How Difficult? Mirror Swap

[Danny G]

...the later style mirrors look out of place on a Bullnose.

It's the same door. If you were only looking at the side, and couldn't see the wheel arches or beyond, you'd have a hard time distinguishing a bullnose with the '92-96 mirror from a stock '92-96 truck. To me, it looks perfectly natural, and a LOT more usable.

We all have our own tastes and opinions, and that in itself is a good thing. Otherwise we'd all be driving the exact same trucks.

I wouldn't say that somebody "gets no points" for wanting period correct parts, it's just a personal preference. Sometimes form is preferred over function.

Having said that, I'm certainly not against upgrades and improvements. To me a 5spd manual is a good example.

I also took your advice Steve and installed a later model plastic brake master cylinder, and I couldn't be happier with it. That in my mind is a worthwhile upgrade.

But back to the mirrors...

I don't really have much preference between the small Type-5 mirrors and the more traditional Type-9 mirrors. My truck has the smaller Type-5's on it, and they are most definitely the least functional of all options, but I still like them. If my truck had had the larger Type-9 mirrors on it, I would have left it that way.

I have a mild curiosity about the Type-14 paddle style mirrors. I really like them, but they seem to be to be so rare on a Bullnose they seem out of place to me. I may order a set sometime and give them a try and see if I like the look of them. I have a couple pics saved of these mirrors installed, but they seem to be fairly uncommon on the Bullnose trucks...

The black plastic mirrors you have shown there are what both me and my friends 1986 F-150's have. Both ran off the same assembly line in the same week.

[Rembrant]

The black plastic mirrors you have shown there are what both me and my friends 1986 F-150's have. Both ran off the same assembly line in the same week.

Thanks for the reply Scatch! It's nice to finally confirm that they were actually used on the Bullnose trucks. I want to try a set myself. They seem to be pretty rare...and I guess only used on the '85-'86 trucks.

[Danny G]

The black plastic mirrors you have shown there are what both me and my friends 1986 F-150's have. Both ran off the same assembly line in the same week.

Thanks for the reply Scatch! It's nice to finally confirm that they were actually used on the Bullnose trucks. I want to try a set myself. They seem to be pretty rare...and I guess only used on the '85-'86 trucks.

Rock Auto sells replacements for like $8each. They are OK mirrors, more like car mirrors, they are plastic and you can tell. I haven't used them much as I haven't had the truck long. It had after markets on it but originals in the tool box were trashed so I bought the replacements. My friend calls them car mirrors because they remind him of Ford car mirrors just shaped a bit different.

Both of ours were built in the Norfolk plant in August both with 300 six, c6 trans and 3.08 rear, vynil floor mats etc. Mine had AC his did not. Mine was Chestnut, his was blue. He only wanted $700 from me for it but I passed. His truck had a solid cab but the bed skins, fenders, valance, and hood were rotted so it would have been a lot of work + retrofitting AC. His interior was nice. He actually pulled it out of a field where it had sat for like 16 years put gas in it, hit it with ether and drove it onto the trailer.

I will edit this post with pictures of his and mine. It's good knowledge we narrowed these down to 85-86.

 

[Danny G]

Rock Auto sells replacements for like $8each. They are OK mirrors, more like car mirrors, they are plastic and you can tell. I haven't used them much as I haven't had the truck long. It had after markets on it but originals in the tool box were trashed so I bought the replacements. My friend calls them car mirrors because they remind him of Ford car mirrors just shaped a bit different.

Both of ours were built in the Norfolk plant in August both with 300 six, c6 trans and 3.08 rear, vynil floor mats etc. Mine had AC his did not. Mine was Chestnut, his was blue. He only wanted $700 from me for it but I passed. His truck had a solid cab but the bed skins, fenders, valance, and hood were rotted so it would have been a lot of work + retrofitting AC. His interior was nice. He actually pulled it out of a field where it had sat for like 16 years put gas in it, hit it with ether and drove it onto the trailer.

I will edit this post with pictures of his and mine. It's good knowledge we narrowed these down to 85-86.

his sold that blue truck to a guy here at work. I am trying to get him to relay the message to join this forum.

[Rembrant]

his sold that blue truck to a guy here at work. I am trying to get him to relay the message to join this forum.

