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Wing Mirrors


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The TR6, at least CP series, did not come with exterior mirrors - dealer fitted optional extra.

 

They're of limited value at best - I found door mirrors pretty well useless, bullets on the wing for long range view and a 'lifesaver' glance over the right shoulder for short range sufficed. That and pedal to the metal . . . :P

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

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Hi.

 

My 1970 TR6 didn't have any door or wing mirrors.

After a few months of driving it without,I decided for my and other road users safety to fit a pair.

Here is a pic of a std type mirror in about the best position on the drivers door.

Bullet mirrors on doors are next to useless,and really just for show only!

Mirrors on the wings whatever type really don't suit the TR6 IMHO!!

As Tonys link suggests there are a wide variety of mirrors available to use!

I must disagree with Alec though,and am surprised he says so! :o on door mirrors being next to useless!!

A well fitted,period correct type door mirror could save your life,and is especially beneficial if you have a slightly stiff neck!

 

IMAG0030.jpg

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Hi,

 

As noted by Alec Triumph didn't fit a door mirror as standard to the early TR6 and they were fitted by the Dealers or in some cases by the factory when ordered with one. Triumph did recognise that lots of buyers did want one fitted and they issued a service instruction and a Newsletter in August 1969 for the 622352 type of mirror so that they met USA Federal requirements for correct positioning. The 622352 type had an asymetric arm on it and could be fitted to either door. The dimensions that they gave were 6" from the leading edge of the door and 2.5" vertically below the door glass. The hole diameter required for this type of mirror is 5/8" and they did note that the door casing needed to be removed in order to fit. These dimensions would appear to tie up very nicely with Dave's image. Like Dave I also couldn't do without the door mirror albeit I have fitted mine further forward and don't need to remove the door casing. Later types need two holes and the image below shows the position of the holes for the later cars which are further forward than the earlier type, the car shown being the last one off the production line.

 

cheers

 

Derek

102181.jpg

Edited by saffrontr
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I had almost decided to fit mine a bit further forward,as Derek has,but as I wanted to fit a n/s one as well,the symmetry wouldn't be right,as the n/s one would be too far forward to be effective.

The very early mirrors were the same as on the TR5 and quite hard to find!!

I would of liked them,and this year I am going to try to get a set "original or repro if they are made" and see if I can fit them in place of the ones I have on now.

Edited by PILKIE
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Sorry to jump on the this post

Is it just mine but my N/S mirror is about as much use as ti@s on a fish, is this the norm or has mine been fitted incorrectly :angry:

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Hi Martin,

 

I suspect it's all to do with individual driver size and seating position . . . as well as the mirror itself, and its mounting position.

 

Back in the 70s I found the original door mirrors more or less useless in the position in which they were mounted, which is why I switched to wing-mounted bullets which gave a better long range view. After years on bikes and in vintage sports cars, I automatically looked over my right shoulder before manoeuvering anyway - the 'lifesaver' glance. I rarely drove TRs with the hood up, so the over the shoulder glance was adequate in conjunction with the rear view and wing mirrors.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

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Hi Martin.

 

Looking at you signature piccy it looks like your n/s mirror is mounted well forward on the door,causing the screen pillar to be in the way!

That is exactly why,when I fitted mine,I didn't opt for the original position as it restricts the view!

As Alec also point out the drivers size and the seat position can affect the view as well!

 

Dave

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Does the TR6 as standard come with wing mirrors? Mine hasn't got any and I am considering fitting one on the drivers side. Can anyone help with the fitting proceedure and best place to locate some mirrors?

 

 

Hi all,

 

Just a bit of a story really, by my father did his apprentice with Walden Stringer in Northampton and he specialised in Triumphs, like what Derek says they were fitted often fitted by the dealer, as an optional extra. I recall my dad saying about this. It was often the apprentices job to fit them and was normally done roughly right, i.e. drill them in there don’t worry if there exactly right, that will do.

