Wing Mirrors & Inspiration

I have never been one for looking in the mirror but in this case I am fascinated by them.

Leif arrived with some hideous, decaying door mirrors complete with wooden spacers! From day one, they have been on the hit list to be removed.

The door mirrors Leif arrived with.  I have nothing nice to say about them

Wooden spacers are an interesting touch!

Obviously these mirrors are not original, or even Land Rover issue, so I began doing some research into what the original mirrors might have been.  It seems that the down side to owning a CKD vehicle (completely knocked down), is that there is no rule book as to what their standard specification was, instead it is more of a case of what came to hand on the day of assembly.  To be honest I don't have a problem with that as it allows me a certain amount of artistic licence to do whatever I think looks good.

I have always loved the look of the round mirrors on the wings, but noting no holes in Leifs' wings I figured that they had never been fitted there.

Love this look

Image from http://1960landroverrestoration.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/stainless-windshield-wipers.html

Leif's wing top with no hole

Next I found a nice tidy bracket that fits to the windscreen hinge.  I liked the idea of this and was able to purchase one from a fellow enthusiast.  On receipt of the bracket I noted that it required a second fixing to secure it in place, again something that Leif didn't have, so this fitting was not original to him either.  Although a little rusty I figured it would clean up well with a coat of paint, then lo and behold, I found another arm amongst the bits at my garage sale haul which was in much better condition.  It's funny the process we go through. I would have had no idea what that little metal tub was when I spotted it sitting on a shelf had I not bought the previous one.

Original Land Rover mirror fixing and arm, but not original to Leif

Excited with my find, I posted a picture on one of the Land Rover Facebook groups I am a member of, but received a less than complimentary comment from a fellow member.  He offered me a pair of NOS wing mirrors as an alternative to "that rusty crap".  A little deflated I bought the NOS mirrors at a good price "just in case" I decided to use them.

NOS Wing mirrors

Now with two options I was confident one option would be suitable, and then I saw it!  Late one night on eBay up popped a reproduction pressed metal advertising sign that looked exactly how I want Leif to look when finished.  The sign was even promoting the "New 6-cylinder option for the 109" range", so not only did it look like Leif, it was the same original specification. Needless to say it was the quickest eBay purchase I have ever made.

My inspiration. Reproduction pressed metal advertising sign

More than a little excited with my new purchase, I went back to have a look at Leif's wings.  From within the wheel arch I saw what was going on.  The holes were there, just filled with body filler.  I raced to my toolbox for my sand paper.

And there it is, the wing mirror fixing point

Now knowing where the hole was located on the wing, those with a keen eye will be able to spot its location in the fourth picture within this post.

With some vigorous sanding, and a tap with a hole punch the filler was knocked out and the mirror test fitted.

Looks more like a bullet hole than a factory drilled hole!

EXCITED!!!!!!

So, decision made, but what of the other fitting?  Well from what I have heard, as much as I love the look, these wing mirrors are next to useless for practicality, so who knows, maybe I will fit the other mirror as well.