Technical New Traffic Light Viewer Fail

I have found them to be most useful when sitting stopped at a red traffic light, waiting it for it to turn green. It keeps me from having to crane my 6'6" frame while waiting for the light to change. I never have "driven through" the traffic light viewer.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is exactly what they are used for. If you think they are to see traffic around you, you are wrong.

 

I found this to be a very effective traffic light viewer. No distortion. Too bad it only works on Model As.

 

Hey Brent, sits right above the dash - center steering wheel. I set back in the seat, so look at it right beneath the top of the steering wheel.....right above the dash.....if that makes sense. Have the dash out right now or I'd take a pic.

 

Received mine yesterday and can attest that it will work just dandy also. Nice and clear with no distortion.

 

I had a 2” bubble mirror that I set on the dashboard of my old Kenworth with a sun visor. It worked fine.

 

Well, clearly you are not driving a chopped Model A with a visor in central Pennsylvania, because sometimes you need that help. I use it when I am first in line at a red light but the sight angle is too steep to see the overhead-only light. Also, thanks for always using the authoritative BOLD print every time you post.

 

Old, but a very useful thread! Here in Portugal most of the lights are just to the right of you on the corner - kinda dumb as they are hard to see unless you stop 10m back. Wife chides me about grumbling and craning my neck to see the damn light.

Glad for the warning about the United Pacific product...

 

Yep. Old thread but probably useful for folks who haven't ever heard of these. I have had this same one in Clarence since shortly after we chopped the top in 1993. Works great. In Clarence (1948 F-1 panel truck) I mounted it in the hole in the dash where the former vacuum windshield wiper knob was.



The only pic I have on my computer of it installed in Clarence is this one. This pic was taken the day after the October 15, 2025 damage on I-64 in East Illinois. Not a good pic but at least you can see where it's mounted.




Some previous comments suggested that the vehicle is in motion when using this. Not true. These are for when you're sitting still waiting for the red light to change to green.

The following pic is one I just snapped in my garage a minute ago. This is in my restored Model A. Both hood sides are open. The dot just to the left of the rear-view mirror is a prism of some sort that's about 1 1/2" in diameter. This also works great. It was in the car when I bought it. As the previous owner is deceased I can't ask him where he got it. I've searched several times and haven't found it listed anywhere.



If you're running a visor or chopped top I highly recommend you look into installing one of these.

 

One of the posts here note using a prism from a RV supply store. Noting our 2024 Peugeot e2008 would look out of place with something from the early 50's mounted on the dash. I will snap up a RV prism and play with it...

What is ancient may work well here.

 

So glad this was bumped up. I just bought one of the ones from my post above that lay flat on the windshield.

 

1: that’s awesome I really never considered the originals could give you a clear image!
2: I have a stock bodied 46 ford and if I’m the first car at the light I can almost never see the stop light unless I’m at an intersection that’s more than a couple lanes going each direction.

I think they can get away with the lights being perched so high because late model cars have such large laid back windshields and different seating postures. This isn’t some bs unless I want to stop a good twenty feet back from the stop line or lean far forward you seriously can’t see the light.

I just lean forward, but I can see the need for one being reasonable in more situations than you might think.

Edit: as far as the amount of time spent at stop lights I have an 8 minute drive from home to work and that’s 5 stop lights one way.