wing /door mirrors on Javelin

[CyrilWhite]

Any tips on which mirrors are best suited to Jav also the mounting position . I would like to be sure before doing any drilling into wings or doors .
I have noticed one or two Javs with gutter mounted type . So what are the preferred makes and fittings .

[Jack]

It seems to be different on every car looking around the rally in Basingstoke, but the "standard" ones seem to be either square or round, mounted in the wings, this seems to be the most common of the cars I've looked at:

Square ones



Round ones



No idea what was original, they don't get a mention in the parts catalogue so hard to tell what was properly original, perhaps we can get a definitive answer if they were fitted at all.

As to what works, I find the wing mounted ones can rattle a lot, to the point they aren't much use at significant speed - this means things like overtaking on motorways can require a bit more double checking than is ideal. I assume the gutter mounted type might be better for this, but haven't tried them. A shorter stalk might help with this, but I am yet to see a Javelin with bullet mirrors fitted to get around this.

Jack.

[george garside]

I am almost certain that no Javelins were produced with wing or door mounted exterior mirrors and this was common practice in the 40's & 50's . From a quick trawl through photos etc some of the monte carlo cars had round wing mirrors but others didn't. The ones used would be any from the wide range available as 'universal ' accessories. Same goes for door or gutter mounted mirrors which at the time were far less popular than wing mirrors.

I have seen javs fitted with 'bullet' or 'racing ' mirrors but don't know whether these were mounted on the doors above the door handle or on the scuttle just forward of the door. Personaly I think the streamlined shape went well with the javelins 'aerodynamic' shape and looked better than a pair of after market wing mirrors on sticks! but then I have never been fond of wing mirrors.

So I suppose any period or replica period wing, gutter or door mounted mirror could be deemed to be reasonably ''correct'' as a period aaccesory

george

[Tony Fearn]

Which ever type you go for Cyril, I suggest that you specify convex mirror glass. You'll see a lot more of what's behind you.

Tony.

[Robin Fairservice]

Her is my clip on. Don't forget that mine is LHD!


image share

[robert lintott]

I find rear vision is a problem , not helped by using the original trafficators rather than flashers , and have had the odd near miss . In my Javelin the seat seems too low, maybe it has settled, so I am intending to put 1"-2" blocks under the seat brackets . I have aftermarket wing mirrors as usual but although of normal height I can only just see the nearside mirror itself and the offside gives only a limited picture .

I have tried positioning various types of door mirror but the result is generally unsatisfactory because the Javelin body is widest at the centre pillar , overall about 10" wider there than at the front door leading edge . A mirror attached to the small flat triangle of the door pressing just above the handle produces a good image of the side of the car and not much else! This is why most door mounted mirrors I have seen are fitted with long stalks of various kinds , home made and other , which tend to spoil the Javelin elegance . I would prefer to have a "bullet type " with a longer than usual body mounting , to attach to the triangle as above , but have not found one so far. Suggestions welcome Bob

[CyrilWhite]

Thanks for replies ,Seems a good way of getting the "Best Practice" quickly.Perhaps other themes might be helpful .
Just updating my spark plug covers and have asked around already ,but more ideas might be lurking out there.

[David Morris]

Hi Cyril,

Having had a 'near miss' some years ago on the way to the Bromley Pageant, we fitted clip-on mirrors to the front leading edge door pillars. These open with the door and don't get in the way. I have found wing-fitted mirrors useless and the central standard mirror leaves big 'blind spots' down each side of the Javelin. However, the door mounted mirrors work well and I can recommend them. I think ours came from Lancaster Vintage & Classic Spares. If you can, try and find some that are slightly convex, as these give a better field of vision. I went through Lancaster's stock at Beaulieu and found a pair that were slightly convex, despite Lancaster's saying all theirs were flat!

As for plug covers, I use NGK red ones designed for motor bikes. My local motor bike store has a ready supply and I just asked them for plug covers suitable for very wet conditions!. To stop water ingress into the plug wells, I have fitted circular discs, with a central hole for the plug cover. The discs are around 8cm in diameter and made from neoprene rubber sheet around 1/8" thick. They have been tested under the most severe rain conditions and have, so far, never missed a beat. Several other local members are using them and have reported no spark plug water problems.

Hope this helps,

David