 

Steve

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I put bullet mirrors on my doors - I find them pretty good :-)

Of course, I took time to put them on, getting girlfriend to hold them where I wanted them to see...well, what I could see :-) Of course, they have to be adjusted to get teh best vision and sometimes this does mean they need to be adjusted outside of their designed range - luckily with the thin metal they're made of, the body can be deformed enough to get the vision you need and still look stock.

I always look over my shoulder too - I find all mirrors have some form of blind spot.

And yes, convex mirrors are a boon - have a small one fitted inside the passenger side mirror of my Citroen Traction Avant (French model, so I'm on the wrong side:-() which lets me know someone's there when I want to change lanes. Again, a visual check before maneuvering is generally needed...

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In the 'States the TR250 and '69 TR6 had the Wingard trapezoidal mirror, which like Pilkie says are just about unobtainable NOS. The '69 GT6 used the same mirror mounted upside down. These work very well and can be relied upon if adjusted properly. In addition to the vintage look they show no fasteners ( yes, the door card must be removed to install ) and incorporate a spring loaded detent " breakaway " provision.

 

Here's one shown in the proper position on my " Valley Girl ":

 

http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/ima68tr/BLUE250THREEQTRFRONTALVIEW.jpg

 

and on active duty:

 

http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/ima68tr/MONUMENTVALLEY089.jpg

 

 

 

TRF had a fine repro faithful in all respects except for the concours critical embossed Wingard etc. letters ( which has taken the place of the original on my driver for preservation's sake ). Not sure if they can still get them...

Edited by Tom Fremont
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I have bullet mirrors on the doors of my 4A, in the same spot as Derek's image. The driver's can be adjusted to give good visibility but the passenger's only provides symmetry. With the hood down there is no need for them as defensive driving becomes the norm in an old car so a glance over the shoulder should be second nature.

 

Andy

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I have bullet mirrors on the doors of my 4A, in the same spot as Derek's image. The driver's can be adjusted to give good visibility but the passenger's only provides symmetry. With the hood down there is no need for them as defensive driving becomes the norm in an old car so a glance over the shoulder should be second nature.

 

Andy

 

 

You can get the passenger side one functional. You'll have to remove the mirror to get inside the body. Undo the bolt holding it on the holder and turn the mirror body until it's at the right angle to be effective. Drill a hole/punch a detent to let the stop fit in (easier to show than explain with words!) and reassemble. You should get a fully functional passenger side mirror.

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There were bullet mirrors on my car when I bought it. Ornamental but both sides useless.

 

I ended up with repro Stag bases - the size was dictated by the need to cover the existing holes, of which I found two sets when I removed the bullets.

The standard Tex bases and heads, similar to those Pilkie has, would have been fine and are 'in period' but for me the bases were too small.

 

Here are the Tex mirrors, scroll down to Tex Stainless Door mirror. They also do the Stag mirror, scroll down to Triumph Stag Mirror, which as you will see comes with the Tex head. Despite the description, the Stag bases are chrome not stainless, but it's good chrome.

 

http://shop1.actinic...e0a90d9efa6f888

 

On the Stag bases I initially put the Stag mirror heads which worked OK but looked wrong for the car. TRFella flagged up some stainless round convex heads, which as Neil said, completely sort any visibility problems and to me look better.

 

Here are the Stag bases from another supplier

 

https://www.europasp...RRORS_4215.html

 

and here are the convex heads, item CME 103

 

http://www.classic-c...EXTERIOR_8.html

 

In fact, these chaps do the whole package as CME 021103. They also do the Tex convex oval if you prefer that look.

 

The bases fix with two holes through the doorskin. Where you intend to drill, put some masking tape then centre-pop with something sharp like a masonry nail, this will prevent the drill skidding.

 

The bases came with fixings, they were a sort of plastic expander which is fixed from the outside, no need to remove the door card. However, I don't like plastic fixings, and do like making life difficult for myself, so I provided my own stainless fixings with nuts that were fiendlishly hard to get at.

 

Anyway, here they are on the car.

 

Ivor

 

Mirror.jpg

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