I have been frustrated on finding a good looking mirror for my cabriolet. My preference is a hinge style mirror, but the Briggs Body middle hinges are lower than those of the coupe, sedan or pickup, and different shape and height, too. The lower hinge mean the mirror head of the mirror I have can not even be seen from the driver's seat. Aftermarket hinge mirrors for later cars are generally made of pot metal and can not be readily modified. I was thinking of having some parts machined of SS and welding them together, and then bend the arm into the shape I wanted. ...but finally I got convinced that making a pattern and having it cast in brass would be my best solution. I am not done but have made significant progress. Here are a few pics. I started by shaping an arm and making a hinge mount the arm was shaped in a compatible style for the body I drilled the arm to fit a mirror head, so I could be sure the height and visibility would work for me. After being sure of the location, I put a more complete bracket together for each side each one is made from five pieces of oak. Next I started getting them ready for molding. bondo, sand ...bondo, sand ...bondo sand finally seal and varnish I took the pieces to a local foundry and a mold pattern was made. ...two weeks later, I got a batch of castings I made a few extra sets so I could make a couple different styles and sets for my other A's, if they can be fitted. And the additional cost was not that great after all the other setup expenses. the raw castings have extra 'meat' to allow casting in a two piece mold, and the casting has to be cut to fit to the hinge The piece on the left has been cut for the hinge and shaping has started. Both are driver's side castings. ...and in place the other side ...and that is where I am so far. I still need to finish shaping the casting, thinning and smoothing the upper arm, and shaping a reveal accent at the base. ...then to the machinist to drill the pin holes and fit the pin to the hinges and drill the mirror head. ...and then off for chrome plating. I am three weeks into the process, two were taken by the foundry.
An incredible amount of work and then you get the castings back and realise its all been worth it - they look fantastic. Thanks for showing us.
Beautiful work, having parts cast is a great way to go, the initial work pays off big time when you can have many castings done anytime you feel the need.. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Man,that is a lot of work but the effort paid off in spades,,you made a part that looks like it could have been a factory accessory part produced when the Model A was new. HRP
It is 'red' brass, which as I understand is not as strong as 'yellow' brass, but is better if pieces are to be plated. It has a higher copper content. I am new to this casting stuff, so my knowledge is primitive. The foundry owner did some small replacement spacer pieces for an old coat rack for me at the same time out of yellow, and it seems to be pretty hard. The red cuts/shapes pretty easy in comparison.
i've played around with back yard casting... mostly aluminum, brass and bronze. i haven't tried red brass yet. great project you've got there!
That's nice work, and as a machinist for 40+ years, I know nice work when I see it. Looks are gonna be much nicer than the ones I have on my "A" roadster, which are off the hinge bolt on the windshield posts. I don't like the look of them, at all, but I also don't like driving on Atlanta metro area Xways without side mirrors. You should consider marketing these on the HAMB classifieds.
The foundry has an on site pattern maker who did the follow board. As a novice, I am not sure of my terminology. I have to thank my machinist friend, Dave Cantwell, who encouraged me to try this and looked at my progress, commenting, to help me produce something that could be cast.
Mine, mounted on top hinge, are useless. I can't adjust them to really see behind me. Those look great, but I bet they actually work too! Nice job.
Very nice. A lot of labor, so can idea be sold into production , so a few more of us could enjoy these too?
The foundry that did the casting has closed down. I do not have another foundry lined up, so will not be recasting more soon. If I did another batch, I would only sell them as raw castings. the buyer would need to fit and finish them. If someone else was interested in taking over the project they can PM me. They do work very good as mirrors since functionality was the reason for making them in the first place. I spent time making sure the head would be in a good location for seeing behind. The different sets I have for a coupe and a closed cab PU do not work great.
...Wow is all that I can say...Russ I rotated this for you, right clic save it and edit your post as it deserves the proper orientation to appreciate the effort put in to this project...I will delete this pic as I'm just bringing this back up as it's amazing really...What is the mirror you used for this stem you made... As noted this was tech before the tech Threads...I wouldn't have known this if you hadn't have posted in the Homogenized Thread sharing another unique detail on your Cabrio... You may get some PMs on this Bttt...you did a lot of finish work to make this happen...How do you spell passion...This...
Thank you for the kind words. The cabriolet build was one of pure passion, without deadlines. I don’t recall exactly the mirror source, but in all probability it came from a Model A parts supplier.
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