Cool stuff. I like the look of them and might try a set myself. I hadn't seen them on enough Bullnoses to know if they were ever actually offered. The couple that I did see I assumed were swapped on from newer trucks.

[LARIAT 85]

The black plastic mirrors you have shown there are what both me and my friends 1986 F-150's have. Both ran off the same assembly line in the same week.

Thanks for the reply Scatch! It's nice to finally confirm that they were actually used on the Bullnose trucks. I want to try a set myself. They seem to be pretty rare...and I guess only used on the '85-'86 trucks.

My first vehicle was a 1988 Ford Bronco II, and it had those black plastic "paddle" mirrors. I think those mirrors were originally designed for the compact Ford Ranger and Bronco II line, and to me, that's where they belong.

My personal opinion is that those mirrors look too small (even smaller than the Type 5 mirrors I have on my F150) and cheap-looking on the full-size Bullnose trucks.

I agree with Gary in that the Type 9 mirrors look the most "truck like" and are the most functional. But if you have a light-duty 2wd truck like mine with an emphasis on luxury or performance rather than traditional truck duties, I think the Type 5 mirrors look much better.

And I agree with Rembrandt in that the 1992 - 1996 mirrors look too "modern" to be on the 1980 - 1986 trucks. It's a nice-looking mirror, but I don't think they would look good on a 1987 - 1991 model, either. Yes, I know the doors look the same, but the rounded wheel arches and aero front end on the later models make a huge difference.

On the flip side, I also think both the Type 5 and Type 9 mirrors look too "classic" to be on the 1992 - 1996 models.

Of course, that is just my opinion.

[Danny G]

My first vehicle was a 1988 Ford Bronco II, and it had those black plastic "paddle" mirrors. I think those mirrors were originally designed for the compact Ford Ranger and Bronco II line, and to me, that's where they belong.

My personal opinion is that those mirrors look too small (even smaller than the Type 5 mirrors I have on my F150) and cheap-looking on the full-size Bullnose trucks.

I agree with Gary in that the Type 9 mirrors look the most "truck like" and are the most functional. But if you have a light-duty 2wd truck like mine with an emphasis on luxury or performance rather than traditional truck duties, I think the Type 5 mirrors look much better.

And I agree with Rembrandt in that the 1992 - 1996 mirrors look too "modern" to be on the 1980 - 1986 trucks. It's a nice-looking mirror, but I don't think they would look good on a 1987 - 1991 model, either. Yes, I know the doors look the same, but the rounded wheel arches and aero front end on the later models make a huge difference.

On the flip side, I also think both the Type 5 and Type 9 mirrors look too "classic" to be on the 1992 - 1996 models.

Of course, that is just my opinion.

I think the generally preferred mirror is the bubble backed / rounded version of the Type 9. If I google search for this generation of F-150 99% will have that mirror, it has become part of the iconic look of the bullnose as much as the front clip is.

[1986F150Six]

I think the generally preferred mirror is the bubble backed / rounded version of the Type 9. If I google search for this generation of F-150 99% will have that mirror, it has become part of the iconic look of the bullnose as much as the front clip is.

I have just returned from the trek to OK, using the Type 5 mirrors, graciously supplied by Rembrant, attempting to reduce wind drag. I agree that they look good, but must report that the rear visibility is less.

Thanks, again, Cory, for the mirrors! I will attempt to report, later, if they contributed to enhanced fuel mileage.

[Danny G]

I have just returned from the trek to OK, using the Type 5 mirrors, graciously supplied by Rembrant, attempting to reduce wind drag. I agree that they look good, but must report that the rear visibility is less.

Thanks, again, Cory, for the mirrors! I will attempt to report, later, if they contributed to enhanced fuel mileage.

This is is my complaint with the Type 14's. They sit lower and closer to the driver and are smaller.

[Dorsai]

I have just returned from the trek to OK, using the Type 5 mirrors, graciously supplied by Rembrant, attempting to reduce wind drag. I agree that they look good, but must report that the rear visibility is less.

LOL, I could have warned you about that. The driver's side isn't terrible, but the passenger side is both small *and* flat glass, so the field of view is effectively zero.