Lady & Gentlemen:

I need your help...again!

I know some of you won't like the idea of adding these big hulking West Coast Mirrors on our favourite slant cabs, but ever since I built my first model of my '53 [my wife bought it for me hoping that would satisfy my appetite for "old iron"] , I've been foond of the look.

A month or so ago, I was iin oone of our local wrecking yard land to make a long story short, i helped a guy out and he gave me a pair of Ford Motor Co. Stainless West Coast mirros he claimed he had removed from a '71 F100.
I am in the midst of cleaning the years off them.
My questions are around installing them on my '53 soon! They don't seem to fit exactly, but with some adaptation they should work better than the stock units.

Has anyone done this or have a set of installation instructions they's be williing to copy and/or post?

I'm concerned about the top mounting position interferring with the weatherstrip around the door.

Any suggestion[s]?

 

would like to do the same on my 57 F350, it badly needs big mirriors. I don`t like the idea of all those big holes but it is not very safe not being able to see over the sides of the large box. Was thinking of using a set of doors from one of my parts trucks to save damaging the originals. This is the only way that I can think of doing this. Let me know what you come up with.

 

Do you havea picture or measurements for the positioning of the holes?

I'm most concerned about the top bracket bolts interfering with the door weatherstriping and since I've never seen these mirrors installed up close and personal I'm not sure how it's been done b4.

GW

 

Use the smallest carriage head bolts, something like 5/16, 3/8. On the doors that I have seen the bolts that small seem to be ok. Not familar with your mirrior size but if they are not too big then the smaller bolts should be strong enough to support them. Do these mirrors have braces running from the top arms down to the door?

 

I found some 1/4" x 1/2" SS Carriage bolts that fit nicely.

I'm still trying to figure out clearance issues with the top bracket and the door frame and rubber weather strip.??
The Brackets are a "U" shape or a squat "J" shape, and I think I'll have to fabricate an extension for the bottom in order for it to reach the hip of the door to keep them veertically straight since they are off a latter Ford.
Any suggestions or iinstructioons from other applications would be appreciated
GW

 

You may have to have the top bolt heads just slighty under the edge of the weather striping, this should work out fine.

 

I have a set of genuine Fomoco mirrors on my '56. The cab is now a '55 and the mirrors came off a '84 F700. Big west coast style mirrors. The bolts at the top under the weatherstripping are a unique style. They are just bolts with a flat piece of metal where the head should be. Kind of like the type used to hold trim and decoration on cars and trucks. They fit almost flush under the weather stripping.

To get my mirrors vertical I had to bend the upper arms slightly. From the door to the mirror drops about 3 inches. This allowed the bottom bracket to sit just under the gentle roll under the window. I'm sorry I don't have picture capabilities. Thousand words and all that. Having the big mirrors is great for pulling trailers.

 

The larger truck mirrors have the bolt that 56f600 is talking about. They are 1/4" thread with an acorn nut on the outside, they look like this:

 

Perfect drawing of the mirror bolt.

 

Hey BobJ & 56F600
Thank You, Thank You, That's exactly what I needed

GW & the Dixie Dance Kings