[simplechamp]

After seeing how easily the case was to open I've debated actually removing the case altogether, and making a more RC-friendly case and/or mount for the cam.

Basically, just take the guts out of the plastic shell, maybe do some hardwiring as you mentioned, and also look at a better way to mount the lens/CCD. I don't really plan on using the swivel, and like you said before for our purposes the swivel is more of a hindrance than a help.

I think mounting the lens/CCD separate from the rest of the hardware could solve some vibration issues (or create more? who knows?) Get rid of the flimsy ribbon cable, replace it with some longer wires, and make a nice solid mount for the lens/CCD, and the rest of the cam guts can be stowed away lower on the chassis.