Tech.make your own mirrors

I spent a lot of time thinking of a way of adjusting the skeleton hand mirror i'd had in the back of my mind for six months or so. Then i saw a ball and cup joint on a vise type tool at my friends machine shop. That got me thinking about a tie rod end from any old junker. I chose to use some off a metro rack i had laying around. I MADE EACH FINGER ONE AT A TIME OUT OF OLD 318 PUSH RODS. I ENLARGED THE ENDS BY WELDING BEADS WHERE NEEDED. I DOWNLOADED SOME SKELETON PICS FROM A MEDICAL SITE FOR REFERENCE AND MEASURED THE BONES IN MY HANDS FOR SCALE. I had originally planned to do the mirror in a stainless steel bowl and have the hand gripping it. WHILE MAKING THE FINGERS AND USING THE BOWL AS A TEMPLATE, I SHAPED THE HANDS AND THE FINGERS AROUND THE BOWL. SOMEWHERE IN THAT PROCESS IT DAWNED ON MY TO USE THE STAINED GLASS AS A BACKER INSTEAD. I STOPPED WHAT I WAS DOING AND WENT TO A LOCAL STAINED GLASS SHOP AND SPENT THE NEXT TWO AFTERNOONS THERE. I USED THE BOWL AS A TEMPLATE FOR THE MIRRORS AND THE MALTESE CROSS PATTERNS FOR THE BACKS. THE STAINED GLASS WAS AWESOME AND I HAVE PLANS TO MAKE MY OWN TAIL LIGHTS OUT OF RED AND WHITE GLASS. NOW THAT I HAD THE FINISHED GLASS I FINISHED OFF THE WRIST BONES AND WELDED THE TAPER OF THE TIE ROD INTO THE CENTER OF THE WRIST BONES. THIS LEFT THE BALL AND SOCKET AS TTHE BIGGER OF THE TWO ARM BONES AND I LEFT A STUB OF THE TIE ROD TO FORM THE LITTLE BONE(SORRY DON'T KNOW THE MEDICAL NAMES).
I SLICED OFF THE BACK OF THE TIE ROD EXPOSING THE BALL JUST ENOUGH TO ALLOW A BOLT THROUGH TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE BALL.
THEN I WELDED ON A PLATE(SHAPED LIKE AN AX HEAD)THE PLATE HAD A HOLE DRILLED THROUGH IT WITH A NUT WELDED TO THE BACK OF THAT. THE BOLT IS LONG ENOUGH TO BE TIGHTENED FROM INSIDE THE CAR AND I MADE A BONE HANDLE ON THE END IF THE BOLT(AFTER CUTTING OFF THE BOLT HEAD). THESE MIRRORS WORKED VERY WELL WITH NO ROAD VIBRTIONS BUT THE PLACEMENT OF THE PASSENGER MIRROR MADE IT USELESS.SO I MDELETED THE WING WINDOWS AND MOVED THE MIRRORS UP INTO THE CORNER OF THE WINDOW AREA(MORE LIKE MODERN MIRROR PLACEMENT).I HAVE YET TO RELOCATE THE MIRROR ON THE
PASSENGER DOOR BUT I'LL TRY TO DOCUMENT IT BETTER.
ANY WAY GET RID OF THOSE CRAPPY CLAMPONS AND MAKE SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF. I'VE SHOWN THIS CAR A COUPLE OF TIMES AND DRIVE IT ALL OVER AND THE MIRRORS GET ALL THE COMMENTS.AT LEAST THEY DID UNTIL I FORGED UP A NEW GRILL.(COMING SOON!!)

 

looks like a lot of work went into that ratrod mirror