Help me with mirrors!

This has been discussed before. Do you have the aero mirrors? The problem is the mirrors were made for the drivers side, so you really have two left mirrors on there. Gordon N. devised a way to fix the pass. side mirror to allow more adjustment inward. You can find it here:
http://speedsterowners.com/knowledge/article.asp?id=203

I have the same problem and I am afraid to drive my car with the top up.

Marty

Bill--first--thanks so much---simply amazing that two left side mirrors would be put on a car---just about maddening! but after the time I have owned my Speedie absolutely nothing surprises me. All these poor practices by builders add up to the reason folks sell their cars with 700 miles on them! They can't take the madness!!

Back to the issue--I cannot find that picture and the description is greek to me---can you help me locate that picture? Many thanks my friend!----Jack

I have a wonderful Vintage Speedster with rear view mirrors bought from Automotive Legends--so right away you know I have a problem--right?

Whoever installed these mirrors just slapped them onto the car's fenders without checking that a person would actually be able use them. I know--very hard to believe but it's unfortunately true. The one on the driver's side is fair, but the one on the passenger's side looks way over to the right and is simply not usable as it cannot be adjusted to where you can see traffic behind you. More great QC---right??

I had a body shop look at the mirrors but they were installed too far off to be fixed---they said. Maybe they just didn't want to drill more holes in the fiberglass. So I am looking for a set of rear view mirrors that would allow me to see what's coming up behind me and wonder what other member's experience has been.

What about the Talbot mirrors? Any other ones I should replace what I have with? (The ones I have do look like the ones offered on the VS site).

Thanks to all for any advice----Jack

It's not a matter that they put two left mirrors on your car, it's that the mirrors were intended mainly for the drivers side only. Trouble is the pics are no longer available. The mirror lockscrew is the little chrome barrel like thingy with the holes in it. Sometimes if you loosen it you can work the mirror inward and tighten it back some and if you're lucky it'll stay put.
I did find a pic of the suction cup thingy you use for this mod. It can be found in most hardware stores. They are used to hang do dads on a window in the house.

I have the same issue, Jack. My driver's side mirror works pretty well, but the passenger's side is just for show. I haven't found it to be much of a problem even with the top up, though. I just take a quick look-see over my right shoulder before a right lane change.

I solved the same problem with my Vintage by going to Checker Auto and buying a small CONVEX round mirror. I peeled off the plastic frame and used double back tape to affix it to my passenger mirror. It fits snugly into the outside curbe and looks pretty good. It doesn't really show me much detail but it does tell me if someone/something is over there. Much better than than trying to look over your shoulder when the top is up.

Happy Trails,
Dusty

curbe = CURVE. (Sorry, too fast typing again!)

Thanks Bill--I believe I can modify my right side mirror with the info from you and the directions I got yesterday.

It does seem that slapping a mirror on a car that the installer knows damned well is useless is a stupid and irresponsible thing to do. It's an important safety issue with the top up or down---and it's pretty hard to do a head check with the top up.

Jeez---what were they thinking?

When I got my Speedie someone posted "welcome to the madness" Bingo.

Really dumb.---Jack

Dusty,

Can you post a pic of your right mirror.

Marty

Anyone know what kind of mirrors that Tom D has on the Green Coupe?

Yeah, Dusty bring on the pictures (of whole car).

I did this trick and liked it. But I got a much better result when I also got the plastic mirror sheets and made convex mirrors with the stuff.

I took masking tape applied to the old mirror in pear shapes that got smaller on every layer the put flexy mirror over them and reinstalled them.

WA LA !!! wide angle mirrors.

I tried to have some made earlier that year but just got the run-a-round . so after I calmed down I tryed this. Not Bad,, Not bad at all

I also found a 2003 Honda Shadow Motor bike mirror also fit the beetle with the same result

If ou have a round mirror the lens in the shadow are about 5 and 1/4

Jack:

Back in the 50's and 60's, when these cars first came out, you were lucky to get an outside mirror at all, let alone have one on BOTH sides of the car. Most of the 356's I remember seeing or riding in back then only had an outside mirror on the left side; some on the door, and sometimes on the fender. Either way, the mirror was designed and built for the left side of the car.

British cars, on the other hand, had those nifty bullet-shaped outside mirrors all over the place, mostly because if you left England for the mainland, all of the Continental crazies drove on the wrong side of the road (the RIGHT! for God sake!) so you needed an outside mirror on BOTH sides just in case (besides, the right side mirror was better to check out side-of-the-road chicks when travelling on the Continent).

Many years pass, and modern drivers have gotten used to having mirrors on BOTH sides of the car, mostly because other modern drivers have a strong tendency to pass other cars on the right (illegal in most states, but they do it anyway so car manufacturers put mirrors on both sides).

Long winded answer, but the 356 parts reproduction guys (Used to be Hans and Fritz, but they are now Yin and Yang) knew they already had a mirror stalk casting in stock, they got orders for both left and right versions of it so they just produced twice as many, put half in left side boxes and the other half in right side boxes.

There you go. You either have two Yin's or two Yang's, when what you really need is a Yin and a Yang...

