TheSamba.com :: View topic - Minimising Blindspots: The Available Options!?!

Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:04 am

A few years ago, I completed a first draft of a technical article, dealing with ways of minimising vision blindspots, which plague 1968~79 VW Type 2s and other vehicles, using a variety of mirrors, lenses and other devices, which was published in two parts, in the bi-monthly VW Type 2 Owners' Club magazine, "Transporter Talk".

I've since considered updating it with further information and I am sure that many of you know of other similar or very different products, which should be included in such an overview.

Nigel A. Skeet, "Minimising the Blindspots: Twin-Lens Mirrors, Fresnel Lenses, Periscopes and Other Devices", Transporter Talk, Issue 75, February 2005, pp40~46.

Nigel A. Skeet, "Minimising the Blindspots: Twin-Lens Mirrors, Fresnel Lenses, Periscopes and Other Devices, Part 2", Transporter Talk, Issue 76, April 2005, pp37~44.

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This digital prism-camera & two-zone monitor, which is a factory-fitted option for various Toyota cars, might usefully be adapted for improving front or rear lateral vision, on a VW Type 2.

This is a more complete colour scan of the LIGHT-SIGHT packaging, showing the use of a 75 mm diameter Fresnel lens, for viewing traffic lights, obscured from normal view by the top of the windscreen

The size & postion of the interior rear-view mirror and one's relative eye level, can themselves introduce forward vision blindspots.

This is a more complete set of images, showing the advantages of the Zanetti twin-lens door mirrors

This picture scan, is an excerpt from my copy the J. C. Whitney Catalogue No. 442D, dated 1984, which was given to me nearly 23 years ago, by an American student named Eberhard Montieth, when he was studying for an M.Sc., at Cranfield Institute of Technology, in Great Britain.

The picture shows an accessory, door-mounted, external, twin-lens, rear-view mirror, of a type which bears some similarities, to those patented and manufactured, by Zanetti GmbH, in Switzerland, for vehicles such as the 1968~79 VW Type 2, 1980~92 VW Vanagon, 1975-onward VW LT, plus other marques & models.

The J. C. Whitney marketed, twin-lens mirror, plus the matching single-lens plane or convex mirrors, were said to have swivelling mirror heads, making them suitable for both left-hand and right-hand door mounting. I wonder if these twin-lens mirrors are still available?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=338080

1968~79 VW Type 2, optional OEM extended cab-door mirrors.

Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:15 am

:D Where can I get a Light Sight viewer? I need that!
The windshields are just a little too low at the top for moderd overhead signals. That's on my short list of Bus complaints.

Rob

Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:18 am

I've gone and put a couple of the convex mirror dots on both side mirrors and have no more blind spot problems. Problem solved for less than $5.

Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:32 am

If I'm not mistaken the "What is it?" is of the back of the kitchen light.

Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:37 am

I always look over my shoulder - no more blind spot. WTF is a pram?!?

Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:39 am

Minimising or minimizing, that is the question.

Great write-up though!

Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:30 am

Context = Baby stroller..... maybe?

Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:55 am

"Pram" is a contraction for "perambulator," a device for walking with an infant. One must, however, exercise caution when going off a kerb with a pram.

Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:06 am

Mark wrote: I've gone and put a couple of the convex mirror dots on both side mirrors and have no more blind spot problems. Problem solved for less than $5.

That's what I've got too. No more blind spots.

Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:14 am

dr. no wrote: "Pram" is a contraction for "perambulator," a device for walking with an infant. One must, however, exercise caution when going off a kerb with a pram.
Right. There might be a lorry coming down the road.

Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:22 pm

whc03grady wrote: dr. no wrote: "Pram" is a contraction for "perambulator," a device for walking with an infant. One must, however, exercise caution when going off a kerb with a pram.
Right. There might be a lorry coming down the road.

Bloody hell, that's spot on! What kind of tosser wouldn't be cautious going down a kerb with a pram in front of a lorry doing 60km?!? Sod off!

Sat Apr 26, 2008 2:55 pm

Mark wrote: I've gone and put a couple of the convex mirror dots on both side mirrors and have no more blind spot problems. Problem solved for less than $5.

Ditto on that - they work great!

Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:59 pm

ccpalmer wrote: Mark wrote: I've gone and put a couple of the convex mirror dots on both side mirrors and have no more blind spot problems. Problem solved for less than $5.

Ditto on that - they work great!

+1

Be sure and get the chromed ones from China - no more blind spots even if mirror gets out of adjustment.

You will see those pramz.

Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:37 pm

These ones have a blue tint to them. I assume they were made in China, (what isn't)? The tint seems to knock down the glare ...and it's a close match to the paint.

Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:00 am

vwbusbusvw wrote: I always look over my shoulder - no more blind spot. WTF is a pram?!?

I would be interested to observe your sudden switch from the left-hand driving seat, to the right-hand passenger cab-seat, to look over your right shoulder, to check that blindspot!?! :)

vwbusbusvw wrote: whc03grady wrote: dr. no wrote: "Pram" is a contraction for "perambulator," a device for walking with an infant. One must, however, exercise caution when going off a kerb with a pram.

Right. There might be a lorry coming down the road.

Bloody hell, that's spot on! What kind of tosser wouldn't be cautious going down a kerb with a pram in front of a lorry doing 60km?!? Sod off!

Judging from the number of pedestrian casualties, quite a few! Although people should always be cogniscent of what is happening around them, sometimes they are not, for one reason or another. Therefore, motorists are duty bound to exercise all reasonable care, to avoid collision with pedestrians and other road users; what the Institute of Advanced Motorists, would call defensive driving.

