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MG MGA - Advice - esthetics

Trying to post a pic so lets see if it works.

[img]http://www.wakefield-jones.net/MGA/MGA-012.jpg[/img]

My MGA has a screw on, windscreen pillar side mirror on the drivers side.
Now whilst it looks superb and functions well enough visibility wise, you have to remove it to fit the side windows.
Therefore I considered wing mounted mirrors (both sides or just the drivers) but then it might spoil the sleek lines I love so much.

Are there any other options? is it SO hard to drive without side mirrors?

What do you 'old hats' think? God I am bad at just 'doing' :)

The other question was about white wall tyres. I saw another thread where someone was considering it and there followed (in another thread?) a link to a New Zealand based car for sale that had white walls, is the same interior and exterior colour as mine and looked superb...

SO! where can I get them? does anyone make a white wall kit and are they any good?
A M Wakefield

Ok, posting images direct does not work.

The correct link to the little picture is:

http://www.wakefield-jones.net/MGA/MGA-012.jpg
A M Wakefield

If you can't find them on your side of the pond try Coker Tire in the US. cokertire.com
John H

I have attached my wing mirror in the same way. However, I do not have the swept back arm that you have, so I do not have to remove the mirror to avoid fouling with the side screens. You just need a straight arm to rectify.

Steve
Steve Gyles

My car didn't have side-view mirrors when I bought it. I drove it like that for the first season. Yes it is do-able, but not very safe in my opinion. I now have period correct Lucas type wing mirrors, but I mounted them WAY back on the wings in the area between the windshield post and the door edge. They work very well in that location. Visibility is very good, they don't interfere with the side curtains, and it doesn't spoil the long flowing lines of the front wings. I feel MUCH safer driving in traffic now.
Andy Bounsall

Hi A M - my car tyres (Continental) have a thin line of white wall on them - the car came from Holland and these tyres were put on when it was restored there in '96 I think - so with 10 year old tyres they will need replacing soon - and I quite like the discrete white line - but I can't find a source for them over here either. any ideas? cheers Cam
Cam Cunningham

I have mine mounted on the doors, see Serge's site for details (you need to send hom a picture anyway)
dominic clancy

Hi. For about 20 years, I drove my MGA without use of a wing mirror. About 6 years ago I installed a wing mirror on my 1500. I placed it on the driver side fender, in the center of the wheel arch, where they were originally fitted by the dealer. I thought that I would use the wing mirror, but in practice, I never used it. I think I have been accustom to using the tiny dash top mirror, and simply turning my head to check the blind spots. I have never been involved in a traffic accident caused by disuse of the wing mirror. (I was rear ended by a drunk kid last summer) I will be doing a body and paint job on my MG soon, and intend to remove the wing mirror, and fill the hole. In short, I find the wing mirror completely unnecessary, and think that it spoils the clean lines of the car somewhat. Just my 2 cents worth. Cheers, Glenn
Glenn

And a left side mirror at least is obligatory here....
dominic clancy

I made a bracket that mounts to the side of the windshield post using one of the screws that holds the windshield to the post. You then attach a standard wing mirror to the bracket. It is a copy of one I saw that Bob West made. It does not interfere with the side curtains in any way. It works very well, and can be removed without leaving any holes behind. I have fitted mirrors to both sides using these brackets, one standard mirror, and one convex mirror.
Ed Bell

Dominic, do you have the URL for Serge's site? or is that the MGA Club CH site?
Why do I need to send him a pic? :)

http://www.wakefield-jones.net/MGA/MGA-005.jpg

Ed, do you have a pic of the bracket? sounds like a good answer.

Steve, it isn't the swept arm that is catching but rather the bracket on the arm where it attaches to the windscreen pillar.
A M Wakefield

A.M

Here is the link to Sege's site. One rule: You have to be in the picture with your car!

http://users.pandora.be/mga_world/MG_A_Forum_Members/album/index.html

Serge's email for sending a picture of you with your car is: serge.vliegen@pandora.be

I have the same mirror arrangement as Ed. Works very well. I will put some pictures of the set up on my site tonight.

Steve
Steve Gyles

A.M

This is the bracket and mirror supplied to me by Bob West:

http://www.mgaroadster.co.uk/hot_press.htm

Steve
Steve Gyles

Excellent, thank you very much again guys.

Email sent to Bob West.
A M Wakefield

Fender mounted mirrors should be , IMHO, convex. I use mine more than the rear view mirror that vibrates at around 3000 RPM. Mine are mounted 2/3 of the distance back from the leading edge of the wheel well as the Monte Carlo cars were. Here, they are visible in the cleared path of the windshield wipers. They are not obstructed or distorted by the side curtains. Any further forward, the right hand fender mirror is blocked by the center rear view mirror.

Chuck
Chuck Schaefer

Chuck

I totally agree with you about convex mirrors. I tried a pair of flat glass bullet mirrors on the door once. Useless. Apart from anything else, I could not get enough angle on the passenger mirror. They now reside on top of my PC at work, guarding my 6.

I think the positioning of mirrors (Fender/wing, door or windscreen post) is very much a personal thing if one discards total originality/concours. I just did not want to put a mirror on the wing. For me it disrupts the car's pure lines. But that is just my opinion.

My interior mirror is great, providing I have nothing on the boot rack. I guess that is why they put the vertical slider on the MGB. No problems with vibration, but that is probably due to the 5-bearing engine.

Steve
Steve Gyles

IMHO wing mirrors are a terrible thing to do to your car. I don't like how they look and if they are centered on the wheels you need a helper to adjust them. They are really too small to do much good way out there anyway. I welded up the holes in my coupe just yesterday. A bracket that mounts them to the windshield post is the way to go.
R J Brown

I don't have anything other than the original mirror - I find it is good exercise for an old fart to turn his head to check the blind spots.
Mike 1960 roadster
Mike Ellsmore

Form follows function. When you get a handle on that idea, I find this location delightful: http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/accessories/at103.htm
Barney Gaylord

Barney, that's almost exactly where the mirrors on my car are located. My dad put them there 40-odd years ago, because he thought that was the best location for visibility. It isn't the usual place, but it seems that in bucking the trend he was in good company.
Del Rawlins

Mine are placed "A La Barney" and one added point is they interfer less with working on the engine than ones mounted above the wheel wells. gordon
Gordon Harrison

I got whitewall tires when I restored my MGA since that's what it came with from the factory (mostly a US-market option). I ordered mine from a local tire shop who got them through Coker for about what I'd pay buying them from Coker direct. They are BF Goodrich Silvertown Radial brand, but are manufactured by Michelin. Michelin will take orders for them for several months, then when they have enough orders (5 or 10 thousand if I remember) produce a run of them. So you have to be patient unless you time it right. Pictures of mine here:

http://www.tildebang.com/mg/index11.html
David Breneman

This thread was discussed between 10/05/2007 and 14/05/2007

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