Handcrafted Goodness Inside! Exterior Mirrors

[jlaird]

Originally Posted by 70shortfleet

I like #1 and #2 It is a hard call but I'm going with number 2. Great job on the mirrors but I need a relicate design on the 72 sport mirrors!

Originally Posted by jtp67-72

Josh, I'm joining the sport mirror crowd too...boy when these round ones are flyin off the shelf .....sport mirror with maybe a little twist would be hot as well..that small rectangle style has always looked "right" on these trucks....Make these and i would be goin crazy on which one to use!!!...lol...jim

ok guys, CALM DOWN! LOL! Looks like I need to start thinking about sport mirrors. Let me get one finished product under my belt, then I can take a look at the sports. I'm in the middle of mirror arm development for the round heads. Have some cool ideas to share soon.

An update as to where I am now, I received a raw cast prototype. I'm waiting for a second prototype that will be fully polished and machined for hardware, ready to bolt on a truck for some on road testing. My 68 is far from seeing the road, so I'll bolt the mirror on my 2002 Sierra. That should be a funny sight!

[jlaird]

While I play the waiting game for the polished mirror head, I started a Facebook page. I know not all of you are into that sort of thing, but for those of you that are, can i PLEASE get somebody other than my wife to "LIKE" my page?? LOL! Let's see how many likes I can get TONIGHT. C'mon fellas!!!

[71sierragrande]

Great work, I think they all look outstanding. I'd probably choose #1 or #3 for my truck. Definitely interested when these become available. I liked your fb page

[Steve Cole]

Originally Posted by jlaird

ok guys, CALM DOWN! LOL! Looks like I need to start thinking about sport mirrors. Let me get one finished product under my belt, then I can take a look at the sports. I'm in the middle of mirror arm development for the round heads. Have some cool ideas to share soon.

An update as to where I am now, I received a raw cast prototype. I'm waiting for a second prototype that will be fully polished and machined for hardware, ready to bolt on a truck for some on road testing. My 68 is far from seeing the road, so I'll bolt the mirror on my 2002 Sierra. That should be a funny sight!

+1 for the sport mirrors!! Awesome work BTW.. those mirror mounting pieces are a thing of beauty!

[So.Cal.Super]

Mirrors look great!



I'm also one of the sport mirror types and will keep watching your thread.

I think you just solved my problem of finding mirrors that look great, are period correct and a passenger side that actually will adjust/work properly and not be in the middle of my wing window vent

[jlaird]

Originally Posted by 71sierragrande

Great work, I think they all look outstanding. I'd probably choose #1 or #3 for my truck. Definitely interested when these become available. I liked your fb page

Thank you for the like! I'm up to 10! Haha.

Originally Posted by Steve Cole

+1 for the sport mirrors!! Awesome work BTW.. those mirror mounting pieces are a thing of beauty!

Just bought some NOS sport mirrors from a board member to do some R&D.

Originally Posted by So.Cal.Super

Mirrors look great!



I'm also one of the sport mirror types and will keep watching your thread.

I think you just solved my problem of finding mirrors that look great, are period correct and a passenger side that actually will adjust/work properly and not be in the middle of my wing window vent

Thank you! Stay tuned.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Sport mirrors with the signal in it would be great? Or even the 67 mirrors with the signal in it would be bad ass..

[jlaird]

Ok, I have a question and a request.

First the question: For the passenger side piece of glass, would you guys rather have a piece of convex glass OR flat glass knowing that the piece of convex glass is going to add to the cost AND it will need to have the "OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR APPEAR CLOSER....." text etched on it. Lets here some opinions.

And the request: Can I get a couple guys take a measurement for me? I would like to know where exactly the mirror arm is mounted, so I'm looking for the distance from the edge of the door to the center of the first screw that holds the arm to the door.

Thank you all!

[Steve Cole]

For me, I would rather have the flat glass to match the driver side but hey, what ever it takes to be able to see again is my main priority. I will take a measurement of mine in a couple of hours and get it to you.

[Steve Cole]

Sorry, I got busy when I got home yesterday and forgot to get the measurements for you. I will do it this afternoon .

