Who's running West Coast style mirrors? Pics please

[Asshat]

This blind spot mirror really helps!

Had to relocate these - much better.

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by murdoc

Jim,

Wish I had a pair of those!!! They are hard to find. I cant find any at least. Seems that a lot of the ones that came stock on our trucks had the four screw mounting bracket on the bottom, with only two on the top bar.

Can you read any information stamped on the mirrors? Brand? Make? Model?

Del Bar products manufactured the optional painted 6X11 West Coast Mirrors as well as the optional "bus type" below eye line mirrors (shown on white '63 camper) for GM. Look for a DB logo on bottom. Del Bar also supplied mirrors for Ford and Dodge pickups when new also. Del Bar stamped the FoMoCo or Ford oval on the bottom of theirs. Retracs and Prutsmans were more common on GMC pickups.

[murdoc]

Factorystock,

Thanks for the additional information. Another source of information to pull from. Great input everyone

[Metalaroundstone]

My west coast mirrors look like they have been on my 66 a long time. Does anyone know if this was a style available in 66? I don't like the way they are mounted because you can't open the vent windows all the way. I am thinking of replacing them with west coast mirrors that have only two mounting points.

[ray_mcavoy]

Originally Posted by factorystock

Del Bar products manufactured the optional painted 6X11 West Coast Mirrors as well as the optional "bus type" below eye line mirrors (shown on white '63 camper) for GM. Look for a DB logo on bottom. Del Bar also supplied mirrors for Ford and Dodge pickups when new also. Del Bar stamped the FoMoCo or Ford oval on the bottom of theirs. Retracs and Prutsmans were more common on GMC pickups.

Thanks for posting that info! I've seen that DB logo on several mirrors and always wondered what it stood for.

Originally Posted by Metalaroundstone

My west coast mirrors look like they have been on my 66 a long time. Does anyone know if this was a style available in 66? I don't like the way they are mounted because you can't open the vent windows all the way. I am thinking of replacing them with west coast mirrors that have only two mounting points.

Those look pretty similar to the mirrors on Dad's 66. They came from JC Whitney about 20 some years ago and were used to replace a similar looking (but rusty) set that someone else had already put on the truck.



Dad picked up a 65 parts truck a while back with a set of the OE white West Coast Jr's like others have posted here. We plan to re-paint them and eventually swap them onto his 66. That's going to be a bit of a project though since I'll have to weld up the holes from those aftermarket mirrors and re-paint the doors.

[ND-1965C10]

I have some too! I am planning on going with something smaller in the future (way future as that is going to be a full new paint job and fixing some " hidden" problems). I like the ones that have been on ebay that came on the vans but are just a little too pricey for me. I dont have big dreams or anything!

[jims1965c10]

A little more west coast mirror information. Copy of dealer invoice with "W/C mirrors" listed. And photo from factory dealer brochure of truck with the mirrors.

[earl84]

Wow, not cheap is right, murph98. FYI, I Googled Retrac, and it will come up with the company that still makes the yellow chevron mirrors. Called them to find a local place that I could buy them. They gave me 3 or 4 phone numbers. Called them, and the new prices ranged from about $70 apiece up to about $120 apiece. I ended up buying some on the classifieds here, but it's a good option to look into.

[60-66]

So where did the name "West Coast " come from and Junior ??

Is there another name for this factory mirror, like Senior ?



These were on my 63 and Im wondering if I should put them back on ? After I took the camper off in spring I removed them and went with the single arm drivers side.

[murphy98]

Originally Posted by 60-66

So where did the name "West Coast " come from and Junior ??

Is there another name for this factory mirror, like Senior ?



These were on my 63 and Im wondering if I should put them back on ? After I took the camper off in spring I removed them and went with the single arm drivers side.

The "Junior" refers to these smaller versions of the larger west coat mirrors used on Big Rigs & larger trucks. The Junior or smaller versions are usually found on smaller pickup trucks & vans. The only explanation I have found for the name via Google search is as follows.

