Inexpensive Side View Mirror Option

GregKnod

So last wee I went to Pick'nPull ti look for any bay window bus - but none in stock ....... anyway came across a '72 Dodge van which had pretty nice side view mirrors - thought they might fit on my '73 Westy after some body mods.
To make a long story short, it was going to be too much work and needed holes drilled into the door (6 holes)!
So I took off the framed mirrors from the Dodge and from the bay. They fit very nicely with zero modifications. I'd say these mirrors have about 33% more mirror area when compared to the stock mirrors. Idea

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'73 Westy Weekender sharing the garage with a '66 Ocean Blue Beetle (daily drivers are out in the weather)

GregKnod · Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 2:28 pm Post subject:

So last wee I went to Pick'nPull ti look for any bay window bus - but none in stock ....... anyway came across a '72 Dodge van which had pretty nice side view mirrors - thought they might fit on my '73 Westy after some body mods.
To make a long story short, it was going to be too much work and needed holes drilled into the door (6 holes)!
So I took off the framed mirrors from the Dodge and from the bay. They fit very nicely with zero modifications. I'd say these mirrors have about 33% more mirror area when compared to the stock mirrors.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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'73 Westy Weekender sharing the garage with a '66 Ocean Blue Beetle (daily drivers are out in the weather)

GeorgeL · Samba Member Joined: January 16, 2006 Posts: 7346

Looks nice, but I'd be concerned about overloading the screw-in socket in the door.

I bought a set of Hagus mirrors from the Bus Depot a number of years back and they have been pretty good. No rust, but the plastic died from UV so I reinstalled the glass with double-sticky tape and filled the periphery with hot-melt glue.

GregKnod · Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 3:53 pm Post subject:

The mirror body from the Dodge are really light. The backing is brushed aluminum, I think.
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'73 Westy Weekender sharing the garage with a '66 Ocean Blue Beetle (daily drivers are out in the weather)

GeorgeL · Samba Member Joined: January 16, 2006 Posts: 7346

greenbus pilot · Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:25 pm Post subject:

FWIW- I just replaced my mirror glass today with a new piece of mirror. Used 100% silicone to hold it in. Got it cut by a glass installer I know. Cost me a Pepsi. Cool

The old one lasted 6 years and the silver stuff fell off one day! Rolling Eyes

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Sent from a white van down the street.

Air_Cooled_Nut · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:58 am Post subject:

I'm not impressed with the side mirrors myself, ESPECIALLY the right side! I agree, they need to have more surface area to help see more. I'm not particularly crazy about using those little self-stick wide-angle mirrors because they're too small AND they take up valuable space on the mirror itself Sad

For those who've had the same issue, how did you 'fix' it to your satisfaction? I really don't care about those who think the side mirrors are just fine* -- great, good for you -- you telling me that you think no changes are necessary won't solve my problem with lack of side and rearward visibility. I actually pass other vehicles and I also stick to the left lane when I can so I want to make sure I don't bump anyone.

*For what it's worth, I find all vehicles lacking in rearward and side visibility for the driver. Except for the Bus, every single car in my family has this rearview mirror:

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Toby http://www.aircoolednut.com/
Did I mention that I'm an original Darksider?
'72 VW Squareback, 2007cc, GB 5-speed, rag top; '76 VW Riviera Penthouse Sundowner 2.0L; 2015 Audi S5 Cabby w/Stage II APR; '06 Ducati Sport Classic 1000; '14 Ducati Diavel Strada
The First Invasion

Bursch · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:12 am Post subject:

I've installed the slightly larger and more robust Brazil Bay mirrors. Easy upgrade, mounts with the same bolt and gets extra support from the curve/beltline in the door
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GregKnod · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:41 am Post subject:

Air_Cooled_Nut · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 9:01 am Post subject:

c.j. · Samba Member Joined: November 12, 2004 Posts: 343

I was thinking of combining the earlier elephant ear mirror and arm to the bay mount that screws into the door.Probably needs cut and weld but I like gregknods solution where there's no modification needed.

Mark · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:19 pm Post subject:

I found a pair of stick-on mirror dots helped rear visibility and eliminated any blind spots.
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www.zwerks.ca

krimpoo · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:20 pm Post subject:

Greg...looks good and looks functional. Your always going to get yahoos around here telling you your mod is bog...its the lay of the land.

MalibuLX3 · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:27 pm Post subject:

dbo550 · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:16 pm Post subject:

Glad that worked out for you greg. I think the best option is to just buy a good used mirror, they are not that expensive. At worst Those cheapo sets on eBay are worth a gamble. If you sat in a normal driving position you should have no problems with the stock configuration. But if it works for you then it works.
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1985 Westy
2001 Audi Allroad
1999 Volvo v70 xc
1995 Volvo T5-R, Yellow
1998 Jetta GLX


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