Side view mirror

Paging @MusbJim to the red courtesy phone.

@Tmcdon00 posted:

Does anyone know of a side view mirror that "clips" to the windshield of a speedster? I need a right side and I don't want to drill the fender or door of my Beck.

There are quite a few styles that attach to the windshield by suction cup and they're sold on Amazon.com. Just type in "suction cup side mirror" and "voila" they'll show up.

A few SOC knuckleheads (me included) have and use one of these....especially when a suitcase is strapped onto a Speedster Luggage Rack.

If you don't use the side curtains you could easily fabricate something to go from the stock mirror and secure that in the forward Side curtain socket which would accomplish fit, form and function .

There is the coolest mirror bracket ever that goes on a Meyers Manx windshield frame. I tried to conceive of something similar to go on a Speedster windshield but, unfortunately, I’m just not that bright.

I don’t think it would be too hard to bend something up that would use the two screws on the L-R brackets and hold a mirror.
For that matter, it doesn’t seem like it would be too hard to figure out how to cut down this bolt to replace one of the bolts into the bracket.

I would not attach a mirror to the windshield frame as the frame / glass is fragile and a light bump against the mirror will flex the windshield frame and good by gla$$

@JMM (Michael) - Thanks for the heads-up, Michael!

@Tmcdon00 - Like @Napa Paul I use a detachable and adjustable suction cup mirror such as this......and attach it to my windshield and adjust the angle best suited for my view of the passenger side. These can be found at most any auto parts store (Pep Boys, Napa, AutoZone) in the towing accessories section. Cost is about $8.00 - $10.00. I actually keep it attached to lessen the blind spots on the passenger side......but particularly when I have my board in the car, or suitcase on the luggage rack. Also works well with the top up and the side windows inserted.

Hope you find this info helpful!

I’m going to have to try one of those on my plexi screen.

I bet you @aircooled Bruce could make something that attaches to his hold down bolt, clip of his wings and achieve something similar but maybe make it a more solid mount for you @MusbJim on the other hand if your still using Polyfila the excess in spit keeps the mirror on quite good it seems.  Just kidding of course.

Thanks all for your diverse ideas. That’s what makes this group so interesting. I think I’ll go with the  suction cup idea. I have a matching mirror from  Beck for mounting on the right fender, but I am very reluctant to try to mount it because I think it is difficult because the top of the fender appears to be double thick fiberglass and the mounting screws do not appear to be long enough. Anybody have thoughts on that?

You can thin out the back of the fiberglass fender with a Dremel to get it to the right thickness. Just be careful and only remove a little at a time and double check fitment often with the actual mirror.

@Tmcdon00 wrote: "I am very reluctant to try to mount it because I think it is difficult because the top of the fender appears to be double thick fiberglass and the mounting screws do not appear to be long enough. Anybody have thoughts on that?"

All of these cars have relatively thicker tops to the fenders - it's part of what makes them strong so they don't crack with vibration.

We've gone ahead and drilled them, anyway.  It's a little tricky cutting through the paint and gel coat - it tends to be brittle so we use slightly duller drills and start them by running the drill backwards until it's through the paint and then drilling in the forward direction.  That seems to work, but the real trick is to put very little force on the drill until it gets in there and then keep the downforce quite light.  It takes a while to get through the fender, but it won't crack anything.

Everyone has their heart in their mouth when drilling into their fiberglass car for fear of screwing things up.  If you prefer, you could find a local Fiberglass boat dealer and ask them to do it - They drill into boats all the time.

If you need longer screws, no problem - Almost any local ACE hardware store will have longer ones to match the head and thread type.  Just take one along with you and ask for a longer one in stainless steel.

My Beck had that type of mirror mounted on both fenders.  I don't recall any fancy thinning needed when we installed them at Carlisle.

Gordon has it right about drilling into fiberglass. I also put a piece of painters tape over the area first. That helps with chipping. If you get a ragged edge just smooth it out with some 400 grit sandpaper rolled into little cone shape that fits in the drilled hole and twist lightly. The mirror gasket is going to cover the holes anyway.

@Lane Anderson wrote: “ I don't recall any fancy thinning needed when we installed them at Carlisle.“

As I remember it, when we were about to drill a hole or do some cutting, one of us would point off in the distance and say, “Hey, Lane!  What’s that over there??”  And when you turned your head we would get the job done.

Worked every time……..

@Gordon Nichols posted:

@Lane Anderson wrote: “ I don't recall any fancy thinning needed when we installed them at Carlisle.“

As I remember it, when we were about to drill a hole or do some cutting, one of us would point off in the distance and say, “Hey, Lane!  What’s that over there??”  And when you turned your head we would get the job done.

Worked every time……..

Actually I remember working with Joe Soltis to do the mirrors.  We used string chalk to center things along the fender line and then measured along the line to get them even front to back.  I believe we used tape like @sethsaccocio recommended, but that was 15 years ago.

Probably Blue painter's tape, considering how much friggin rain we got that weekend.

Not to mention the cold wind.  Sure didn't feel much like May that year.

@Tmcdon00

Is that Seabrook's old car?

I've never used clip on or suction mirrors, so no help from me there.

As for mirror placement, I can't tell from the picture but you are on the cusp of being in the fender well and being inside the kick panel.  

IF you hit inside the front fender well, then attachment is easy and worst case scenario if you hit a seam between body and fender liner then you just have to remove the Alan studs and get longer ones from the hardware.  

The problem with hitting the inner kick panel area is falling inside vs outside of it (or right on the seam between them, which happens all the damn time).  If you fall outside of the kick panel then no biggie, bolts right up.  If you fall inside the kick panel you just need to drop down the carpet to expose the hinge access hole and then blindly feel around for the studs.  It's tough but we do it all the time.  IF you have speakers in the kick panels then remove one speaker as it is a bigger hole and better access that way.

If you hit right on the vertical seam then you need to dremel enough clearance around the stud to get a nut on it.

All possibilities lead to mirror attachment, some are just way easier than others.

Yes….I bought it from him 2yrs ago. Runs good but on hot days oil temperature gets close to the red. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks for the detailed instructions for the mirror placement. I’ll let you know how I make out.

Red box is approx 235 with your sending unit, so I'd guess "almost" to the box probably 225.  So while not detrimental, it is approaching too hot and I'd be looking to reduce it.  Could be lots of things, running lean, timing, debris on top of the heads, slipping fan belt, something in the fan.  Usually the first thing we do, besides a good physical inspection, is dump the oil and make sure we have a good high quality aircooled oil (Driven Racing for example).  

If none of the above help, then might consider adding a secondary oil cooler.