Bullet Mirror Placement

[Goldie]

I had my exterior mirrors located forward on the fenders even with front of the side chrome piece located in the cove. I found them hard to adjust. I have recently had the car repainted and the holes filled for the screws. I realize this is like religion or politics and very subjective, but is there a consensus on best location. I have seen them on some cars out on the fenders, just forward of the doors, and maybe even on the doors near the pillars. Suggestions please.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

The argument as to 'best' placement--for usefulness, anyway--of side mirrors has been completely settled for a long time: How many new cars have you seen with side mirrors placed anywhere but on (or near) the top front of the front doors--exotics notwithstanding, which often have hideous, highly-extended "trucker's" mirrors--where a quick sideways glance gives a view of side traffic at headlight level. When properly set this compensates for blind spots due to B-pillar thickness and placement and other impediments. My BJ8 came with a single bullet mirror just in front of the driver's side wind wing, and I've never wished it anywhere else (although twin mirrors way out on the front wings do look darn cool).

 

[vette]

Hi Goldie, I have placed them at different locations on different british sports cars over the years. The quick answer is, don't place them on the front fender where you will be leaning over them when working on the carbs or the distributor. The potential damage and anoyance is obvious. I have moved them out to the location over the apex of the wheel arch. From the perspective of many in my area we consider this to be the 'traditional' location. When fitted there they are out front far enough that you don't lean on them so much when working in the engine bay. Also with a good quality mirror that can be tightened up, one setting and they will not need adjusted later. Also with them way out on the apex of the wheel arch, they are surprisingly useful once you have gotten use to them. With them at that location, when you are merging with traffic at a mild angle either from a yielding inverted 'Y' approach or a stop sign or an entry ramp, the distance from you to the mirror and the approach angle of your car allows a good visibility to rear traffic without you movin your body around much to see in a mirror that is close to the door.
Having said all that, i still like the mirror close to the door so that I can reach it when I am driving. But I did not want to put holes in my new fenders when I did the car over, I am still trying to figure out where I am going to put the side mirrors near the doors on my BJ7. I am thinking about putting stem mirrors thru the chrome trim piece that is at the top of the door. Don't really want to do that, but my trim pieces are not in that good of shape. All of the window framing and the windshield framing does not allow the short peep mirrors to be attached. Dave.

 

[RAC68]

Hi Goldie,

I'm with Bob as well as Dave's perspectives but believe this has been long put to discussion and for most, to bed ... even though I still have my Lucas mirrors mounted above the axels. When first purchasing my Healey, it was common to install Lucas mirrors over the axels as it was thought they would provide a full view at the sides of the car. The problem was that you needed to be far sighted to get any benefit and needed a willing partner to adjust them when needed. Since I was more near sighted, they were stylish but useless to me and usually ignored. With age, my sight moved toward far sightedness and the mirrors finally provided some benefit. However, as usual, cataract surgery resulted in my being moderately nearer sighted and again the mirrors became useless.

So, are my experiences unique? I don't think so and advantageous positioning of a mirror on or close to the door where it can be easily adjusted and USED would seem a no-brainer for those considering placement. The best placement for the mirrors would be where you can easily see without contortions that also allows you to see beyond obstacles such as side and windshield frames. In this case, I suggest that proper placement must take in to consideration driver stature and position when driving. In short, it will depend upon placing the mirrors where you see best.

However, all that being said, I will stick with my original fender mirrors and, since my Healey is far from being my daily driver, will trust in my carefully observant and listening driving to keep me aware and protect me.

My 4 cents...inflation,
Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

[steveg]

I attempted to install a bullet mirror on my driver's door and found that due to the limited movement of the mirror portion, I'd have to angle the base outward in order to be able to see properly out of the mirror. I didn't like the looks of the angled base and returned the mirror.

 

[Michael Oritt]

The only place to put these mirrors is as pictured below:

 

[longbridgehealey]

I'm with Michael on this one��

 

[Keith_M]

Mine are where Michael's are, but I freely admit that my placement was determined primarily by looks. I do use them, but they are a pain to adjust. If you decide to put them out on the fenders, I would recommend drilling holes for the mirrors and welding a captive nut on the underside. The screws just don't seem that strong to me, and it's easy to bump the mirrors as you work on the car. Using a machine screw and a captive nut is much stronger.

 

[Randy Forbes]

Another advocate for them being centered over the wheels. With flat glass in both mirrors, rear/side vision was very good with them adjusted correctly. When I decided to see what convex glass in the mirrors would look like, I feel like I can see practically behind the car!

And they do look cool

One thing to note though, is they're not all created equal; the ones I have lock the mirror head's adjustment with a 9/16" wrench, and the stem is spring-loaded in the base. The mirrors can be bumped, and rotated in 90* increments (like when I put the cover on it) and snapped back to their original adjustment. Truly set and forget, though I do keep a 9/16" flare-nut wrench in the door.

