It works well for most folks...
It works well for most folks and the stock '56-66 Ford F-100 mirrors can be adapted to fit other Ford trucks.
It's the little things that can make or break how enjoyable one's customized classic truck is to drive. It all adds up, a bone-jarring automatic transmission, a clutch that requires two feet to shove in, or a set of mirrors that are hard to see out of. Before a guy realizes it, he dreads having to drive his truck anywhere, and might not even realize why. I found this to be true regarding one of my daily drivers, an '88 Chevy Scottsdale. The truck came new with a set of mirrors that looked like Dumbo the elephant's ears, but they were perfect when it came to being able see if it was safe to make a lane change. Then one morning I awoke to discover a neighbor's inebriated teenage girlfriend knocked the driver-side mirror off with her car when she flew down the street in a big hurry. In my younger days I insisted on having mirrors on my truck that looked cool even though it took a little bit of skill to use them. When I had to find replacement mirrors for my '88 I sought out the smallest, hence coolest ones that I could find.
Maybe because I figured they couldn't sell the mirrors if they didn't meet some kind of safety standards I didn't dwell too much on the fact my truck now had major blind spots. This drawback provided me with some pretty close calls on more than one occasion. Believe it or not, I was reluctant to change the cool mirrors for at least seven years, before it dawned on me I hated driving the '88 because the tiny mirrors were darned near useless. I considered another set of stockers, but the thought of it was just too much against my true nature as a customizer. The search to find the best of both worlds brought me to finding a pair of custom mirrors that functioned as good as they looked.
To help CCT's valued readers pick out a set of mirrors for their truck that offer clean styling as well as functionality I've included some tips I think will help plus a few interesting alternative solutions I found during the course of researching this story.
Here's another F-100 OE mirror,...
Here's another F-100 OE mirror, only this time it's for '53-55 Ford trucks, refitted with a larger rectangular mirror head of an unknown origin. The stock mirror head is of a much cleaner, circular design.
Not as pleasing to the eye...
Not as pleasing to the eye as a stock '56 F-100 mirror, but perhaps easier for this F-100 owner to see out of. We find what looks to be a mirror borrowed from a '70's Winnebago motorhome.
Because they can be slid up...
Because they can be slid up or down, or from front to rear on the door frame or driprail these small clip-on mirrors can be dialed in to work quite well for their diminutive size.
Here's a genuine GM mirror...
Here's a genuine GM mirror for '73-87 C10 Chevrolets that unlike most OEM mirrors falls short of filling the need for a good rearview mirror. The later bubble-type swing-out GM mirrors don't look as good but work much better.
After I switched to this wider...
After I switched to this wider custom mirror which provides a full rearview of the road without any blind spots, the fun of driving the truck in heavy traffic or out on the highway returned, and that's what it's all about. For more information check with our advertisers almost all of them carry a large selection of stock and custom mirrors.
Here, the owner stuck a tiny...
Here, the owner stuck a tiny fisheye spot mirror to aid rearward vision. A good indication the large rectangular mirror head doesn't work well.
Notice the width of my '88's...
Notice the width of my '88's first custom mirror is not enough to provide good rearward vision without creating a blind spot. Before drilling holes, make sure your new mirror will provide a clear view with just a glance.