put the screen that comes with the one's I have seen at auto parts stores.

 

that I'm in the process of installing now. In a nut shell, here's what I'm doing, but I need to preface where I start from. I have 2014 Z51 with a Z06 grill and because I reside in the Great State of Texas and choose to follow the license plate law......I'm running the Z06 aeropanel and a Texas license plate.

but anyway.....here we go.....

I mounted a mini camera in the center & behind the front aeropanel. I drilled a hole in the aeropanel and in the license plate. I have a black plate and the camera lens is black/dark, so it's not noticable. The hole in the plate is 13/16" I think, but will need to verify. Believe it or not, the areopanel came without the mounting hardware (retainers) and I just ordered them from cultrag (Gene) tonite. Once here, I can mount the aero panel with the camera attached.

I bought a 6" x 4" color monitor that fits perfectly behind the infotainment screen. It came with 2 mounts.......a peel & stick and a vacuum rubber. I decided to go with the vaccum mount and my plan is to have a piece of 1/4" glass cut that will fit the cove behind the infotainment screen & use it to attach the vacuum mount to it.

My idea for power is to use the center console power point. I'm about to replace my center console & use the power point for the switch & power location for the front camera system. I bought a push button lighted switch and have soldered the wires....
I just need to pull the console & tap the wires. I took the cigarette lighter from my ford pick-up and mountd the switch in it and it fits perfectly in the vette power point.

When completed.....I will need to drop the infotainment screen, open the power point hatch & push a switch to activate the camera & screen, but it should work nicely....

I will take pics and try to provide some directions next weekend. I still need to buy a Carbon Fiber center console before I finish this project, but I czn start w/ some pics....

 

Horsefly - sounds like a very way of getting the front camera to be a useful tool. Keep us posted.

 

Excellent Horsefly.. I am VERY interested to see what you come up with. After a week of looking around, I am looking at fabricating a bracket that perfectly fits one of the middle section air inlets of our Z06 grill. I am probably going to fab it out of aluminum. I'll dremel a hole in the middle of the bracket to fit a small weatherproof camera lens. I plan on having the aluminum bracket powder coated in black to help blend it in, on the front grill. Here is where I'm running into my first obstacle. Should I hard wire it into a small TFT / LCD screen. Since we use the area behind the infotainment screen for other things, where would I mount a dedicated screen?

With that issue in mind, I did run across a wireless solution that would allow me to use my cell phone as a "monitor." I just don't know if that would be a dependable solution or not.

http://www.amazon.com/Blueskysea-Tra...owViewpoints=1

 

Look forward to an update with photos.

 

I back up to the carstop and use the rear camera. In the RV industry we have 3 and even four cameras through a switching box that automatically turns a camera on for turns triggered by the turn signal and a side camera comes on. The output is a video RCA connection to the monitor.

 

Coastaltech did a LockPick for 2005-2011 Corvettes that allowed hooking up a forward facing camera that could be viewed through the in-dash screen. I sent them an email to see if they have any plans for doing a LockPick for the C7 Corvette. In the meantime, I will be installing a Curb Alert. A front camera would be much better. I have them in my other daily drivers already and they come on automatically below 7 mph and can be controlled through existing steering wheel buttons as well.

http://www.coastaletech.com/corvettelockpick.htm

 

Couple of things to consider, officerM. Powder coating is very durable, but a rattle can of the Carbon Flash Metallic paint is fairly inexpensive & it would match the grill perfectly.
The camera I bought has a very small mounting bracket that I would have considered mounting directly to the grill had I not chosen to use the aeropanel. (see the photos below) I would drill two very small holes in one of the horizontal honeycombs in the plastic grill to mount the camera (center it horizontally). Drop the screws in from the top...place the camera on the bottom side of the plastic grill and attach it with nuts & loc tite. Then spray some CF Metallic paint on a cue tip and touch up the screws.

Where to mount the screen is going to be challenge for you. The pocket behind the infotainment screen is perfect, but if not available you will have to be creative. I might suggest you mount it to the mirror cover on the sun visor. Or remove the mirror from the passenger side visor and mount it in there. I could send you the dimensions of mine and you could cut out some cardboard to mimic the Lngth x Wdth x Thkns.

Below are pics of the camera, (which is being held upside down,) the TFT Screen & the switch that I purchased. The screen is not a 6" x 4", but a bit smaller. Also, be aware that this is a rear view camera, so when facing forward the items on the left of the TFT Screen are actually right of the car and vice versa.

When I get home this weekend, I'll post some pics of how I mounted the camera & how I mounted the switch in the cigarette lighter.

It's a fun project.............I'm just slow to get things done.

 

One can always back in when parking too. Seems easier to me.

 

I've only had my C7 for five days but I've already had to have my wife get out in front of the car and guide me up to the curb...which she didn't mind but obviously not a great solution. But...I also don't want to have to have a separate stand alone screen for it. I'm looking around for some sort of Bluetooth enabled camera that would interact with my phone. That way I could just get out the phone and see the video that way for the brief time I needed it.

 

I agree, Cdn! Backing in to park is my most preferred way to park. Safest way also. In a past life I managed a large workforce at an industrial facility; we were having so many minor vehicle accidents involving either parking or driving away from being parked, that I enacted a "Back In Parking" policy to help eliminate incidents.

I'm doing my camera install because I think it's a missing feature on the car, plus there are times when it's just handy to have. The key piece of this for me is to accomplish a very clean install that is either not at all noticeable and/or it appears that it came from the factory.