Blind Spot

We all have blind spots.  Areas of our life that we just can't see.  I have some that I know about, and I'm sure I have many that I don't know about.  For example, I am a child of neglect who turned to isolation, drugs, and pornography as a source of comfort.  This has left me largely blind to any positive effect I may have on other people.  When I get specific accolades and affirmation, it simply doesn't register with me... it doesn't match my preconceived view of myself, so I simply don't see it. 

The 1955 t-bird has a very nasty blind spot on the left rear quarter, at least when the soft top is up or the hardtop is on.  The windows are low.  A tall man has to duck to see out the side window, even with the seat all the way down.  The left outside mirror is flat and small, and has a very limited view.  The back edge of the window is adjacent to the driver's shoulder, and the B-pillar is so wide that it is impossible to see to the left rear when merging or changing lanes.  If I have a passenger, I task them to look behind when I want to merge.  When I'm alone, I have to lean forward and nearly stick my head out the window to look behind.  I haven't had any real close calls yet, but I am very careful.

Ford knew about this problem early on, and tried out several potential fixes.  The lines of the hardtop are pretty, and well proportioned.  The stylists didn't want to change them.  In an act of desperation, management insisted on an inexpensive window for the hard top that would improve rear quarter vision.  The result was the iconic porthole.

Yes, the "classic" porthole top wasn't some stylists dream, it was a quick and dirty response to owner complaints.  And it was a no-cost option for '56 and '57, never mandatory.  Most customers chose the portholes, because it did improve rear quarter vision.... marginally.  A soda-straw glimpse into the left lane before merging is far better than nothing.

I don't want to install a porthole in Nell's hardtop, but I need to do something about the blind spot if I want to safely drive the car with the top on.  I use a small blind spot mirror on my other cars, but that would look out of place on a '55 t-bird.  What do do?

The aftermarket industry offers small rear view mirrors that clamp to the door frames of 40's vintage Ford and Chevy trucks.  I bought one of these 3" "peep mirrors" for under $20, and tried to mount it to the inside window frame of the hard top.  Here's what I had in mind:

A special blind spot mirror to look into the left rear quarter.  Noticable, but not out of character in period chrome.

The blind spot mirror is attached to the top, so it isn't on the car when it's not needed.

Convex glass gives a reasonably wide field of view

I had hoped to simply clamp the mirror in place, and avoid drilling holes in the top.  After several futile attempts, I resorted to cutting the expensive window weatherstripping, and drilling two small holes in the top.  This would be heresy on a concours quality car, but that was never my intention with this car.  This is a safety issue.  Besides, the holes can be filled with a tiny bit of bondo if the mirror is removed later.

I modified the mirror base to accept the two button-head 10x32 screws, which go through holes in the metal weatherstrip backing and the fiberglass of the top.

I am gradually learning to see into my own emotional blind spot, but it is difficult.  I need to rely on the people I love to convince me that I have a positive influence on others, including them.  I need an emotional "blind spot mirror" before I can see myself clearly as most other people see me.  I need to learn to trust those I love in a new way.  I also need to trust God when he says that he delights in me.

Ps 18:16-19