73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Body, Glass & Paint => Topic started by: LTZ C20 on November 05, 2015, 01:32:50 AM
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Another mirror post from LTZ, I know I'm on a mirror power trip right now, it should end soon I hope lol. so I recently purchased an NOS set of the large square towing mirrors that came on these trucks. The ones that came mounted on brackets with 3, 4 or 5 or 6 something or how ever many arms those things had.
Well all those arms bolted all over the doors look stupid, sorry, just sayin. The mirrors work great tho, so I got a set, modified them and used a different mount we have all seen before.
Honest opinions please, good or bad is fine, so far the people I've showed like them.
Before (looking at the outside mirrors here)
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/04/7f74e809760bc7ef1aa033e619ba7d59.jpg)
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/04/d4afd7fff9389b3f492874982018649f.jpg)
After
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/04/7ed0e5d33799e41843cece0e0e037f03.jpg)
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/04/c2d0581ff6b08214bd81086f32fa0081.jpg)
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/04/d9c082e8acd1420432ec01ba66852d80.jpg)
Oh and by modified, I mean they slide out for towing.
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/04/8e351fa29fc0681d2734e3e0293d6771.jpg)
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/04/a8d66afcee44a2c44adc4320743d01fa.jpg)
I'm exploring the possibility of having front and rear facing turn signals in each like the new style "Duramax" mirrors as they are called. I'm not a 100% sold and that idea yet tho, more exploring to do before I make a final decision. They will being getting small blind spot mirrors tho, just have to find a shape I like.
Comments?
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I like it. How did you make them slide in & out?
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Those look really nice!!!
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Nice combination of the two designs.
Be careful with the mirrors slid out as there isn't much arm remaining for the bracket inside the mirror head to clamp onto.
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im kind of torn. i like the front look but the close up the arm seams to long and too small, almost like it doesnt fit the mirrors
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but when they're slid in it looks good.
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I like it. How did you make them slide in & out?
There is a speed nut type thing inside on the end of the arm, I had to pull the glass out very carefully without breaking it, took the nut off and reinstalled the glass, which is a little PITA but not too bad.
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Those look really nice!!!
Thanks.
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Nice combination of the two designs.
Be careful with the mirrors slid out as there isn't much arm remaining for the bracket inside the mirror head to clamp onto.
Thanks. I fully expected that, which is why when they were apart, I made a mark on the arms so I know not to slide out past the mark and I still have good clamping force and support.
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im kind of torn. i like the front look but the close up the arm seams to long and too small, almost like it doesnt fit the mirrors
I understand. The arms are to long on the vertical side or horizontal side? They are big enough tho, they are 3/4 inch solid stainless steel bar stock. It's gonna take a while to get used to them.
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I need to get new grommet on the mount cover, they are cracked and messed up, not a huge issue tho.
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more of when they are slid out. like you kind of have this big hunk of chrome just sitting out hanging by a little bar. its not your design cause i feel the same way about the chevy and dodge tow mirrors. it might be different with different heights on the vertical bar. dont get me wrong i like it more than hate it but it just seams like something can be done to improve it
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more of when they are slid out. like you kind of have this big hunk of chrome just sitting out hanging by a little bar. its not your design cause i feel the same way about the chevy and dodge tow mirrors. it might be different with different heights on the vertical bar. dont get me wrong i like it more than hate it but it just seams like something can be done to improve it
I actually wish these were designed with 2 horizontal bars attached to 1 vertical bar, that would probably make it look a little better, like the newer D-Max mirrors have 2 bars on the sliding design with 2 mirrors per unit.
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but you said the tubes were stainless round stock? they are HD then lol. must outweigh the mirrors
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but you said the tubes were stainless round stock? they are HD then lol. must outweigh the mirrors
Yea they are haha. They have some decent weight to them for sure but even with the heads on, they aren't a lot.
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This is a little out of context but is there a way to tighten the mirrors? When I close my doors (either passenger or driver) the mirrors always swing in a little so I am always adjusting them. Any advise?
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you can take that little screw out of the bottom of the chrome cover on the mirror bracket. slide it up and you will see a couple more screws that squeeze the tube. dont tighten them too much cause theres no nuts the bolts just thread in. but while your at it replace the rubber grommet on the shaft it helps hold it tight imo
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to tell your the truth, I would probably run them with the stock arms(at least height wise) the extend out is nice. as the mirrors are already taller, going under the door window a little shouldn't affect to much anyways.
but at least you don't have 10 mirrors all over the truck. I keep wanting to take a pic, but I am always driving. there is this 90's chevy that has the west coast tall rectangle mirrors, two additional 6 inch round mirrors attached(4 total, two each side), the stock ones, plus some oval ones attached to the front bumpers. looks redonkulous.