[jlaird]

Originally Posted by Steve Cole

Sorry, I got busy when I got home yesterday and forgot to get the measurements for you. I will do it this afternoon .

Thanks for the help Steve.

Happy 4th everybody!

[Dunenutt]

12 Likes!

You have a certain Panache with metal, and words. I cant wait to see what's next.

[jlaird]

Originally Posted by Dunenutt

12 Likes!

You have a certain Panache with metal, and words. I cant wait to see what's next.

With everything I'm doing, I'm learning the truth behind the expression "Rome wasn't built in a day"

[motorcritter]

I like the #2 option- eye-catching, but subtle. Also- I concur- matching interior knobs would be very classy. A matching set of wheel covers would be very desirable, right up to the edge of obsessive/compulsive!

[Steve Cole]

I measure 8.25" from the center of the forward screw hole to the forward edge of the door skin. I don't think this is exact factory measurements but it's really close.

[jlaird]

Thanks Steve. I was looking for the measurement in the attached picture(blue lines), should be close to 3 inches. Let me know. Thanks!

[Last_Paladin]

IN for #2.

[Steve Cole]

Originally Posted by jlaird

Thanks Steve. I was looking for the measurement in the attached picture(blue lines), should be close to 3 inches. Let me know. Thanks!

That is exactly the measurement I gave you, for the passenger side, with a 71-72 sport mirror. That 67-68 arm you show is much longer so it is closer to the door edge.

[Steve Cole]

Take a look at this pic. There is no mirror there but you can see how far back the sport mirrors are mounted.

[67ctener]

The measurement for my 67 style mirror was 2 3/4. Like everything on these trucks I'm sure the tolerances are 1/4" if not more

[jlaird]

Thanks for the measurements guys, greatly appreciated.

[jlaird]

Hey guys,

Here's an update on my trials and tribulations of making short-run custom parts. Last week I was informed that the mirrors would cost $45 EACH just to polish. Then add in the cost of the actual casting, the glass, all the stainless hardware, and machining costs, and well, you can figure out where this is going. These mirrors got real expensive, real quick!

One of the reasons I had a prototype made is to bring it through all the manufacturing processes from start to finish to understand exact costs. When I got to the polishing stage, everything came to a screeching halt. I did get ballpark figures before even starting the whole project just to understand if it was worth pursuing, but the actual polish cost was NOT in the ballpark. I have shopped around and the $45 charge is considered a "good" price. YIKES!

So this is where the story gets real tough for me. I'm trying to build this brand around the idea of "handcrafted" which as I previously expressed is near and dear to my heart. In this thread, I even wrote about sand casting vs CNC machining and how that was not my vision. I've really struggled with this decision, but I'm now entertaining the idea of having them fully machined and waiting on some quotes from companies. I've lived with this thought now for several days and still think there are elements of "craft" in what I'm doing, just a little less "hand" involved. I think that's OK, because at the end of the day, it's either this route or the product doesn't exist. I've put too much into this for that option.

I periodically email a select view of industry leaders that I look up to for advice. It's tough to get replies, but one man who has offered his advice is Jonathan Ward from ICON 4x4. Jonathan's company is built around the idea of handcrafted automobiles and I hugely respect this guy and what he stands for. I sent him an email about this and his reply pretty much perfectly summed it up, better than I could have ever wrote. He said:

I think that these days, CNC is fair in the range of “craftsmanship”. I embrace any and all technologies that allow me to create niche products that are domestically crafted. So CNC’ing, for example, can provide a solution for viability where tooling may have rendered an idea or product dead in it’s tracks. At the end of the day, any technique that makes it happen and keeps it in the US!

So that's the state of the union! I would love to hear from you guys on what you think of this.

-Josh

[milehigreg]

I am 100% in for a set of these mirrors when they come available. CNC production methods doesn't bother me a bit.

[nds1968]

Your gonna have to compromise somewhere. If you run them on a CNC isn't changing and improving the product much easier and faster to do?

[BugzC10]

Have you considered making the investment and polishing them yourself instead of farming out the polishing process? How many would you have to sell to pay for the polishing equipment?