Hope this helps.....gn

Oh, and that little mod with the clear suction cup? I wrote it. It really works, takes about 5 minutes to do on each side and makes the original problem go away. It makes the Yin on the right balance the Yang on the left.

don--I'm glad this fix worked for you. I now have the suction cup but don't think I can do much without a picture of how it is cut---such as what is a "crescent cut" on the cup?? Big? Little? or what?

Do you know where I can fond a picture--or pictures? Many thanks----Jack

Jack, my Hot Springs friend, I can do better than that.

Email sent with a complete set of instructions, WITH pictures imbedded (as long as I can sneak it past the email servers).

Watch your inbox!!

gn

Jack can you email me Gordon's Mirror fix too.


Thanks,

Marty

I'd like it too.

Thanks.

Gordon,
Perhaps you could post to the Knowledge section for all of us who would like the instructions?
Thanks

It's been there all along (ID 203 in the knowlege section on here), but the pictures aren't there.

What I sent to Jack had the pictures embedded with the text, so I'll send the emails to you folks and then put it on a picture server and give you all a link.

gn

Gordon---it worked! Now I can see out of my rear view mirrors! (What a concept!)

Someone should send this fix to all the Speedster Mfgs. who use these mirrors!

Thanks Gordon!---Jack

I decided it was easier to put it on the server than email it out three times (my ISP has cut back on how large email files can be).

Here all Y'all go> http://speedstershop.com/viewtopic.php?p=8402#8402

Happy Fixin'!

gn

My right side mirror works just fine with a good angle too? I had to intially loosen and then retighten the screw a couple of time to work the mirror into the right angle for me and it has worked fine ever since!

Speedster "D"

Gordon,

Again, you are the bomb. Very clever. My right side mirror is not quite in the right place too, and I would like to have it right. Just been careful when driving, and doing the quick look. Really, when top is down, the open car offers plenty of situational awareness, so don't miss the mirror there so much. Your "shim" might just do the trick. Also, wrt mirrors, some are fit up close to the windshield, so they are viewed through the side curtains when those are up. Others are mounted farther out on the fender, and so are viewed through the windshield, which is a better idea, if you ask me, as side curtains offer a poor view, sometimes.

Kelly--I too thought that the mirror was mounted in the wrong position but it really was that the thing was a second left side mirror!

This fix worked for me. Another fix would be to grind some metal away that hinders the mirror from swinging far enough toward the driver's side. ---Jack

Jack:

Thought of that, but then you would grind away the chrome plating which would allow the metal underneath to rust (assuming it is iron/steel based and not some amalgam made up in an Asian Alchemists lab).

Rust is not especially cool.....

Besides, the fix above doesn't require any grinding, you can do it in ten minutes and the suction cup can be trimmed such that it's invisible. Now, that's cool!

gn

knock off your excess rust and sell it to anyone that owns a (red) barn. they need it for their paint.

Gordon: Would ou be kind enough to e-mail your photos to me as well? I just got a mirror for the right side and although I read your description in the knowledge section, photos would be perfect. Thanks.

Tom Strongman

Tom:

Look here> http://speedstershop.com/viewtopic.php?p=8402#8402

gn

Thanks Gordon. Great idea.

I have read these posts about passenger side mirrors not adjusting correctly. I can adjust mine easily. The field of vision is small, but the area that I want to see is in view. My mirrors seem to be the same style as depicted in the pictures showing the "fix". Are there left and right mirrors manufactured and some of us got two lefties? Or are different brands of repro mirrors different? My mirrors say Made in Germany. They provide good views for the size, but the backs of the mirrors rust quickly and the mounting arms get pitted and look like crap real fast. My mirrors are mounted on the doors. The first car I owned with a passenger side mirror was a 1963 TR-3 Triumph. The mirrors were mounted on the fenders near the front. They gave great visibility.

Gordon---inquiring mings want to know what is a "panhead screw with a captive star washer"---that wou;d be me!

I did the "fix" using the reccomended size screw but just a pliain screw ---no "captive star washer". I thought I had it fixed but it's as bad as before---I know my problem is this captive star washer deal.

Hate to keep pecking away at you like all the others but can you possibly post a picture of this bad boy screw?

Thanks very much!---Jack

Yeah, Jack....I've had that question from a few others, too. Seems that I just had a small jar of them kicking around that happened to be the right size AND stainless to boot. It pays to have an extensive junk box, I guess (or to be a life-long pack rat!)

In place of the captive star washer, just put a drop of Locktite on the screw threads and tighten her up. Should work just as well. a Pan Head screw is a machine screw with a flat-topped head (looks like a mini frying pan from the side). They come with either straight or phillips drive (and often hex or torx drive) and are available in stainless from most DIY's. If you can't find one similar to what was in there originally, then get one you like that fits.....no big deal.

On the other guy who has mirrors that seem to work OK, you're absolutely right. Those folks who mounted them on their doors usually don't have the same trouble. It's us other guys who mount them just forward of the windshield on the fenders who have trouble adjusting them, and then this fix works well.

I prefer them on the fenders, as I don't have to turn my head as much to see what's going on, and I get a nice field of view between the mirrors along the fenders and the center one. I also have no trouble finding them when the top and side windows are in, as I see them through the windshield.

gn

Gordy - you forgot to mention that a good indication your mirrors are functioning fine is that you can keep Corvettes and Mustangs in your rear-view mirrors at all times!!

Peace - Out!