The photo on the far left of the Classic Parts webpage looks like a blue Chevy 1 ton that has white mirrors. They kinda look like baby west coast mirrors. Does anyone know for sure what the 1 tons had on them originally? Or, does anyone have suggestions for what would look good if not original?
Hey tailgater, go to www.chevy.tocmp.com once you get there, scroll down almost all the way to the bottom and you will see a section thanking people who sent in stuff, etc. Find Brian Stephens and then click under his name where it says 1948 Truck Models Broucher. You'll see 48 pages worth of real neat stuff pertaining to all the types of chevy trucks made in 48. might give you some ideas.
Rear view side mirrors were not required by many states when our trucks were sold new so they were an extra cost option ad usually added locally as it was cheaper that way . If you watch old period movies , most had 4" round head mirrors on long posts I wish I had some pix of my old '46 as I had it all dressed up like this , I used a gutter mount hanging down on the passenger side , it looked different but was correct and worked well . Sadly , most mirrors were added by dint of drilling holes in the doorskin and using sheet metal screws...
Thanks Nate. I looked at the brochure that Ken mentioned above and found that what you say is supported by the photos there. I would think that the 4 inch round mirrors on a long arm would be pretty inadequate. Especially if there is any vibration that blurs the image. I have seen some after market rectagular mirrors that mount on a single long arm that mounts on the cowl. That might be a good compromise. I dread drilling a hole in the sheet metal after having about a dozen of them welded up.
O.K. , here's what to do : Buy the cheaper , _painted_ re-pop mirror mounts for a 1/2 tonner rig and grind off the eyes on the ends and have a longer rod welded on , heat & bend to suit then sand the grinder marks and have re-painted , when Big Bolt enthusiasts say ' WOW ! where'd you ever get those ? ' , lie through your teeth and casually say " oh those are the factory fitted ones , I just cleaned them up and re-installed them..." they'll turn Forester Green with envy..... LOL .
OBTW : Using those 4" round mirrors when the truck is fully loaded so you cannot see out the rear window requires you to bob & weave your head like Cassius Clay in 1967......... I was pretty good at it in my old '46 , I never hit anything anyways
Like Nate said, on my '51 1 tonner, I found stock mounts off of a 1/2 ton, bolted them to the cowl. I found some 5 1/2" x 7 1/2" rectangular mirrors at some auction. They look pretty good, better visability than the 4" rounds and still room for a little stick on fish eye mirror for them blind spots. It had some homemade long arm mirrors, passenger side one was useless with wing window in the way. The stock mount put it in the correct position and you view it throught the windshield.....
