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Hello everyone,
I am looking for a little advise and knowledge. I am looking for a set of side mirrors for my 42 Clipper. I am planning on pulling a little Scamp trailer behind it and the inside rear view mirror gives me very limited rear vision. Does anyone know what the original mirrors were like or are they available? I have been looking at using a set of aftermarket mirrors made by Bob Drake that are for the "40" Fords. They have a curved neck and mount directly to the door. (Not Peep Mirrors) I want something that I can adjust so they are actually usable and not just for show.
Any thoughts?
Miles

Kanter has repros of the original mirrors. Probably some of the other vendors as well. You can see what they look like in the picture on page 68 of his general online catalog.http://www.kanter.com/eCatalog/00068.htm

There are some other less expensive mirrors with a similar general look that was sort of generic. A pair Kanter offers at about half the cost of Packard repros is shown a couple of pages earlier. SoCal PI region has an inexpensive universal clamp on but that may be too small for your purpose.http://www.packards-today.com/catalog.php?CID=1

For decades, Jay Fisher has been offering lovely, faithful, reproduction rear view mirrors for various Classic and vintage cars, the 1941-48 Packard (first year tub used the same style) swan neck belt moulding rear view mirrors. Haven't seen one of his ads in awhile, but:

JAY M. FISHER
Acken Drive 4/B
Clark, NJ 07066
732-388-6442

From what I understand, Jay is not longer doing any new castings, but simply selling off his existing already made inventory. Once it's gone....it gone.

Miles,
Although there may be some differences in our two vehicles the mirrors are the same. I have owned a 1946 Limo and purchased a set of mirrors from the Packards International club some years ago. The quality was less than perfect and although the drivers side is fine and functional the passenger side is nothing but an ornament. It does not have the mobility to be useful and with a fixed position front seat of a limo it is permently cut in half by the vent window frame. Twelve years of shimming, flexing, and all manner of contorting this little devil has gained me nothing. I would be interested to see hear from other owners if I bought a lemon or as I suspect this is a design flaw. If it is a design issue I suggest "non original" in your case.
All that being said Packards are made to go forward and what is behind you is of little consequence, unless you are pulling a trailer, backing up, or just like a shiny straight rear bumper.
Tom

LOL on who cares what's behind you! so these are cowl-mounted Cadillac viewers?

I seem to get the same results with the mirrors on my 1948, see some from the drivers mirror, little useful vision on the passenger side.

Jim in Boone

Quote:

I have seen after market convex glue on mirrors attached to RH side view mirrors for a better view. They distort the image more severely than the modern "OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR" type. Not original looking but more functional. If you are lucky you can get a good match in sizing. Just a suggestion.

(o[]o)

Thanks for the input guys. The problem mentioned about the drivers side mirror being usable is what I am trying to deal with. As I mentioned, I plan on pulling a small camper behind my car and it is nice to be able to see if someone is beside you before changing lanes. I have purchases a set of swan neck mirror and sent them back because there was no way I could set the passengers side to see out of it. I have been hoping that the curved neck style would allow more movement and therefore more usefulness. I suppose I will buy a set of aftermarket ones and do some experimenting with them. Fortunately, I do have some freedom regarding where I mount them on the doors.

Thanks again guys,
Miles

I'm currently working on that dilemma as well. My spotlights have little side view mirrors which are, essentially, useless. Mike Gossard at the Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard, CA showed me some side views he made up for a 47 limo. He used strips of 1" stainless, about 6" long, attaching a standard side view mirror to the strip, and then attaching the stainless bracket to the trim under the vent window with screws through the trim. They look period correct and appear to do the job.

For my 53 Clipper Deluxe, I've bought two swan neck mirrors from speedway motors

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Swan-Neck-Mirror,2262.html

They have a nice curved stem that partially approximates the swan hood ornament, and appear to be relatively period-correct!

I plan to copy Mike's design and fabricate a similar stainless steel bracket to mount them, although there seems to be a bit of an interference problem with full operation of the vent window.