Truck Mirror Brackets

[Chariots of Fire]

I needed a set of mirror brackets for a truck project that I have just about finished.  The brackets are the same as the ones with mirrors found in the Revell Jeep Honcho kit.  But the brackets and mirrors in the kit were way to clumsy.  So I decided to make some.  First I found a similar mirror to the kit mirror and made a mold for reproducing it.  I only found the one in the spare parts box.  Then I went on to make the brackets.

I started with two long silk pins that are in front of the NNL scale.  I then bent them in a V shape like the one at left.  Next I bent the ends at not quite right angles like the one in the middle.  On top of the wood block on the left is a second pin that has been bent Z shaped.  And beside it is the V shaped pin set in two holes that keep it upright.  The Z shape piece goes in a similar hole directly under the top of the V.  Like in the photo below.

Now you need to get out the soldering iron and with a TINY bit of solder join the two pins at where they meet and you will end up with a bracket at the right that can be installed on the truck door.  Use the bracket to establish the location of the small holes that would be drilled in the door sides to set the ends into.

Here's the way the mirrors look.  After the mirror came out of the mold I coated it with Molotow Chrome.

[Belugawrx]

Great tip...and a beautiful truck !!!

[peteski]

Nice tutorial Charlie!  Are those stainless steel or brass pins?

The really nice thing is that they are much closer to being in scale than plastic ones.  Heck, they look like they are in scale.

Edited April 15, 2020 by peteski

[NOBLNG]

Nicely done. This is a great tip. That is one thing that bothers me in kits is the small diameter rod items like mirror brackets gear shifters and shock absorbers that can’t be accurately reproduced in styrene.?

[redneckrigger]

Great tutorial, Charlie........................can't wait to give it a try!

[Chariots of Fire]

5 hours ago, peteski said:

Nice tutorial Charlie!  Are those stainless steel or brass pins?

The really nice thing is that they are much closer to being in scale than plastic ones.  Heck, they look like they are in scale.

Not brass, Pete.  Most likely stainless.  Whatever they are they solder well.  Got them in Michaels as I remember.

[peteski]

Thanks!

[Deuces ll]

??

[mikemodeler]

Awesome tip and they look great, more realistic than the blobs in the kits. I am going to have to try that method once I can get to Michaels and grab some of those pins, I have a few GM trucks that are mirror less because the kit pieces suck.