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This is a little out of context but is there a way to tighten the mirrors? When I close my doors (either passenger or driver) the mirrors always swing in a little so I am always adjusting them. Any advise?
What Irish said.
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to tell your the truth, I would probably run them with the stock arms(at least height wise) the extend out is nice. as the mirrors are already taller, going under the door window a little shouldn't affect to much anyways.
but at least you don't have 10 mirrors all over the truck. I keep wanting to take a pic, but I am always driving. there is this 90's chevy that has the west coast tall rectangle mirrors, two additional 6 inch round mirrors attached(4 total, two each side), the stock ones, plus some oval ones attached to the front bumpers. looks redonkulous.
The arms on these are stock, they are what came on them. The reason they look really high is because I put them just low enough to swing in and not hit the bases so they fold flat against the door. This way I can go thru the car wash at work or fold them on tight streets, busy parking lots, all the normal reasons you would fold the mirrors in. When they are folded, they clear the bases by like 2 milimeters.
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you can take that little screw out of the bottom of the chrome cover on the mirror bracket. slide it up and you will see a couple more screws that squeeze the tube. dont tighten them too much cause theres no nuts the bolts just thread in. but while your at it replace the rubber grommet on the shaft it helps hold it tight imo
Thanks Irish...
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They over all look good. Personally, i like to down size, but still keep the factory look. Therefore, at some point i will be going from this
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/05/a0c9fa8c4c561729ddd5e39886bd9ce2.jpg)
To this:
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/05/cb979664e2f604b2d87f2758e9df850b.jpg)
Now your talkin..of course i will have to patch up a hole or two and maybe even drill. Not sure yer. But i do know that both style mirrors were offered.
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I would probably only put those little square deals on if it wasn't my truck to make decisions on. I like to have mirrors that look reasonably sized in ratio to the size of the vehicle.
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Yeah i hear ya. I do see them on some of the old ads from the late 70's though. I'll see if i can find a pic.
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Here they are..
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/06/9ba2df42f1c1652a2df99183763e43b9.jpg)
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That's a good one. There are 3 out of 5 with the towing mirrors.
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OK someone break down the different styles of mirrors in that advertisement please. I never quite sure what's what
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OK someone break down the different styles of mirrors in that advertisement please. I never quite sure what's what
In that add, there are only 2 styles. The little square deals that he posted with the little arm/mount and the large towing mirrors I just put on with 2 different sizes mounts.
The crew cab in the top left has the extended length mounts (which I hate) stretching almost to the bottom of the door and the heads are folded in towards the cab (which I also hate).
The blazer in the top right and the long bed on the bottom both have the little square deals (which only belong on 1/2T, short bed 2wd's).
The G-body van and the long bed in the two middle pics both have the standard sized mounts with the mirror folded away from the cab (which looks best).
(Everything in ( ) is my opinion lol)
The standard "below eye level" mirrors (the ones I removed off my truck) are not pictured in that add.
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so which ones are "west coast" all the slang terms
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so which ones are "west coast" all the slang terms
I Shanghai'd these two pics from google.
Pretty much any and all versions of these ugly contraptions. These things are hideous and I hate them alot haha.
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/07/fd72fbd7f4606a1c31d8aad104ac915e.jpg)
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/07/6ad83e4d279a57b2de7861d11bc824ea.jpg)
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so the west coast attache to the top of the door and the extended stop right at the normal location?
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The west coast attach to the door above and below the side windows with usually at least 2 braces, most times 3 or 4 braces total but I've seen 6 (LOL). They can have braces that reach half way down the door.
My truck at some point in the past (probably originally) had these. These are towing mirrors. The idea was you rotate the heads 180° and then fold them 180° so the arms are on the outside and the edges are close to the body. When you want to tow, you fold and rotate 180° and now the arms are on the inside and the edges are hanging out over the pavement. The crew cab in the advertisement has them in the inward position, the G-van and long bed have them in the outward position.
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/07/c445ee41637137665564949ae318c460.jpg)
Someone in the past removed them and put the "below eye level" ones on, which are the ones I took the heads off of but used the mounts.
Now like the crew cab in the add again, the mounts for the tow mirror reach about half way down the door of the truck. The reason that makes sense to me is, the small 3 point mounts put them about 3 inches from the body, the mid-sized 4 point mounts probably sit 4-5 inches from the body and the large 4 point mounts (crew cab pic) probably put them more like 6 inches out from the body. So depending on the mount you want or the size of the truck, the longer braces proved more support because they stretch farther our from the body of the truck.
