LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 (edited) Were there any side view mirrors offered either stock or as an accessory for the 1938 Buicks? How and where were they mounted? What year did they start to come as standard on the Buicks? Edited October 29, 2016 by LAS VEGAS DAVE (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I have a pair that were removed from my 38 prior to painting. The set screws damaged the paint where they mounted inside the lip of the doors on my car. But I think they would be OK with a hard rubber pad. Let me know if you are interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Where were they mounted on the doors, low or high? Do you think the ones you have are from the thirties? I am interested if they are not repros. Do the have a manufacturers name on them? Thanks Mark for this reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted November 17, 2016 Author Share Posted November 17, 2016 Do most of you guys drive without side view mirrors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHinson Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I am fairly sure that there were door mounted accessory mirrors available in 1938. I don't think that they were standard. None of the 1937 or 1938 Buick ads that I have ever seen show any external mirrors on the cars. I have external mirrors on both doors of my 1937 Century. The driver's side mirror is very helpful. The passenger side mirror is a bit more trouble to use, but does help when parking. I have seen a couple of different styles or reproduction mirrors but am not sure which is the more correct. This photo shows how mine are mounted. The ones that I have generally seen mounted higher on the door are "King Bee" style, which I think is a reproduction of a period aftermarket style of accessory mirrors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 (edited) As Matt suggested, the King Bee seems correct. two of them - one on each side, and yes, I them do use them regularly, as there is a big blind spot at the right rear of our Phaeton (as Buick named the Series). The passenger-side King Bee is especially useful when I pass other vehicles. The rear glass on my 1937 Roadmaster 80C Phaeton (Convertible Sedan) is quite narrow, so having the passenger side mirror really helps. Click on the photos to enlarge and better see the mirrors. Edited November 19, 2016 by Marty Roth (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 (edited) Were the factory side view mirrors on your Roadmaster attached directly to the vent window frames? That as opposed to being clamped onto the door edge? Edited July 27, 2020 by kgreen (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted November 17, 2016 Author Share Posted November 17, 2016 I have some old ROBERK side view mirrors that were supposedly made in the early forties. Since I don't think the 38 Buicks came with a side view mirror any that were added were probably aftermarket. I think I'll mount one of the Roberk mirrors on the drivers side. I'm concerned with mucking up the paint so I'll make some a reinforced rubber gaskets for it and see how rigid the mirror feels. The stem is a casting instead of the more common round bar stem and it would look pretty good and be practical if it fits properly. We drive the Buick regularly, in traffic a side view mirror would be useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 The mirrors Bobs has come with a rubber insulator that goes between the mirror arm and the door. That keeps the paint from scratching. The clamp screws are hidden behind the door weatherstriping on the inside, but they will chip the paint under there, but it is unseen. I had to shorten the clamp screws on my '38 to keep them from scratching the body because they will tend to poke through the weatherstripping. I cant imagine driving a car these days without an outside mirror. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I agree with Don. You really need outside mirrors when the rear window is so small.... My mirrors are still available; make offer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Another option might be to mount the mirrors on your Side-Mount Spare Tires or their covers if your car has that option. That tends to look very classy, but sometimes vibrates a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 I mounted one of my mirrors on the drivers side last might and we drove the car today with it. It as a great upgrade as it makes driving so much easier. This mirror was made in the early forties and could have easily been added to a car like the Buick that did not come with a side view mirror at any time so to me it looks period correct. Although I have two of them I think I'll just keep the drivers side one on the car. I made a gasket out of 1/16 thick reinforced rubber to keep it from scratching the paint. I like the design lines in the mirror as they go with the similar ones on the 38 BUICK SPECIAL. