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| Joined: | 03-12-2005 |
| Location: | Kingman, Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 532 |
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I'm 6'2" tall and the rear view mirror in my JH blocks much of my view to the front of the car. I was resigned to living with this annoyance until recently, when I thought up a simple, inexpensive method of raising the mirror so that it sits at the height of the padded crash roll at the top of the windshield. This does not involve any permanent alterations to either car or mirror.
I fabricated two brackets from 0.025" thick aluminum sheet. Though the brackets themselves are simple, I found it hard to accurately visualize the angles involved, and it took me three tries using paper patterns and two tries in metal before I was satisfied.
The upper bracket is a straight strip about 1" wide and about 3+1/2" long, with a 3/16" hole near the forward end and a 5/16" hole near the rear end. After removing the crash roll, this bracket is secured to the rear face of the windshield frame by an existing screw that sits directly above the two original mirror mounting screws. When reinstalled, the crash roll holds the bracket firmly in place.
The lower bracket is about the same size as the first but has a 2+1/4" wide tee at the forward end and two 3/16" holes to suit the mounting holes for the mirror. The rear end of this bracket also has a 5/16" hole.
The two brackets are bent so that they follow the curvature of the crash roll and the two 5/16" holes line up. The screw that originally secured the mirror to its mounting arm is inserted through these holes from the front, along with a few 5/16" ID washers for proper spacing. The rear view mirror is then secured in place, and, finally, the lower bracket is attached to the crash roll using the original mirror mounting screws and, if desired, a couple of cupped washers, or even the mirror's original plastic plinth (base).
I've been driving around town with the mirror like this for several days, and so far have had no problems. The mirror stays put, the view forward is improved tremendously, the view to the rear is unaffected (at least when there's no top in the way), and it even looks good. I may eventually make new brackets using slightly thicker sheet metal for a bit more strength and vibration damping, and may also taper them for improved esthetics.
Attachment: Mirror Relocation.jpg (Downloaded 76 times)