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The worst part of this install BY FAR was the work in the lift gate. Its super cramped, hard to pull wire, and something back there is pretty sharp.
First I got the plastic panel off the lift gate door, then removed the metal cover giving me access to the inside of the lift gate. Since I wanted this to not be very noticeable, I mounted the camera in the trim that surrounds the license plate. Removing the license plate light on the drivers side and following the power wires gave me a route to the inside of the lift gate. Using a coat hanger I was able to fish the wire inside the door. Then the hard part....Getting the wire inside the 4Runner.
I removed the rubber boot that connects the door to the cargo area and fished the wire through the door to one side of the rubber boot. I made a small opening in the rubber boot so the wire would fit and used the coat hanger and dish soap (for lubricant) to pull it through. Once I finally got all the wire through the rubber boot I tied the video cable to the existing wire harness and followed it to the head unit. The power and ground were not long enough to do the same so I took a more direct route to the drivers side tail light. Using a multimeter I made sure I had the right wire and tied the power in, also attaching the ground to a 10mm bolt that was close.
Once at the front of the car it was a simple tie in to the head unit. While I hade the radio bezel off I installed a dual USB plug in place of the cigarette lighter for charging and Android Auto. I had to use the Dremel to open up the hole some more and took the time to spray some new black paint on the metal trim.
Overall I'm pretty happy with it. Don't know how I feel about it being off center yet but camera mounting options are limited. Also catching some of the license plate in the video image but I couldn't get it gone without messing up the view.
Running wire inside the Lift Gate
Wire in Cargo Area
Power Tie In at Tail Light
Fresh Paint on Metal trim
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