One of the older parts vans at work as the long 4 point mounts because it's a G-van cutaway with a box on the back with a roll up door like a uhual van.
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The standard "below eye level" mirrors (the ones I removed off my truck) are not pictured in that add.
The style mirror you have/had on your truck wasn't available when that advertisement was published.
My truck at some point in the past (probably originally) had these. These are towing mirrors. The idea was you rotate the heads 180° and then fold them 180° so the arms are on the outside and the edges are close to the body. When you want to tow, you fold and rotate 180° and now the arms are on the inside and the edges are hanging out over the pavement.
The mirrors in the photo you posted do fold in, but do not swing around closer to the body. The 'Camper Special' mirrors, however, do fold as you described. Most of the 70's Chevrolet/GMC trucks that I've seen with the Camper Special package had either a 'West Coast' or 4-point 'Camper Special' mirror instead of the 3-point towing mirror. In the 80's, the mounting was revised to a 3-point style with one of the attachments on the body crease.
BTW- In all fairness, I really like 'Camper Special' mirrors but am not a big fan of the 70's GM "bent arm" style. So I did something slightly different on my '73 GMC...
Attached below are 70's GM truck 'West Coast Mirrors', 70's 4-point bent arm 'Camper Special Mirrors' (2 photos) and 80's 3-point 'Camper Special Mirrors'
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The style mirror you have/had on your truck wasn't available when that advertisement was published.
The mirrors in the photo you posted do fold in, but do not swing around closer to the body. The 'Camper Special' mirrors, however, do fold as you described. Most of the 70's Chevrolet/GMC trucks that I've seen with the Camper Special package had either a 'West Coast' or 4-point 'Camper Special' mirror instead of the 3-point towing mirror. In the 80's, the mounting was revised to a 3-point style with one of the attachments on the body crease.
BTW- In all fairness, I really like 'Camper Special' mirrors but am not a big fan of the 70's GM "bent arm" style. So I did something slightly different on my '73 GMC...
Attached below are 70's GM truck 'West Coast Mirrors', 70's 4-point bent arm 'Camper Special Mirrors' (2 photos) and 80's 3-point 'Camper Special Mirrors'
I was pretty sure they weren't available. That's an add for 1977, not knowing the exact years they were available, it was just easier to say they aren't pictured.
The mirror in the pic I posted on the blue truck yes do not fold around in, I knew that already, that's because they are too close and the bracket won't allow it. Btw, that blue truck is my girlfriend's brother's truck. The other style brackets do tho and that's the point I was making. The big brackets allow for folding in because they push the mirror so far out.
Also, the blue truck that is my girlfriend's brother's, he has had since he was 16, his dad had it before that, since 1981 infact and that truck is a 79 camper special and his dad knows for a fact that those mirrors came in it brand new. I've seen pictures from 20 years ago of that truck and they have those small, 3 point mirrors.
In all fairness here too, I don't like any of the mirror mount setups with the arms, except the small 3 point on the blue truck. All others or too big and ugly, especially west coast style, those make me want to puke. Also, my 79 doors have the exact same 3 point mount marks as the blue truck, they are covered up with bondo from someone way before me but they are visible and match the dimensions identically. In my opinion, my new "hybrid" mounts look WAY better than any other designs these had for that mirror, but that may be me patting my self on the back just a little bit.
Irish was just wanting to know the difference between west coast and the others. I figured the way I explained it was the easiest to separate the various designs.
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The mirror in the pic I posted on the blue truck yes do not fold around in, I knew that already, that's because they are too close and the bracket won't allow it. Btw, that blue truck is my girlfriend's brother's truck. The other style brackets do tho and that's the point I was making. The big brackets allow for folding in because they push the mirror so far out.
10-4, it sounds like we're on the same page.
Also, the blue truck that is my girlfriend's brother's, he has had since he was 16, his dad had it before that, since 1981 infact and that truck is a 79 camper special and his dad knows for a fact that those mirrors came in it brand new. I've seen pictures from 20 years ago of that truck and they have those small, 3 point mirrors.
There sure aren't any absolutes for any model year...
In my opinion, my new "hybrid" mounts look WAY better than any other designs these had for that mirror, but that may be me patting my self on the back just a little bit.
Irish was just wanting to know the difference between west coast and the others. I figured the way I explained it was the easiest to separate the various designs.
Understandable, I wasn't trying to be a stickler... I think the hybrid design is a really good mix. Being the thread that it is and the illustrations posted, some people want absolute factory and others are just curious, just showing the differences for others that will be perusing through this.