Back to sans bumpers and nerf-bars in the rear...

 

[andrea]

Mirrors position is a arduous mission,
during my restoration I have decided to move it nearest to me on the wing, BUT move them to the desired position require always my wife assistance,
having a 100/6 I decided to place TWO Harley Davidson Motorcycle Mirrors - on the side screens holes
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9O9hQpcFsZfJzKScJPyzl9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mrclD4rgePQW2Bw7iU4NM9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
Easy to set up, and very helpful - BUT aesthetically very UGLY

 

[RAC68]

Although I do like the period look of the Lucas type mirrors over the front wheels, am I the only one that is near sighted enough not to be able to see their usefulness?



Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

[BJ8Healeys]

One of the things that attracted me to my BJ8 in the first place was the "quaint" mirrors out on the fenders. It looked "Oh, so British!" However, as others have found, readjusting the mirrors is a pain that has to be endured each time I take the car out of the garage because I am always bumping them as I walk by. It's a tedious trial-and-error job, or requires drafting my wife to help, which usually ends up taking more time than if I just did it myself. My mirrors were already located over the center of the fender spears, and that's where they are now. The work fine as long as they are adjusted properly.
I wonder about how useful the mirrors are all the way out over the wheels, though. Not only are they too far away to see (I think), but unless your wheels are pretty well balanced aren't the mirrors going to vibrate a lot?

 

[RAC68]

Problem posting update.

 

[RAC68]

Hi Steve,

I can definitely relate and my wife will no longer respond to my requests for mirror adjustment assistance. When purchasing my Healey new, the mirrors were installed by the NY distributor as per the location specified in Healey's (or was it BMC's) period documentation. When the car arrived for my acceptance at a nearby dealer, they were positioned as present and, being near sighted, I found them totally unusable.

Living for the most part in one of the most traffic-cursed areas of NJ (directly across from mid-town Manhattan) as well as driving through well over 23 states in the past 50+ years, I have never though it necessary to change their position or added or used other then the dash mirror. I must admit I have been very luck at times.

Don't misunderstand, although my Healey was my family daily driver in the early years, it became my casual enjoyment giving way to a larger family car with properly positioned and useful mirrors. For others, however, I still would recommend that they find the mirror position that they can live with to be safe and place style or cuteness in a less prominent position for choice. There are many mirror choices, both permanent and occasional, with no real official location for any but the Lucas (and I am not really sure of that) but it is always wise to remember ... A straight Healey is more valuable and enjoyable the a bent one.

My $0.02,

Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

[Randy Forbes]

Mirrors position is a arduous mission,
during my restoration I have decided to move it nearest to me on the wing, BUT move them to the desired position require always my wife assistance,
having a 100/6 I decided to place TWO Harley Davidson Motorcycle Mirrors - on the side screens holes
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9O9hQpcFsZfJzKScJPyzl9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mrclD4rgePQW2Bw7iU4NM9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
Easy to set up, and very helpful - BUT aesthetically very UGLY

What do you use for mirrors when the side-screens are fitted?

In many (if not all) US States, the law requires a LH (or driver's side) rearview mirror. I wouldn't forego a side window to be able to continue lawfully driving the car in inclement weather. And yes, like most of us, I have been caught out without the top & side-screens during an impromptu cloudburst, but planned trips in the rain typically include the top & side-screens...

One of the things that attracted me to my BJ8 in the first place was the "quaint" mirrors out on the fenders. It looked "Oh, so British!" However, as others have found, readjusting the mirrors is a pain that has to be endured each time I take the car out of the garage because I am always bumping them as I walk by. It's a tedious trial-and-error job, or requires drafting my wife to help, which usually ends up taking more time than if I just did it myself. My mirrors were already located over the center of the fender spears, and that's where they are now. The work fine as long as they are adjusted properly.
I wonder about how useful the mirrors are all the way out over the wheels, though. Not only are they too far away to see (I think), but unless your wheels are pretty well balanced aren't the mirrors going to vibrate a lot?

I too have always been near-sighted, but even when younger (before prescription lenses) and using flat glass mirrors, I was able to discern traffic hidden off my flanks. It's not as though I'm trying to read the license plate or grill badge, I just need to know IF there's a car there.

As to the problem__and YES, I do agree it's a problem__of the mirrors getting bumped out of adjustment, the mirrors I described on the previous page alleviate that issue. However, and it may be due to the type of mirrors I'm using, but I don't notice any vibration in them (certainly not any more than my butt is already taking into account...).