People, especially young children, commonly step onto the road behind stationary vehicles, so one needs to be able to detect the presence or absence of such people, in the rearward blindspot, close to the vehicle, before attempting to reverse.

Mark wrote: I've gone and put a couple of the convex mirror dots on both side mirrors and have no more blind spot problems. Problem solved for less than $5.

ccpalmer wrote: Ditto on that - they work great!

visibleink wrote: Be sure and get the chromed ones from China - no more blind spots even if mirror gets out of adjustment.

You will see those pramz.

Mark wrote: These ones have a blue tint to them. I assume they were made in China, (what isn't)? The tint seems to knock down the glare ...and it's a close match to the paint.

What are mirror dots? :?

calebmelvin wrote: Minimising or minimizing, that is the question.

Great write-up though!

Thank you, I'm pleased that someone appreciates it.

Whether one spells the word as minimising or minimizing, depends upon whether one is British & British Commonwealth or American! Of course, we British own the copyright to the English language, so we have the final say on the matter. 8)

cooltercel wrote: Context = Baby stroller..... maybe?

I vaguely recall that a perambulator (aka pram), is known in foreign parts as a baby stroller or baby carriage, but being a native speaker of British English (or more precisely, English English, in my case!), I am not familiar with all the American translations. :)

Sun Apr 27, 2008 8:13 am

Nigel,
Mirror dots, spot mirrors, there are likely other names for them?!

These things really are the cat's ass, (sorry...cat's pyjamas, bee's knees) as an affordable solution for blind-spots, at least the ones behind you!

Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:59 am

Hippie wrote: :D Where can I get a Light Sight viewer? I need that!
The windshields are just a little too low at the top for moderd overhead signals. That's on my short list of Bus complaints.

Rob

Here is a mention of a similar product, on three of the Mini forums and a subsequent suggestion regarding a company in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA:

http://www.gbmini.net/wp/2003/11/lightinsight_traffic_light_viewer_widget/

http://www.mini2.com/forum/general-discussion/56546-cant-see-stop-lights.html

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1530446

http://www.lightinsight.com/

http://www.lightinsight.com/our_product.htm

The 75 mm (i.e. 3 inches) diameter Light-Sight, from Metro Products, was available more than ten years ago, through branches of Halfords, in Great Britain, priced at £2·99 (i.e. circa US$6).

Small, high-precision Fresnel lenses, are also available from the following company, but they seem to be rather expensive.

http://www.edmundoptics.com/onlineCatalog/displayproduct.cfm?productID=2040#SpecificationTable

Here's another link to a Fresnel lens for the passenger-side cab window of trucks, to minimise the blindspot, which would be covered to some extent by a downward facing, close-proximity or kerb mirror:

http://www.truckview.net/

http://www.taillightking.com/Blue_Dots-Reflectors.htm

Accessory Traffic Light Viewer, 2 1/4" wide x 2" high Fan Shaped Plastic, Suction cup base

http://www.taillightking.com/images/Traffic_Light_Viewer/TrafficLightViewer.jpg

http://www.taillightking.com/A5168_Instructions.htm

There also appear to be some accessory traffic-light viewers, of a design similar to the the dashboard-mounted traffic-light viewer, which was an option for the 1957 Chevrolet.

Deluxe Traffic Light Viewer, "Guide", Bolt type base with nut, View head is 2 5/8" wide x 2 1/4" high fan size, Arm is 2 1/4" long with a swivel on the bottom and a ball in the viewer head.

http://www.taillightking.com/images/Traffic_Light_Viewer/GuideTrafficLightViewer2.JPG

Traffic Light Viewer, Repro of original, very nice, 3 2/4" wide x 2 3/4" viewer fan height x 4 3/4" complete height.

https://koolrides.hosting-advantage.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=59_52

https://koolrides.hosting-advantage.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=107

Chevy Traffic Light Viewer, 1955-1958

http://www.classicchevy.com/product.asp?pf_id=01-71&dept_id=1597

http://www.nationalchevyassoc.com/shop-online/product/2614.html

Traffic-light viewers on E-bay:

http://search.ebay.com/traffic-light-viewer_W0QQfkrZ1QQfnuZ1QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ32

Traffic-light viewer in The Samba Classified Advertisements:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=559554

Another dash-mounted item was the traffic-light viewer, a ribbed plastic visor that was installed just above the speedometer. Because the roof extends so far into the windshield, it is hard to see overhead traffic lights from the driver's seat. The traffic light viewer captured the reflection of overhead traffic lights so that the driver didn't have to lean forward to see past the edge of the windshield.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/'57_Chevy

Fri May 16, 2008 9:48 am

Although this is probably more appropriate, to car drivers towing caravans, I thought you might be interested to see a roof-mounted rear-view periscope, which enables one to see rearward, through a caravan's higher front & rear windows:

Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:53 am

Notice the rear-hatch mounted, downward-facing mirror, on this Mitsubishi Delica; a facility I mentioned in Part 2 of my article:

Nigel A. Skeet, "Minimising the Blindspots: Twin-Lens Mirrors, Fresnel Lenses, Periscopes and Other Devices, Part 2", Transporter Talk, Issue 76, April 2005, pp37~44.

Sun Jun 19, 2011 11:53 am

I thought this could do with being resurrected, it being so hilariously funny and all
:D