"Because bigger mirrors were needed to see around corners for the winding highways along the Pacific Ocean on the "West Coast" of America."

I figure this style of mirror was first developed & used on the west coast, thus the name.

[sodly]

Back in the 50s west coast trucks (semis) were allowed, by law, to be a lot longer overall length than the east coast trucks. The length laws were much looser out west. So west coast trucks often had very long wheelbases. You see this in a lot of early Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks vs. Mack or Autocar trucks, for example. I presume west coast mirrors were necessary just to be able to see all of the trailer that was so far behind the cab. Amazingly, a lot of old tractor-trailers in the 50s still only had tiny mirrors like the stock ones on a Chevy c10, maybe 6" round. That must've made life interesting!

[60-66]

Guess I should have looked in the Data Book 1st, there Is a Junior and a Senior mirror listed for all C10 K10 and up trucks.

[murdoc]

Murphy,

Thanks for those ebay postings. I have seen them on there before, as I am now in the habit of searching every day on ebay for w/c mirrors. You aren't kidding, really spendy! I would never had thought people would ask so much for them.

I know a guy that has a set of 4 hole bottom bracket w/c mirrors on his truck. He drives it to work every day downtown. Im tempted to ask him if will sell them to me.

What's the big deal about the 4 hole? I know its a bit OCD, but I love the bend of the tubing on these mirrors. Up top, the tube bends at a 90 degree angle down to the mirror, and then as it passed through the mirror, it bends back inwards towards the door at a 30 degree angle.

Thanks to Jims1965c10 for this excellent picture that shows what Im talking about..........

[60-66]

Heres more of an explanation on each mirror available as an accessory from a Chevrolet 1966 Accessory book.

[60-66]

Looks like this is the Senior West Coast Mirror, best picture I could find. I think the mirror head was replaced but the brackets are factory.

[murdoc]

Well done 60-66!!!

You hit the nail on the head! We got a GM part number and the mirror dimensions to boot!

Thanks for shedding some light on these mirrors, much appreciated!

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by 60-66

Guess I should have looked in the Data Book 1st, there Is a Junior and a Senior mirror listed for all C10 K10 and up trucks.

Never saw this Jr. vs Sr. info before. Thanks again, Jon.
It's all pretty clear, until you get to the option code, that is. Left side mirror alone is D29, but if you wanted both sides, it's D29. ??

[60-66]

From a 1960 Silver book

[Rubbertiredtramp]

Originally Posted by sodly

Back in the 50s west coast trucks (semis) were allowed, by law, to be a lot longer overall length than the east coast trucks. The length laws were much looser out west. So west coast trucks often had very long wheelbases. You see this in a lot of early Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks vs. Mack or Autocar trucks, for example. I presume west coast mirrors were necessary just to be able to see all of the trailer that was so far behind the cab. Amazingly, a lot of old tractor-trailers in the 50s still only had tiny mirrors like the stock ones on a Chevy c10, maybe 6" round. That must've made life interesting!

Yes interesting is a good way to put it, I worked on a farm when I was young, they had a 46 or so chevy 1 1/2 or maybe 2 ton truck with those little round mirrors on the end of a long arm. Backing up was a problem because you needed just the right RPM so the mirror wouldn’t vibrate. The people my dads age never used mirrors to back up with they would open up the door and look back. Probably backed into a lot of things too.

[pdxhall]

I like the look of the west coast mirrors particularly the juniors but as much time as I've spent on fixing my doors I'm not about to drill any holes for them.

[DPowers]

Another pic of the big ones.

[60-66]

Thanks Murdoc ! And thanks Sodly and Woogaroo for the background on the origin of the term West Coast

[60-66]

Early GMC mirrors

[60-66]

Detroit aftermarket mirrors .

[cooperhw]

Originally Posted by 60-66

Detroit aftermarket mirrors .

Wow, how cool is this. I was interested in the really cool shorty mirrors on my 63 GMC. Was looking here for information and here they are above.
Here's a pic of them on my 63. The mirror head will clean up nice, not sure about how good the bars will.