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you know the more and more i look at it im starting to like the modified mirrors more and more. yeah its an eye sore but only when theyre extended and its not as bad as the west cost. so they're a better looking when youre not towing and when you need them just pull them out
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Jason S, affirmative, think we are too. No absolutes indeed. For sure on other people peek-a-booing into this thread and yea some people are black and white when it comes to resto's and frankly color is better, especially in Hi Def lol.
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you know the more and more i look at it im starting to like the modified mirrors more and more. yeah its an eye sore but only when theyre extended and its not as bad as the west cost. so they're a better looking when youre not towing and when you need them just pull them out
You have a way with words sometimes ya know that. Elephant comes to mind when they are extended, but it's really no different then the newer D-Max mirrors. They are only out when they need to be, you don't drive around normally with them out cuz you are towing a ghost trailer. Lol
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you know the more and more i look at it im starting to like the modified mirrors more and more. yeah its an eye sore but only when theyre extended and its not as bad as the west cost. so they're a better looking when youre not towing and when you need them just pull them out
You have a way with words sometimes ya know that. Elephant comes to mind when they are extended, but it's really no different then the newer D-Max mirrors. They are only out when they need to be, you don't drive around normally with them out cuz you are towing a ghost trailer. Lol
its a fun part of my job in prison. i let the inmates think im crazy so they will listen to me or they might not know what will come out of my mouth. i do a good job at it, sometimes i get lost and forget im not at work and still act all crazy. but the main thing is im having fun no matter if im at work or over to a friends house. it help deal with the stress of work
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you know the more and more i look at it im starting to like the modified mirrors more and more. yeah its an eye sore but only when theyre extended and its not as bad as the west cost. so they're a better looking when youre not towing and when you need them just pull them out
You have a way with words sometimes ya know that. Elephant comes to mind when they are extended, but it's really no different then the newer D-Max mirrors. They are only out when they need to be, you don't drive around normally with them out cuz you are towing a ghost trailer. Lol
its a fun part of my job in prison. i let the inmates think im crazy so they will listen to me or they might not know what will come out of my mouth. i do a good job at it, sometimes i get lost and forget im not at work and still act all crazy. but the main thing is im having fun no matter if im at work or over to a friends house. it help deal with the stress of work
If you guys hung out with me in person for more than an hour, you would see I'm really just a big goof ball. I joke around at work that my job is to stand around, get in people's way, try as hard as I can to pretend I'm working and get paid. Really I'm a hard worker but I joke I do my best work with a cup of coffee in one hand and the other in my pocket lol. I'm an even bigger goof ball at home. I firmly believe that life is not fun unless you laugh alot and try to enjoy it so I try and have fun all the time, even if it's only me that's laughing. I could even be laughing at myself, which I do pretty frequently.
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Put a convex blind spot mirror on each mirror. In case anyone wants to know, a 3 inch diameter mirror fits the curve of each corner of these mirrors perfectly. I got these at my local O'Weirdly's, some where around 10 bucks for the two spots.
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/10/43d27ca9c9a8661495c746abb195b3cc.jpg)
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/10/19ae7b7345ba7ac2a8f16e4f17ecc11a.jpg)
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Are those palm trees in the background?!! I been scrapin frost off my windshield every morning!!
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(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/04/d4afd7fff9389b3f492874982018649f.jpg)
I like all the mirrors but alll I really care about is how or where did you get these words from? Are they etched in the glass?
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(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/04/d4afd7fff9389b3f492874982018649f.jpg)
I like all the mirrors but alll I really care about is how or where did you get these words from? Are they etched in the glass?
Hahahaha, good times behind that one. A friend of mine in high school got them online, he got 2 or 3 sets for stupid cheap. They are stick on decals, automotive grade, not like the stickers that come in a box from summit racing. He gave me one, I've had it on there for probably 4 years. Normally the "Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear" warning is on the passenger side but I liked it better on the drivers. I did not get a new set to put on the tow mirrors. That was from the high school days when we would blow the doors off rice burners with my friends juiced up 65 mustang and my truck was the equivalent to the farm truck on street outlaws, it looked like a piece of junk but I drove the crap out of it and won races too. Truck was a sleeper...
I wondered who would be the first to comment on that.
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Looking at this and how the things slide off why not put a small cable attaching the mirror head through the arm and down to the base. That way if you did pull to far or they tried to slide off the cable would catch it and go nowhere.
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Looking at this and how the things slide off why not put a small cable attaching the mirror head through the arm and down to the base. That way if you did pull to far or they tried to slide off the cable would catch it and go nowhere.
You must have missed the part where I mentioned the arms on these are SOLID bar stock. The mounting holes where drilled and taped to accept the bolts for the original way they are mounted. If the bars where hollow I would have run wires thru them and made them heated and have turn signals.