Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: mike alain on Friday,March 05, 2021, 05:52:23 AM
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Well I'm sanding rite now and paint in about a month, I'm in no rush and thinking of buying door or fender mirrors from china, cheap mirrors(ebay) and I do not care, this car will never
be outside at nite(insurance reasons) or in rain, I can wait the 45 days and like free shipping, so has anyone bought these china mirrors ? if so which ones? and where are they
mounted? fender or door, really need some input and trying to save a few $$$, spent enough on this resto already, (way over $2,000) Thanks
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The original mirrors were Sebring mirrors and were located on the doors. The passenger side mirror was just for looks since you couldn’t see it well enough to use it. Some people, especially the Japanese, liked to mount mirrors on the fenders.
With the limited rearward vision, good mirrors are essential. I don’t know your style preferences but I think the flag style mirrors give a good view and can be located on the doors so they are both useful. I think Vitaloni is a good brand but there are LOTS of options.
I should note that, for the TC at least, the interior mirror, as small as it is, does a very good job and is my primary mirror. You can get convex clip-on mirrors to enhance its usefulness (and I have one) but I could easily live without it.
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I followed JB's example and added convex racing mirrors. Great visability and added safety. Under $30 per from Summit Racing. Agreed that they are not period.
Sandy
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Yep, as BDA says, a door mounted mirror works on the drivers side but due to the angle between your head and the quarter light on the other side it is hard to get a good view.
I currently have the bullet style mirrors on my car which have a small pedestal to lift them away from the door skin. This is better than the mirror housing mounted directly on to the door but still not good enough to give a clear view from the passenger side. I've improved it for reversing by modifying the angle for the actual mirror inside the housing and you can also get a convex mirror replacement. For normal driving though, it's not much use although the drivers side is ok. Again as BDA says, the internal mirror is very good and gives a wide view.
The Vitaloni California (or a rip-off copy) looks a good bet with the integral pedestal if you want a door mirror. I bought some cheap plastic copies from Thailand which does work but looked cheap'n'nasty so they ended up in the bin.
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I’ve got the Vitaloni California’s mounted on the doors, take a bit of careful positioning but I can see backwards just fine out of either side, might help that I have one piece door glass as the division between the quarter light and drop glass may compromise the view on a standard window setup? Have seen them fitted on plenty of other Europas though.
As mentioned, the internal mirror is very useful.
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I can imagine that the exterior mirrors installed depended on the export location (they would have been different for Japan), and that the mirrors might have been installed by the importing distributer. A picture of completed cars waiting for shipment at the factory might be helpful. I remember no regulatory requirement for an outside mirror in the late 1960s in Canada. My Canadian car was supplied new with a single black mirror mounted on the top of the drivers' side fender.
Don't underestimate the size of the blind spot to the rear three-quarters, especially on the driver's side, thanks to the sail. An outside mirror on the driver's side is essential for pulling out of a parking spot and for changing lanes to the left. Mine is set to cover this blind spot. I've never felt the need for a passenger's side mirror but others may disagree.
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My Dad took this pic at one of the factory open days, either ‘69, ‘70 or ‘71.
His ‘71 S2 didn’t have an exterior mirror supplied with it new.
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My Dad took this pic at one of the factory open days, either ‘69, ‘70 or ‘71.
His ‘71 S2 didn’t have an exterior mirror supplied with it new.
Thanks, so likely installed (or not!) by the importer. Mike, the Canadian importer in 1969/70 was Bill Brack, an Ontario racer of some note. My car was supplied by his Toronto dealership Sports Cars Unlimited. I suspect that its mirror's position on the fender reflected his view (sorry) of the optimum location for covering the blind spot. If your car is originally Canadian it would have come through him.
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Hi again,
After reading about JR73's comments on Vitaloni California mirrors, I've had another try at them.
It seems things have changed, at least on Ebay UK and there's quite a few vendors offering both genuine and replica mirrors at prices ranging from under £30 to over £130 a pair. I put a few in my watch list and looked hard at the photos but frankly I couldn't see a lot of difference. They all seemed to be a fairly thick plastic housing with the same mirror dimensions. Some have stickers, some don't.
One seller (who I've bought from previously) had both genuine & "alternative" mirrors in their shop as well as spare parts. They claimed that the spare parts fitted both genuine & alternative offerings and that they were identical.
You're all car nuts here so you know what's coming next..... I bought a pair. Prompted by one of the sellers I was watching who made a "buy mine" offer of a few quid off, I thought I'd give it another go.
And yes, they fit fine so thanks to JR73 for your comments.
These are the cheaper end but much neater than the ones I bought years ago. Field of vision is much improved over the round bullet style mirrors they replaced and the passenger side is a lot better now.
The only mod I made was to re-drill the mounting point for the plinth that holds the mirror inside the housing. This wasn't really needed but to get the angle required on the passenger side the mirror edge was just proud of the housing at the outer edges, and I didn't like that. So I moved the whole mirror assembly 3mm or so further inside the housing to cover the edge. The drivers side mirror was fine as supplied.
