Yenko Optional Twin Sport Mirrors

[camarojoe]

Who was the original manufacturer of the bullet mirrors?

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

don't know, but it wasn't Talbot - and the current repops are way wrong!

[blue thunder]

If anyone is in need of a high quality(as good as or better than original) mirror like these, the man to contact is Mike Lewis 1619 Stokes Lane Nashville, Tenn 37215 and his phone number is 615-292-5334. I have seen his stuff in person and it is excellent quality.
BTW, Joe have you had any luck on any documentation for these mirrors? If not, does anyone have any printed material that I could get a copy of to prove to the AACA judges that these mirrors are an authentic option for the Deuces like mine?
Alan

[Supercar_Kid]

The hood scoop is certainly interesting for sure. With no known example of a Deuce having come equipped with one, and only the pictures of the 6 cylinder prototype car you've seen here to go on, it's really a difficult item to do much further research on. I do feel however, that it is likely a Dixco piece, going solely on the design of the integrated tach.

I can understand where the "Hurst" connection comes into play, as the open end version of the scoop was also installed on a few hundred Hurst-prepped Jeepster Commandos, like this one.
Hurst Jeepster
Here's a side view of another H-Commando.
Side View
While the AMC Rebel Machines were also prepped by the folks at Hurst that hardly makes the scoop a "Hurst" piece. It also doesn't explain the scoop appearing on a prototype Deuce that was built long before the actual 9010 COPO cars were ever assembled and shipped to Canonsburg. So we can hardly credit Hurst for giving Yenko the idea to use it, but that also doesn't necessarily help us with sourcing it's manufacturer.

My guess is that the scoop was a Dixco item based on the fact that it integrated their existing hood tachometer design, and that Yenko may have tried one on the prototype Deuce simply because a plain flat Nova hood was about as mundane as it got for the musclecar era. They were likely more expensive than the standard stand alone hood tach and would have been considered for an extra cost option like the Dixco underdash gauges, racing mirrors, and thick rim sport steering wheel.

Yenko obviously carried and installed Dixco instruments on their post-69 vehicles, and also had their hood tachs custom silkscreened by Dixco, which makes me think the scoop may have been an early design that Yenko was aware of and was considered for use on his new project.

Now why there isn't some old Dixco promotional material on these scoops floating around somewhere escapes me. You'd think even if they were a "discontinued" design or something that was produced even in limited quantity for the aftermarket, there'd be a few NOS examples floating around somewhere that we could examine.

I do know for a fact that Dixco had several other "designs" in mind for their hood tachometers, one of which included a 2 guage set-up integrated right into the face flanking the tach needle sweep. Promotional materials were printed and distributed, however I've never seen or heard of an actual example being produced. Perhaps the hood tach scoop was another still born design that was picked up exclusively by Hurst, who later added it to their Rebel and Commando projects? But that doesn't explain Yenko's using it first.

Are there any Hurst or AMC guru's out there who can comment on the scoop being installed on the Rebel Machines? Was it AMC or Hurst's idea to include the scoop?

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I agree 100% Eric, but just never saw any Dixco hood scoops like this one.

I think you are right though, Yenko would have used stuff from either Hurst or Dixco - what about Cal Custom? We don't really know! Is the twin rear spoiler option another unpublished Dixco item, or is it the Cal Custom item as featured in 8/69 SSDI?

[Supercar_Kid]

The twin rear spolier SSDI ad you're referencing does show Cal Custom units. I do strongly believe however, that the hood scoop is a Dixco item because it just makes sense.

Dixco was in the automotive instrument business, and the scoop is little more than a glorified plastic housing around Dixco's familiar tach face. We also know for sure that Yenko used Dixco instruments on the Deuce project and even had his own logo silkscreened right on the face of Dixco tachs, like Chrysler, Ford, and JC Penney's also did. It seems that Yenko was a pretty significant customer of Dixco's to be able to get "custom" monikered products from them along the lines of Chrysler, Ford, etc. That makes me think the scoop was a "prototype" of sorts for Dixco and Yenko got his hands on at least one. Perhaps the arrangement Yenko Sportscars worked out with Hurst for converting the remaining Deuces opened their eyes to Dixco and their products, leading to their later and essentially exclusive use of the scoop w/ integrated tach on the AMC Rebel and Jeepster Commando projects. I know it's a stretch...but right now it's all we've got.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Agreed.

[hvychev]

Good theory SCkid.

[Schonyenko2]

I can find no company ID on the tach, or the shroud. The tach body is more like a GTO unit than a Dixco though. The plastic housing is not the same as any of the Dixco, or JC Whitney tachs I've had either. I tend to think it wasn't made by Dixco.
I think the problem with this set up is how you make it actually function without major hood surgery. I don't think Don wanted something that labor intensive on the deuces. As a non functioning piece without opening the cutouts your ok, but with the air cut outs open you need to vent the air, or you'll tear it off. Ours will function. I think it looks pretty cool. Always thought so from the first time I saw the ad.

[Belair62]

Thats gonna look pretty cool Schonye...if it was anyone else I would ask for a pic of the tach side !!!