Thread: West Coast Mirrors convex spotter at the bottom

From the pictures, it appears to me that the bottom section is convex but is fixed in the overall frame. However the shape may still show down to the road surface.

After blind spots I use spotter mirrors for this purpose.
There are stick on units available in a couple of sizes and shapes from the usual car accessories outlets. I use these on the Defender and wife's car.
I got ...
VERSUS MIRROR HEAD BLACK PLASTIC LEFT — Hy Way
for a larger vehicle we use for towing. The lower spotter mirror is adjustable with in the head that is fixed. I can just see the RHrear tyre location while the left is just out of view, parking lines are easy to see.
There are also bolt on units to fit mirror arms in both round and rectangle shapes.
The round units are better for a downward view from experience however placement is also to be considered so the main mirror is functional.

Lionel, presumably you are referring to a Defender. If you have mini west coaster mirrors on it, you could do as I used to do. Convex, stick on, round mirrors are available from the likes of Maxi-parts, Truckline or most truck parts suppliers. Using a piece of scrap sheet metal (a purlin is ideal as it already has the fold) as wide as the mirror diameter bent to 90⁰. Trim the bottom to suit the mirror profile. Drill the folded top piece to suit the main mirror "axle".
The convex mirrors cover well, only needing to be aimed in the general direction.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Lionel, presumably you are referring to a Defender. If you have mini west coaster mirrors on it, you could do as I used to do. Convex, stick on, round mirrors are available from the likes of Maxi-parts, Truckline or most truck parts suppliers. Using a piece of scrap sheet metal (a purlin is ideal as it already has the fold) as wide as the mirror diameter bent to 90⁰. Trim the bottom to suit the mirror profile. Drill the folded top piece to suit the main mirror "axle".
The convex mirrors cover well, only needing to be aimed in the general direction.

Hello Ian,

No coconut for you today, Ian.

I did mention the word "van". Someone might have just towed a blue 1210 D Line International van to my place from somewhere in Brisbane. Well - for Telstra International put the D-Line 1210 van body on the 1310 four wheel drive rolling chassis under contract.

Thank you for the tips and tricks for fitting the convex mirror.

As far as non-standard mirrors go - one of my Series 3 tray back 109 that had a trayback camper fitted to it when I bought the car. The previous owner had fitted a set of Nissan Patrol MQ mirrors onto the doors. Compared to my other Series vehicles this former camper had the best mirrors by far for visibility. While they are not west coast style they could be fitted with the blind spot mirror. Thank you for your detailed description - Ian.

I included a link to the MQ mirrors accessed 8th November 2025 from, https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/326571011173. It took me quite a while to identify the original source of the mirrors. Then one day I was watching Land Line on ABC TV and they showed the back of the mirrors of an old paddock basher being driven on a farm. I went, "hang-on, those mirrors look very familiar!" I played the footage a couple of times to make sure. Then armed with this piece of footage I was able to identify the vehicle and who supplies them.

Kind regards
Lionel