Day/Night Rearview Mirror

[Dan White]

Did Studebaker ever offer a Day/Night inside rearview mirror? Seems kind of odd that most cars had them but I have never seen a Stude with one, at least not a factory one.

Dan White
64 R1 GT
64 R2 GT

[N8N]

Yes, I saw several at Reedsville. I was actually going to buy one at York but when I went back to get it the seller wasn't at his table. The inexpensive one that I saw at Reedsville was for a 40's car, looks same as the later ones but smaller.

Question - is the glass for a day/night mirror still available? Reason I ask is most of the mirrors that I see have excellent (stainless) housings but the glass is starting to go around the edges... if the glass is available, that would make finding a nice day/night mirror a much less expensive proposition.

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop

http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

[DilloCrafter]

It should not be an issue, because we should only drive our Studebakers in the daytime, so that people can see them better

1955 1/2 Ton Pickup

[Dan White]

Not so fast. When I go to a show I want to stay as long as possible so everyone can see my Stude so it sometimes is necessary to drive home in the dark.

Dan White
64 R1 GT
64 R2 GT

[2R5]

There was a NOS one for ' 55 , ' 56 at a table right beside the stairway that the gentleman wanted $100 for . I ment to write the AC # down for my buddy who is looking for one for his '58 but i forgot

[rockne10]

The day/night mirror, with the little toggle that switched it back and forth, was available as an option as early as 53, perhaps earlier. None of my cars had it through 1963 but, I did have the glass company replace the standard mirror glass with anti-glare mirror; not as effective but helpful.

[kmul221]

I had one on a 51 Champ.convert. that I once owned & it was a factory option because the AC # was listed in on of the manuals.I believe Studebaker had a odd name for it(ie Glare Proof or Glare Stat)
That car was 20yrs ago & memory fades

[Scott]

My 1966 Cruiser has one, which was one reason why I figured the car was worth the $100 my father paid for it (don't ask me how many hundreds and hundreds I've poured into the car since!). It works great and is the only one I've seen, although I know from literature that it is the correct factory item.

[Roscomacaw]

I have one for a '53 and it's still in working order![8D]

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[garyash]

A glare-proof mirror was available as an accessory on M trucks after the war, maybe even earlier on some cars, probably on '41 cars. I have one in my '48 M5 truck.

Gary Ash
Dartmouth, MA
'48 M5
'65 Wagonaire Commander
'63 Wagonaire Standard

https://www.studegarage.com

[GTtim]

The late model day/night mirror that Studebaker used is identical to the one AMC used in the same period, except the mounting stem is different. Apparently these mirrors were made of special steel that rusts with the least exposure to moisture as all that I have seen in salvage yards are rusted completely. I sure would like to find a good one, but there are very few out there. I have one of the earlier style if anyone wants to trade.
Tim K.

[jimmijim8]

I have an original day night mirror on my 63 GT. It is definitely factory equipment. It is the exact same size as the non day night mirror. jimmijim

[Transtar56]

Wow Gary, your M series must have been a real "cream puff". Most of them only came with a drivers side sun visor and arm rest(I think?)
Id say a M series truck with a day/night mirror was "loaded".

[garyash]

My M5 was not a "cream puff" when I got it. It had sat for 14 years and you could see through the floors and bed. It had to be disassembled to the last nut and bolt and remanufactured.

However, six years of shopping at the Reedsville and York swap meets turned up a bunch of NOS items like a day/night mirror, hill holder, windshield washer bottle, and decent used items like a clock, radio, rear bumper, fog lights, overdrive transmission, bumper guards, etc. Some NOS stuff like turn signal lights came from Ebay. I guess I could be accused of having an "over dressed" truck. As Dick Quinn's M5 article in Antique Studebaker Review said, of the 4,685 pre-WWII M5 trucks, only 100 had rear bumpers, 18 had radios, 3 of them had clocks, and only 1 had a hill holder when they came from the factory. However, many of these items add safety, comfort, practicality - and fun - on a vehicle never designed to cruise the Interstates. My motto: "Any thing worth doing is worth overdoing!"


Gary Ash
Dartmouth, MA
'48 M5
'65 Wagonaire Commander
'63 Wagonaire Standard

https://www.studegarage.com

[Roscomacaw]

Beautifully overdone, Gary! Chris Coop is trying to do a 53 sedan with every option available that year. I hafta wonder what weight his sedan will show as opposed to "factory" curb weight for a '53![:0]

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS