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Well too bad that place only has one.
I'm running into this issue now. It looks like some West Coast Jr. mirrors were installed on my truck and I would like to keep that look for family historical purposes.
Here is how they looked as the truck sat before I acquired it.
I started looking at them this weekend. One has no glass and is completely rusted. That support bar has a rust through hole which I might be able to live with. The one with the good glass is quite rusted and I don't know if it will ever free up to move any. The rubber is also rotted.
They don't fit very well and they're from an auto parts store.
The Ford "Western Junior" (West Coast is a generic name) mirrors could be either painted white or stainless steel.
On the backside of the mirror head there are 3 vertical embossed lines, with the line in the center being shorter than the other two.
After reading through posts in this thread and others. I figured mine were something just bought at a local store and put on to get the job done.
I think I may just have to go with Bob's suggestion and get the 5X7 mirrors from a local store.
I've been threatening to do something about the sad car mirrors everyone sells as truck mirrors the PO installed. Since anything resembling a reasonable price for the original style rarely comes along I took it upon myself to create my version. Actually fairly simple... First I bought a couple Grote 10013 mirror arms and RH057 mirrors from Amazon. I removed the car mirrors from their chrome mounts, attached a mirror arm and mirror to the right side and found it need a bit of bending to get into the sweet spot. Then I unbolted it and used that bend later as a reference.
In the shop I began with 1/2" x 1 1/2" bar stock. 3/8'' might be closer but you use what's handy and free. Cut the length 1/2" longer than the car mirror mount is (I'd give you a length but you'll read why I'm not in a bit.) A trip to the grinder to round the edges and corners was followed by a stop at the press. For simplification I'll just say I bent the bar to match the bend I had made on the tip of the mirror arm, being sure the bend occurred to the outside portion of the line I had scribed. From there I lopped off the flattened end of the large diameter mirror arm tube. At the metal I rack I found a piece of box tubing that the tube slid into. It wasn't snug but it was close enough. I cut off about a foot of tube, went to the vertical bandsaw and made a lengthwise cut about 2 1/2" long followed by two perpendicular cuts of about an inch each. (If you make two 180° marks at one end of the tube it makes it easier to keep them aligned later) Another trip to the grinder for clean up and smoothing.
Taking the two pieces of cut tubing and straddling the cut end of the tube I headed to the drill press, arranged the pieces to all meet at the cut end of the tube and cross-drilled a 3/8" hole through all. (I promise this will all make sense in the pictures) Since I was at the shop and the truck was at my house I stopped at this point. Once home I found that the 1/2" stock was a bit tight to slip into the door. The opening was large enough but the area inside the door isn't. No problem for a BFH in the 5lb. range though. My intention was to insert, mark the holes for drilling and tapping. Well, I'm here to tell ya I wish I had first painted them because it's going to take an act of God to remove them. So I held the tube and clamp up to the mount, gave it a "That looks about right", made a mark and punched a hole through with a cobalt bit. I mounted up the upper tube and mirror and here's what I ended up with:
I would have picked up a bit but since I was operating beer-free at the time...
And I have to tell you I hope I never forget and clunk my head on that mirror, it doesn't budge even without the bolts in the door! I'll have to use a slide hammer to pull it back out.
Two mirror arms $18 and change each, two mirror heads $20. All from Amazon. Metal was *cough* scrap from work.
Last edited by CBeav; 06-22-2016 at 06:40 PM.
Reason: added last line
"Door slot" mirrors for 1961/66's, will also fit 1953/60. Pictured top to bottom.
C1TZ-17696-G =
HAVEN FORD in Haven KS has 1 = 620-465-2252.
MCDONALD OBSOLETE PARTS CO. in Rockport IN has 1 = 812-359-4965.
OBSOLETE RELIABLE PARTS in Nashville GA has 5 = 229-686-5101.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- C3TZ-17696-C =
OBSOLETE RELIABLE PARTS has 1.
KOEHN MOTORS in Wellington KS has 1 = 620-326-5915.
----------------------------------------------------------------- C3TZ-17696-B =
It doesn't appear that 17727 has the bend necessary to position the mirror behind the A pillar. Could be the drawing, could be the reality. I probably would have tried them had I known they existed but am happy with what I now have.
I bought an adjustable stainless steel arm from the local truck stop and 5"X7" from the local farm supply store, or McParts store. I like the stainless because it shines and never rusts.
I like that! It looks somewhat original, but with larger mirror. I have a 1950 and I still have my original mount and piece to hold it in position, so i could just slide that right in I think! I don't have a bracket on the passenger side... will have to worry about that later maybe.
Mine also has holes in it and at one point must have had the "West Coast Jr" mirrors NumberDummy references below. I haven't seen those anywhere, and probably won't pursue it.
I made a piece to go in the door from 3/8 by 1 1/2 aluminum bar stock. Made it about 6inches long. Drilled holes to bolt to existing ones in door and one at outside end. Rounded the outside end. Made extensions to bolt to hole in door piece. Have two sets. One for just the pickup and one for the camper. Short about 6 inches and long 12 inches. Cut them tapered and rounded the ends for looks. can polish them if wanted. Used 4 by 6 SS head mirrors.
Well, since what you asked was "what are you guys using?" I'll jump in!
Mine: '54 with original style mirrors: yeah, passenger side mirror is mostly useless, so I put a fisheye on the top right corner of the mirror, covering most of what I could see out of it, hoping to cover any blind spot issues.
My best recommendation: Yoga or any other neck stretching exercises allowing you to rapidly (and often!) turn your neck hard enough to the right to look out the back window, without pain....
06-19-2016, 11:10 PM
