"Duel" truck

[Kalaehina]

Watching the movie Duel, just wondering maybe someone can tell me, on the hood of that Pete, what is that black round thing kinda off center, right next to where a hood ornament would be? It looks like a mirror but can't think why one would be mounted almost directly in front of the driver. Just got too much time on my hand right now and was wondering about this.

 

[bmoeller]

Haven't seen the movie.



Since it's a movie, maybe a camera that they forgot to edit out?

 

[Kalaehina]

I too thought it may have been some sort of "movie" thing, but in a recent issue of Truck Trend there is a picture of the truck (the one that survived) and that thing is still on there.

 

[Proram]

Duel

Here's alink w/ a lotta info bout the movie,/ truck. seems to me it was just an oddly placed mirror. http://members.tripod.com/~DavidMann/main.html

has some good info, not much for pic's though.

 

[Kalaehina]

Guess the truck driver wanted to see what he looked like while driving.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Been quite some time since I saw the movie. Maybe the mirror was originally put on to scan the front of the trailer for checking bridge clearance.

 

[Kalaehina]

Hey maybe you're right, never thought of that. Sounds like could be the right answer.

 

[supersonic]

I'm kind of an old truck buff and I agree that the mirrors were used to watch your clearance in tight overpasses, but thet also worked well (for throttle jockeys like me) for watching your smoke stack especially while pulling hills. Rember in those days trucks smoked all the time but if you saw deep dark black smoke or even some flame (song:"six days on the road" comes to mind) you knew it was time to back out a little bit.

 

[MMiller]

I've heard the old truck mechanics setting the fuel to old Cat 1693's so there would be a small flame out the stack! I have also heard about mirrors as hood ornimants on old diamond reo's to watch the stack.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Okay - who will be the first TDR Cummins/Ram guy/gal to install a mirror just for watching the smoke roll out of the stack?



I'm not talking about adjusting an OEM mirror... I'm talkin' about installing an additional mirror... just for watching smoke.



Matt

 

[supersonic]

I Just moved my exhaust out in the hood so I can keep an eye on it!

 

[Kalaehina]

Hahaha! I did have a mirror, clamp on big convex, that I had on when smoke experimenting, but took it off when I was done. Funny because I thought "gee how off is that? a mirror to watch my exhaust pipe!". Not that off apparently.