Are the round front-view mirrors necessary?

[HazMatt-SKO]

Don't forget that additional add-on, included at no extra cost:
Iron oxide! [emoji24]

 

[Drew Bru]

I've been checking out skoolie pics and it looks like a lot of people do remove these, so it's maybe not fatal if I do it (especially since I haven't even looked at them myself while driving). On the other hand, I'm getting mighty sick of mixing and sanding Bondo and deleting these mirrors means more of that.

Does anybody know why these mirrors have electrical cables running to them? Is that for a heater or something?

We got rid of ours, they were unsightly and I didn't find myself using them. I guess they could be useful for parking though. I use my side mirrors for lane positioning, though its becoming second nature anymore. The wires are for heaters, you might have a switch labeled Heated Mirrors or some such on your panel. I'm knocking around the idea of adding some fog lights and repurposing the wiring and switches. Theres a perfect cut out in the bumper for fog lights near the recovery hooks. We just left the holes open since they drain under the hood, though other body holes (stop sign and whatnot) we glued coins over, assuming the bus will turn into a money pit (it hasn't........yet).

 

[musigenesis]

We got rid of ours, they were unsightly and I didn't find myself using them. I guess they could be useful for parking though. I use my side mirrors for lane positioning, though its becoming second nature anymore. The wires are for heaters, you might have a switch labeled Heated Mirrors or some such on your panel. I'm knocking around the idea of adding some fog lights and repurposing the wiring and switches. Theres a perfect cut out in the bumper for fog lights near the recovery hooks. We just left the holes open since they drain under the hood, though other body holes (stop sign and whatnot) we glued coins over, assuming the bus will turn into a money pit (it hasn't........yet).

Well, one of my mirrors is draining into the headlight so I'm going to have to patch the holes. You just glued coins over your stop sign holes? I just finished a multi-day bondo job on mine, and when you're covered in bondo dust the coin thing sounds pretty good.

 

[HazMatt-SKO]

Why can't you just put a gasket in between the frame and the fender?

 

[Drew Bru]

I just finished a multi-day bondo job on mine, and when you're covered in bondo dust the coin thing sounds pretty good.

Only took a couple minutes, and most of that time was spent mixing the JB Weld.

Gluing on coins adds character, getting covered in Bondo dust builds character.:wink1:

 

[musigenesis]

Why can't you just put a gasket in between the frame and the fender?

It already looks like ass as it is - there are signs of a number of half-assed prior attempts to prevent it from leaking. I suspect the newer style brackets with the really wide base that spreads out over the entire front of the fender were designed to deal with this kind of leaking, or maybe the designer had just watched Batman.

Also, for some reason I can never find gasket material at my local auto parts stores. One guy sold me a roll of cork instead which was disastrously bad for gasket material, it's like water accelerated through it.

I just don't really feel like doing much work to fix an ugly thing I don't use.

 

[HazMatt-SKO]

Having been the Health & Safety weenie on a wide variety of sites, I tend to be partial to using supplied engineering controls, when its sensible to.
But to each, his own. I do contest your derogatory comment of it, "looks like ass."
Not necessarily always a bad thang...
https://youtu.be/X53ZSxkQ3Ho

 

[musigenesis]

Having been the Health & Safety weenie on a wide variety of sites, I tend to be partial to using supplied engineering controls, when its sensible to.
But to each, his own. I do contest your derogatory comment of it, "looks like ass."
Not necessarily always a bad thang...
https://youtu.be/X53ZSxkQ3Ho

I of course meant "ass" in contrast to the Clydesdale I thought I purchased.

 

[HazMatt-SKO]

That's different!
Regarding Clydesdales: if you care to bag on Buttwiper Beer, I'll not gainsay ya on that very sensible opinion...

 

[Sleddgracer]

I of course meant "ass" in contrast to the Clydesdale I thought I purchased.[/QUOT

...........................

 

[CaptSquid]

Not that I'd want to see your reflection!

 

[musigenesis]

Not that I'd want to see your reflection!

I notice you removed your fisheye mirrors - or do they not put those on FEs and pushers? I kinda thought they were mainly so you could see if you were about to run over a child or not.

 

[Native-SKO]

Where'd you find 'em? New, or salvage?My shotgun one has a half-dolla sized hole it got in a deadfall b4 I left NH.

We replaced then with new ones. Both sides. We got them from Bucks in Fort Worth. They work on busses for the school districts in the area. However, they are not very customer-oriented unless they think you are going to have your bus painted by them. I would suggest the dealer.


Note: I *may* still have the old ones. I'll look and send you a PM should I find them.

 

[HazMatt-SKO]

Cool, and thankya!
No butt-gusting rush, gotta give the mud-daubers someplace to build that isn't mechanically or aesthetically disturbing...

 

[CaptSquid]

I notice you removed your fisheye mirrors - or do they not put those on FEs and pushers? I kinda thought they were mainly so you could see if you were about to run over a child or not.

Never had "fish eye" mirrors. The Euro mirrors I have have THREE separate mirrors -- flat, slightly convex and REALLY convex. I can practically see UNDER Brunhilde.

 

[musigenesis]

So I drove my bus today and paid attention to these round front-view mirrors for the first time. They are actually pretty handy - very useful for lane-checking and for maneuvering around my parking lot, as mentioned by folks here. I guess I'm going to keep them, although now they look even uglier than before.

 

[HazMatt-SKO]

No worries- slapping on multiple plies of duct tape to temporarily seal off the incursion of agua into the headlights is a total chick magnet! [emoji106]
Why would I lie? [emoji849]

 

[ABdriver]

The "euro" mirrors you have are nicknamed dog ear mirrors. They were only available on RE Thomas buses. Expensive! the lower segment is the "crossover" mirror.

 

[#1FordFan]

They are called cross-over mirrors and aren't required, but can useful if you end up doing lots of city driving, or even tight corners in camp grounds. You can see where your front bumper is when parking, etc. We left ours on. You can get replacement ones if needed.

X2 100% correct

 

[Rock-N-Ruth]

Our Volvo 850 went belly up after we got home with our 40' International 300 so, now it's our 40' long car. We drive it 300+ miles a week locally. Those mirrors are great in the Wal Mart parking lot as well as revealing cars trying to hide in my blind spots.