Coincidentally, I received an E-mail this morning from Europa Spares, no doubt hoping for increased holiday purchases, so I'll link to The Ideal fender mirror that does not lose its adjustment (mine have not been re-adjusted since putting them back on the painted body some 7 or 8 years ago). The biggest tip, is to get them adjusted right the first time (take a buddy out for a drive, not a spouse that's already lost her patience with you AND the car, then stop somewhere in a cul-de-sac or dead end street, and tell them you're not going back home until the mirrors are adjusted).

See the nuts on the leading edge of those stems? They are what secure the mirrors in adjustment. On initial fitting, just snug them up so that the mirror head (next picture...) can still be moved through its ample range, then tighten them down once you're satisfied with the view of the world behind your shoulders. Easy-peasy, and they will remain in correct adjustment seemingly, forever; like I said, I snap mine ninety degrees (90*) rearward when I fit the car-cover, and they're still properly set when I put them back to their driving position.

The mirror heads are available in a variety of shapes, in both flat and convex glass, they mount to the stems with the threaded stud shown; IMHO, the round mirrors look the best, but oblong and rectangular shapes can be had.

If you can't find a mirror to here: https://www.europaspares.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=mirrors may God help you!

 

[Healey_Z]

I chose form over function.

 

[BJ8Healeys]

The original wing mirrors that were available as options from the factory (for BJ8s, anyway) had stems like the ones shown in Randy's post. They were spring-loaded in a detent position so that if the stem was bumped out of position, it could easily be snapped back to where it belongs. Unfortunately, those mirrors have a shape that is not as pleasing to me as the circular mirrors (sort of wedge-shaped), and the stems were also quite high and awkward looking IMHO.



Judging from BMIHT data on thousands of cars in the BJ8 Registry, wing mirrors were installed at the factory on (almost exclusively) Personal Export Delivery cars, and almost always when the car also had the factory optional luggage rack. Sometimes one wing mirror was specified, sometimes two.

 

[BruceAllcorn]

Back in the 60's when I had my first Healey I had Lucas-type mirrors mounted on the fender over the front wheels. On my "67 they are mounted closer to the driver. The location was determined by where I could see the right mirror without having to "lean around" the dash-mounted rear view mirror. I can see it easily just to the right of the dash mounted rear view mirror, and the one on the drivers side is lined up with the one on the right. I also have convex glass as I prefer a wider view and I am able to tell easily if anything is coming up on either side of me or if something is already beside me. An old habit I have kept over the years, learned in my first car (Healey) was to also do a quick look over my shoulder just to be sure.


My '62 has the bullet type mirrors mounted about even with the rear of the hood. I don't really like the bullet type but for now have decided not to change them over because 1) the mounting hole spacing is slightly different, 2) I don't think the Lucas-type mirrors would look very good that far back and 3) I don't want to do the body work required to change the mirror locations.

 

[RDKeysor]

My BN7 came with the Harley Davidson mirrors Andrea describes, and they were likewise mounted in the side curtain holes. Obviously they went away when the curtains were installed. Unfortunately, I found it very difficult to keep these mirrors in proper adjustment, eventually getting some paint chipping at the mounting holes as I increasingly snugged the mirrors down. I have now removed the mirrors and replaced them with what is called and Autobhan mirror that attaches to the top left inside of the windscreen with a rubber cup. These are a German development that adjust so that you can see cars that are right beside you and out of view of traditional mirrors. I have had one on my Porsche for years. I have a somewhat similar rectangular mirror mounted on the upper right corner of the passenger side windscreen. These seem to work very well, even with the top up. More vexing to me has the dash-mounted center mirror, which on my car yielded a view to the right rear, but not directly behind the car because angling the mirror was limited by it contacting the windscreen. After I purchased a factory-style replacement, I BJ welded the metal piece that surrounds the mirror periphery so that I could mount it off center on the dash. I used the BJ because otherwise the mounting clamp must be attached to the center of the mirror to keep the trim piece in place. This seems to work very well for me, though I must say keeping that mirror snugged is difficult. I might add that I now have only one eye, the left one, but don't whine too much about it because I can still able play tennis and gold without real difficulty. But mirrors are doubly important for me behind the wheel.

 

[HealeyRick]

Don't want to get left out of "The Great Mirror Thread". I have the Lucas type with convex mirrors mounted over the apex of the wheels because that's where the dime-sized holes were drilled when I got the car from the previous owner and I didn't want to weld them up. They work well enough, but I find the adjusting part annoying too. Perhaps if I had a 72" sleeve length. I'd be a bit worried about having solidly fixed ones like Randy showed that some boob at a show would smack into them hard enough to crack the paint around the base.

Steve, I wonder if they put the mirrors on luggage rack cars because the dash mounted mirror would have been useless with luggage loaded on the rack? Of course they could have used my E-Type mod and got a day/night function as well: