What did most guys use on the 49-54 Chevys? I don't have anything for the Fleetline yet, but it will have to look right.
I'd like to hear this too. but if you look in the old Barris books, you'll see alot of customs had no outside mirrors, although it probally would'nt be too pracitcal nowadays. Billy
All I've ever seen are those little spots that ya put at the top of the door pillar... or no side mirrors!
Mine came with this cool little round "clip on" mirror. It also had 53 Ford mirrors mounted to the fenders "cause he pulled a camper-trailer" They look pretty cool there, but I don't know how functional they'd be. Jay
Mirrors? We didn't need no stinking mirrors! Mirror laws aren't traditional. It's way over played but the round peep is about it. If you want it trick unscrew the stem from the base and mount it to the door directly, yea drill a hole in the door window frame. I wonder if one of tem convex stick on morrors, stuck on the vent window glass would work with te window open of course, and pass inspction? Gene Winfield put pop up mirrors on his '61 Caddy Nadine. They're kinda like license plates, they're ugly but ya gotta have them. Check your State law to see if there's a minimum size or a law at all about them. I wouldn't/couldn't drive a fleetline without two door mirrors because the visibility out the right rear*****s and I like to know what's there before I change lanes. If a car's a pain to drive it'll be aan to own.
Root, They're starting to repop what they called a swan neck again. It is something like a peep (those little mirrors that hang off the door post)with a longer curved post. They were also popular. The reason that you don't see outside mirrors in the barris book is that many of the older custom builders believed that you didn't have anything on the outside of the car that would take away from or break up the lines of the car. I just captured an old original swan neck that I thought about putting on the f truck. But I probably won't, just because. I don't think that OK requires outside mirrors do they? They are a good idea, especially if you got a big blind spot.
they might be gaudy to some, but i like those old early 60s chrysler mirrors, with the twin blade uprights holding the bullet that attaches to the mirror. i've got a pair, but i doubt i can mount both and see the other one. might have to get some peeps.
Whatever it turns out to be, it will haveto look the era. I have seen some really cool mirrors on cars but they look too modern, to 60ish. I need something in the early 50's- mid 50's I think. Something round and swoopy...if that's a word.
If I remembered correctly Cleatus has a cool set on the car he is building. It has been awhile though so I may be wrong.
Here's a pic of a 32 style mirror mounted through a drilled hole into a threaded piece on the inside. The car, a home-made speedster fwiw - Plymouth flat 6 etc. Dr J's idea of the drilled straight through the door is a good one. Even so, I don't think the older style small peep mirrors really do the job. There's a better way. See next pic post.
A lot of the round style mirrors are poor quality as far as the glass/reflective bit goes. Not to mention some of the smaller 32 style peep mirrors are difficult to adjust and once adjusted after a little while they're even more difficult to adjust. Resulting many times in bent sheet metal on the cup - for want of a better word - that holds the glass and the pivot. One good way out is to get a pair of Harley mirrors and cut them down. All the Harley mirrors I've had in the last ten years have been of good quality. Not too expensive either, last ones I bought - about a year ago - were approx $17. each. The pic below shows a pair of the rounded corners rectangle style. They may look a little big for a roadster, but when you see the car as a whole the mirrors blend into the background. Good part is, they're big enough to give you some good visibility when backing and when passing on the highway. Tough enough to see behind you with the mail-slot windows on chopped coupes and roadsters, no reason to create a problem for yourself with teeny tiny mirrors that don't do jack. These same Harley mirrors are available in round as well as the rectangle. Some of them have the Harley eagle casting on the back, but the plain ones are easy to find. The first set I bought - which you see here on the 32 - were from the local Harley shop. The next two sets were from J&P Cycles. They have a website you can order from as well as a killer thick catalog they send out. Good outfit to deal with, I ordered a couple sets of mirrors that weren't what I wanted and the return/swap was no big deal. They carry a series of nice fenders that would work well for those desiring to run 'cycle' fenders on their cars. Cutting the mirrors down is easy. The shaft is 3/8" diameter. Saw em off where you want and spin some 3/8-NF threads on them. That worked for the 32. For the A's you'll need 5/16-NF threads. What we did there was to drill to tap size and thread the A's windshield post for 3/8-NF. The toughest part about doing it right is getting the die started straight on the 3/8" shaft. A die holder with adjustable guide is the way to go.
a few bike guys will circumvent the law by using tiny dental mirrors. satisfies the letter of the law if not the spirit.
I had a hard time coming up with some cool looking and functional mirrors for a car that I was finishing, these are what I ended up with. They are a common mirror for older foreign sports cars, MG, Sprites, etc. The bullet shape seemed to go good on custom styled cars, and they are relatively inexpensive and mount easily
I wish I had a better photo of the 57 International mirrors I used on my 50 chevy sedan delivery. Ya gotta have outside mirrors on a panle or delivery and these were just funky enough I hadda buy 'em at the local swap meet. I mounted mine up high on the door frame..
This is a little better but they weren't really very good lookin mirrors IMHO...Had to weld 2 little tabs on each door to mount them.
you don't need mirrors in oklahoma. i drove the chrysler for a year an a half with nothing outside. mirrors just making merging onto I-35 construction far too easy.
Be careful with the swan neck mirror pictured above, The So-Cal labeled product is nice but there is a similiar design that*****s, they cant be tightened and they flop around. I have those on my Buick.
[ QUOTE ] you don't need mirrors in oklahoma. i drove the chrysler for a year an a half with nothing outside. mirrors just making merging onto I-35 construction far too easy. [/ QUOTE ] I only live 4 miles from work.....I-35 is a thing of my past.
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