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Oops... forgot there are no sidemounts on your car... Dave, since you have a matching mirror, you may find that the right side one will become indispensable once you start using it, and it is a serious safety item, as well. I wouldn't be without one. By the way, are you trying to shame the rest of us, having such a neat garage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 Thanks Marty, I may decide at some point to put the passenger side mirror on but for awhile I'll just leave it like this. My garage is small and packed. One old car and some bikes. FAIRLY well organized for what it is. Three bikes are mine and one I just sold to a fellow who is bringing it back to London England so I will have a little more room next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickBob49 Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I have nearly identical side mirrors as Las Vegas Dave's on my 1939 Roadmaster 81. The only difference is that the arms have Streamline Moderne horizontal banding to match the mirrors. They were on the car when I got it two years ago. Also, the lenses are tinted, probably to lessen glare from headlights/driving lights coming up behind you at night. Very period. Very cool! The one downside is that the mirrors are probably mounted too low. The right-side mirror is useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted November 27, 2016 Author Share Posted November 27, 2016 (edited) BUICK BOB, I don't have a right side mirror mounted YET so the low mounted one that I do have works fine. It seems thats where I remember them being mounted as far back as I can remember. When I was young and first started driving, over 60 years ago, I remember cars usually only had ONE drivers side mirror if they even had any . If they had two mirrors it was usually for towing. Back then cars towed trailers and stuff regularly. Pick up trucks were commercial vehicles used for business's and farms, regular families had to use their car for everything. Today many if not most families have pick up trucks that are as luxurious as most cars. In 1952 my family towed a 35 foot ROLLERHOME trailer from Michigan to California in a new Dodge with my mom and dad and three kids. My Buick was only sixteen years old at the time. There were many late thirties and early forties cars still being used regularly at that time. Edited November 28, 2016 by LAS VEGAS DAVE (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 The right door mirror was an option that needed to be ordered and paid extra for. Eventually it became standard equipment. Kind of like two taillights and back up lights. Taillights on both sides did not become standard I believe until sometime in the 50's, especially on trucks. I had a '63 Corvair that did not have back up light. They were an option at that time on some cars. The car just had aluminum blank out covers where the back up lights would go. I believe that they were also a dealer installed option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 Many things that are on all cars manufactured today were not on the old cars. They just had what was needed, everything else was an OPTION or an aftermarket item. Many small companies made aftermarket mirrors, brake lights, turn signals, spot lights, heaters, fog lights, visors, radios, oil filters, etc. I like the old cars with manual transmissions, no power steering, no power brakes, almost no plastic, metal dash boards, and no seat belts, air bags, or safety glass, it made each driver pay attention or regret it. We have a new pick up truck that has all the goodies, great truck but I like the old Buick better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickBob49 Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 I meant to say that the left-side mirror on my 39 Roadmaster is fine. The right -side mirror is mount at the same height, but is too low for me to see if I'm the driver's seat. I may try to move both mirrors up the window posts a bit to see if that helps. Right now they are just above the top door hinge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 The passenger side mirror on my 1941 is pretty close to useless...small round unit that is mounted in a poor location for visibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted November 29, 2016 Author Share Posted November 29, 2016 I think I can safely drive the car with just the drivers side mirror, it takes more effort than a casual glance to get back in the right lane but its not bad, it just takes a little longer because I have to make sure its safe which requires my head to move. Its all about the old car experience, more attention to all the aspects of driving are required. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickBob49 Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 Here are some photos of my 39 Roadmaster and the left mirror. (I took the car out yesterday in the rain and the mirror is a bit dirty.) Sorry for the missed words in my last email. Doing them by phone has drawbacks. These mirrors, with their Streamline scoring, really echo the design details in the windshield wiper mounts and the door handles on the 39s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted November 29, 2016 Author Share Posted November 29, 2016 WOW, I like that mirror and your car, it looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickBob49 Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Glad you like the car. It is a lot of fun. Here's a photo of the dash on the 39 Roadmaster. What a wonderful presentation. I also included a photo of the 39 Roadmaster with my 49 Super in my mechanic's driveway. I've had the 49 Super since 1978--my first car. What a difference ten years made in styling! Also, they drive much differently from one another. The full-width cabin and lower posture make the 49 Super hunker down a bit when compared with the 39 Roadmaster. But the 39 Roadmaster really has a boulevard ride, and it is smooth even at 60-65 mph.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted November 30, 2016 Author Share Posted November 30, 2016 You got some great old Buicks my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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