If you are fitting from scratch then that mod probably won't be necessary because you will be able to adjust the base position to exactly where you want. Having had a couple of previous door mirrors on since I painted the car I was restricted in how much I could move/angle the base and still cover the previous holes. I'm probably not going to fill the old holes and paint the door anytime soon !
Brian
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That’s good to hear Brian :beerchug:
Also useful to know that the cheaper versions are much the same as the more expensive ones with interchangeable parts.
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Prompted by one of the sellers I was watching who made a "buy mine" offer of a few quid off
Hi Brian, do you have a link to the seller you bought them from?
Cheers,
Richard
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Hi Richard,
I looked back and something weird is going on. The sale was (I thought) from a UK supplier on 8th March & delivered on 11th March. I don't remember international postage on the box, but when I look now it seems the seller is in China.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/ipp/352898857633?transactionId=1230271751022&_trksid=p2047675.l48352 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/ipp/352898857633?transactionId=1230271751022&_trksid=p2047675.l48352)
I was watching a few ranging from £30 to £60 and these were originally somewhere around £30, the offer was £28 delivered. The same seller now has them up at £35 but there are plenty which look identical and even cheaper.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-Pair-Universal-Car-Classic-Retro-Door-Wing-Side-Mirror-Rearview-Rat-Rod-Blue/352898857633 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-Pair-Universal-Car-Classic-Retro-Door-Wing-Side-Mirror-Rearview-Rat-Rod-Blue/352898857633)
I was planning on buying from JCRaceandRally (?) at £50-ish but what swung this one was the blue tinted mirrors, silly I know but for some reason I fancied the idea and at that money I thought I'd take a chance.
I'll get a photo if you want to see how they look on the car ?
Brian
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Brian,
Not just blue, but "Rat-Rod-Blue" !
Your secret is safe with us. ;D
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Brian,
Not just blue, but "Rat-Rod-Blue" !
Your secret is safe with us. ;D
I'm just "down with the kids" y'know..... 8)
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Try MELUN RETRO PASSION in France. 37 Euro for the chrome Sebring.
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I'll get a photo if you want to see how they look on the car ?
Brian
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Yes please if you can send a photo.
I’ve been trying to find glass for one of mine. But no such luck.
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Here ya go, two Ebay cheapie clones.....
The first shot is inside the car with the camera as close as possible to my face, sitting as you'd drive the car. Although it's not very clear you can see the mirror reflections, the drivers side is crisp, the passenger side less so. I've highlighted the exterior door handle in the mirror, in practice you can also see a bit of the rear bodywork.
The exterior shots are how I've had to fit them. I was restricted because there's 2 previous sets of holes from other experiments which I had to cover up, otherwise I think the passenger side angle would be much closer to the other side. There's a lot of adjustment with this style of mirror.
Brian
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Thanks. I’ve ordered a set. They will arrive mid may it says. Look prefect. 6.5cm gap between the bolts. So perfect.
Can’t wait to get them on.
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Mirrors arrived today. Can’t wait to get them on. All be it I can’t get there till Tuesday now... I need a garage at my house! Lol
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Nice, Pete!
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Ordered mine April 16th and its estimates delivery May 13th. It gives me hope they could be earlier.
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I got Vitalonis from China with Made in Italy stamped on them.
The mirror on the passenger door needs modifying by careful filing of the swivel mounting so you can get more angle on the mirror.
I took ages to get the right angle, but I was impressed and ordered sets for all my fleet. They are cheap, streamlined, look reasonable, and with careful filing, they can be made to work.
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Here's the ones I want. The pricing is for a single mirror (!!!):
https://www.stuttgart-classica.co.uk/911/through-glass-mirrors?category=Exterior
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:huh: :huh: :huh:
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Here's the ones I want. The pricing is for a single mirror (!!!):
https://www.stuttgart-classica.co.uk/911/through-glass-mirrors?category=Exterior
For that price, I would have expected 5 rear view cameras, and a LCD screen where the ash tray used to be.
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... and, a Bond girl to set them up!
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Diana Rigg used to drive a Lotus Elan in The Avengers.
My preference would be Ursula Andress from Dr No, or Maud Adams from Octopussy.
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Frankly, I'm not as fussy ;-)
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Nice mirrors JB, I hope you get them. As I tell myself many times, I'm worth it!
Always enjoyed seeing Diana Rigg(Mrs. Peale) get out of her Lotus with the leather pants. She looked to be 6 feet tall.
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At £3600 for a pair, it's a firm pass. I was seriously considering them when I thought I was getting a pair for £1800. I also thought I was completely insane.
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At £3600 for a pair, it's a firm pass. I was seriously considering them when I thought I was getting a pair for £1800. I also thought I was completely insane.
That price includes a pair of quarter windows for a Porsche with the glass bored to accept the mirrors. Can the mirrors be had separately for a lower cost?
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No, it includes plexiglass cut to shape and drilled. They are selling to an elite crowd. There will be modest sales at best and they are charging accordingly.
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Job, Maybe one of the buyers will decide they don't like them after purchase and list them on EBay or Craig's list at a discount. With your abilities you could modify the window for your installation. Stay optimistic. They are VERY NICE mirrors!