Carl Bilter Jan 2020
Letter car outside rear
view mirrors
Outside rear view
mirrors were not particularly common factory equipment back in the
1950's and early 1960's. The first 300 in 1955 did not have an
outside rear view mirror available even as a factory option, lest it
spoil the beautiful sleek lines of the car. Starting in 1956, the
factory offered a left side (driver's) outside rear view mirror as a
factory option. Right side (passenger) outside rear view mirrors
were available as a factory option in some years and as a dealer
accessory throughout the letter car production. By the late 1950's
the outside mirrors had become an element of the overall vehicle
style, and complemented the “forward look' style of the cars.
Yet even on a high end car like the 300 letter series they remained
optional equipment at extra cost.
We think that the
factory optional mirrors were not installed at the factory, but were
instead shipped with the car to the dealer where they were installed
as part of the new car prep. The dealers had templates for the
proper mirror placement, but some notable variation in placement
occurred that will be illustrated later in the article.
On cars not ordered
with an outside mirror from the factory, dealers or owners often
installed a mirror, usually only on the driver's side, as they were
available as a dealer accessory item or through the automotive
aftermarket.
1955
All literature for the
1955 Chrysler 300 indicates that no outside rear view mirror was
available from the factory. We are not currently aware of any 1955
300s that left the factory with an exterior mirror included with the
car, but it is known that some exceptions were made to policy
regarding equipment for 300s that was available on other Chryslers.
Therefore, it is conceivable that a 1955 300 could have left the
factory with an exterior mirror. A door mounted driver side mirror
was available from the dealership, part number 1607967, which was
used on other Chrysler and Imperial models, that could be installed
by the dealer or owner. A passenger side mirror is not listed in the
parts book. Here is a photo of the door mount mirror available in
1955.
1956
The 300B featured the
factory option of a driver's (left) outside rear view mirror which
was a manually controlled fender mounted single strut mirror, part
number 1772447. This style mirror also remained available as a
dealer item until at least 1959. The 1955 style mirror was also
still available at the dealer.
1957
The 300C featured the
factory option of a left outside rear view mirror which was a
manually controlled fender mounted twin strut mirror, part number
1773071, option code 335, for a price of $4.30. The right side
mirror was available as option code 541, also for $4.30. This style
mirror also remained available as a dealer item until at least 1960.
Here is the driver's side mirror.
Here are photos of the passenger side mirror.
1958
The 300D featured the
factory option of a new style hooded mirror. The fender mount twin
strut left outside rear view mirror was available as a manual mirror,
part number 1830501, or for the first time with remote control, part
number 1839408. The left side manual mirror was option code 401,
and the remote control version was option code 402 and cost $13.80.
A manual passenger side mirror was option code 403.
1959-1960
The 300E and 300F
featured the factory option of yet another new style twin strut
hooded mirror that was mounted on the fender. In 1959 the left
outside rear view mirror was available as a manual mirror, option
code 401, for $6.50; or as a remote control mirror, option code 402,
part number 2084545, for $18.00. A manual passenger side mirror was
available as option code 403, part number 2084546, for $6.50. For
1960 the same mirrors were offered for the same prices. The left
side manual mirror was option code 382. The left side remote control
mirror was part number 2084787 and option code 383. The right side
manual mirror was part number 2084546.
1961-1962
In 1961 a new fender
mounted twin strut hooded mirror style was introduced as a factory
option that would last through 1964. In 1961 and 1962, the mirror was
mounted directly to the fender with no base. The left side mirror
was available as a manual mirror or with remote control. In 1961 the
remote control version was option code 383, part number 2275014, and
it cost $18.00. A passenger side manual mirror was also available,
part number 2275015.
Here is a photo of the passenger side mirror.
1963-1964
The 300J and 300K used
the same mirror style as the 300G and 300H, but due to the new body
style and fender contours, a base (or “wedge”) was
required under the mirror. The factory option included the mirror,
base and gasket as a package. The factory optional left side mirror
was available with remote control. The left side manual mirror and
right side manual mirror were only available as a dealer accessory.
In both 1963 and 1964, the left side remote control mirror was option
code 482, part number 2421989, priced at $18.00. The dealer
accessory left side manual mirror was part number 2421990, and the
right side mirror was part number 2495121.
Here are photos of the dealer accessory passenger side mirror with base installed. Some have thought that the base used on the 1963-64 Chryslers was the same as that which was used on the 1964-66 Imperial. That is not the case. Chrysler used a different base for the left and right side and both were different from the Imperial base, which was the same left or right side. The following two photos illustrate the differences between a right side Chrysler base and the Imperial base. The Chrysler base is on the left, and the Imperial base is on the right.
The left side Chrysler
base has been available as a reproduction for some time, but until
this year the right side base has not been reproduced and has been
nearly impossible to find. The club now offers the right side base
as a reproduction item here:
As mentioned at the beginning of the article we have noticed a huge variation in the placement of the outside rear view mirrors on the car, specifically in the 1963-64 models. While the dealers had templates for installing the mirrors, the only consistency we have found is inconsistency. Here are photos of the left side mirrors on two 300Js. Note that one car has the mirror installed significantly further out on the fender than the other car does. Regardless of the left mirror placement on the fender, if the car has a right side mirror it should be placed symmetrically with the mirror on the left side.
1965
The 300L featured a
totally new factory optional left side door mounted mirror, either in
manual form or with remote control. The manual mirror was option
code 511, part number 2299574. The remote control mirror was option
code 512, part number 2495878.
The matching right
side mirror was a dealer accessory, part number 2525938.
|