Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: RafM on Monday,July 25, 2022, 03:27:31 AM
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I have a pair of Sebring bullet type mirrors on my car and they are absolutely useless.
Does anyone have any personal recommendations for a mirror with a stalk that
has a better range of adjustment.
Thanks, Raf.
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352898857633
For the passenger door, you have to file the ring to get the mirror to a 45' angle, which takes about 1 minute with a round file.
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The mirrors in that ebay link look like they are patterned on the Vitaloni Californian - which looks good on the Europa, in my opinion.
(example image borrowed from treasuredmotorcars.com)
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Alex - did you get convex mirrors or flat mirrors? And, if you got the flat mirrors, are you satisfied with the viewing angles?
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I use modern racing mirrors. They are convex and on stalks. Set up so I can just see the side of the car if I move my head to the side, I have no blind spots.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Lotus-Europa/i-p23KnCm/0/7aeea50a/O/IMG_2471.jpg)
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Alex - did you get convex mirrors or flat mirrors? And, if you got the flat mirrors, are you satisfied with the viewing angles?
Flat mirrors. The passenger side needs the plastic ring where the mirror and spring attach filed outwards so you can angle the mirror 45'. Very easy to do. Those mirrors are easy to fit, light and good quality, and good value when compared with the chrome ones.
There are different types of chrome ones. I had to change them on my GT40 as the originals would not move to the right position, and could not be filed to move them outwards.
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I got a set similar to Alex from Ebay, without the blue tint. Mine turned out to be slightly convex and are just about right. I didn't need to modify mine, probably because they are convex.
They don't cover the existing mounting holes, though.
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Another vote for the Vitaloni California style, careful positioning and a decent view can be had in both mirrors - I didn’t have to modify mine.
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They look great JR.
Any trouble with them staying up? I've seen reviews saying that they don't stay, but will pivot down due to insufficient locking or friction with the screw that locks them in place. Where did you source yours?
Jerry Rude - just installed bullet type, but not happy with view.
4005R
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I have an NOS set of real Vitaloni Turbo's.
Somewhat more rectangular than the California's.
Problem is I need another set for the Alfa Spider.
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They look great JR.
Any trouble with them staying up? I've seen reviews saying that they don't stay, but will pivot down due to insufficient locking or friction with the screw that locks them in place. Where did you source yours?
Not had a problem with them staying in place, there is a small tab that acts as a friction washer between the base and the main body - it’s only small and easily dropped/lost/overlooked when the pivot bolt is removed for whatever reason, this may be something to do with the ‘performance issues’ (!) that others have experienced as the bolt can feel like it’s gripping enough to hold them in place if the tab has fallen out.
Mine came from Banks but I couldn’t actually tell you if they are genuine or copies, couldn’t even tell you what I paid for them 20 odd years ago now - the copies I’ve seen for far less money look pretty good tbh.
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I had one on the drivers side. But I could never get it to stay in place. So replaced it with Talbot clones with convex mirrors. Both sides are usable
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I'm not sure if mine will stay in position, but was planning on fitting a star washer between the metal plate and the mirror arm to give it a bit more 'bite' if it does slip.
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Mine was plastic. Does that mean it was a cheap knockoff? (Just so whoever goes looking for one knows what to look for)
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Mine's from Ebay. The mirror arm/housing is plastic. The foot is metal. The metal plate I mentioned is effectively half a washer, where the other half extends straight down as a rectangular extension where the width is the diameter of the washer. It is just held against the arm by tightening it against the plastic using a screw that passes throught the arm into the base, so the arm pivots on it. Because the plate fits into the base it stops it rotating. I'll try and take a picture of how it goes together later......
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Thanks guys, I'm beholdin!!
I see Pegasus sells them also, so perhaps they would be selling the originals?
jerry
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I got a pair of the vitaloni type from ebay.
The shape is good and they will probably work quite well, however, the
hinge mechanism is poor. They don't stay in place and will not tighten up
very well.
I'm going to return them.
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Thanks, you've confirmed my concerns......
Silver beast, can you still get that picture??
thx, Jerry
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Thanks, you've confirmed my concerns......
Silver beast, can you still get that picture??
thx, Jerry
Here you go. Just been out to take some.
Apologies for quality (and the mess in the garage!), used tablet camera and a work light for illumination.
First three show mirror on the car, last one with the mirror disconnected from the mounting foot to show "washer". You can see the top of the washer between the front of the mirror arm and the mounting foot in the third photo from above. The screw passes through the washer, then the arm then into the mounting foot. The screw doesn't touch the front of the mounting foot.
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On a similar note, can anyone recommend an interior rear view mirror.
I'm planning on bonding it to the screen and was thinking a slightly convex mirror would give a good
view out of the back and passenger side.
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I went with the bullet style when I redid 693R. Picked up a convex mirror for the right side. Attached it as in the photo...never had a problem and could see quite nicely around me. That the style is contemporary to the car...it could have been done back in the day. So, unless you're a stickler for originality over safety...
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I went with the bullet style when I redid 693R. Picked up a convex mirror for the right side. Attached it as in the photo...never had a problem and could see quite nicely around me. That the style is contemporary to the car...it could have been done back in the day. So, unless you're a stickler for originality over safety...
Thanks, I've settled on the door mirrors now but I was asking about the interior rear view mirror.
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I went with the bullet style when I redid 693R. Picked up a convex mirror for the right side. Attached it as in the photo...never had a problem and could see quite nicely around me. That the style is contemporary to the car...it could have been done back in the day. So, unless you're a stickler for originality over safety...
Thanks, I've settled on the door mirrors now but I was asking about the interior rear view mirror.
Ah! My bad.
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If the glass in your mirrors is flat, try to get hold of a large convex mirror. I got a lorry replacement mirror. Go to your local glazier and ask him to cut two pieces the same size as your current mirrors. Fix the new mirror with double sided tape. You should find the field of view is greatly increased. Worked for me on my pair of wing mirrors.
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Thank You so Much....removed the doubt I was having.....
Even though I would prefer the shiny black mirrors, it looks like the Pegasus ones are for me given they are a trusted source. I guess I can sand and paint to match, and it looks like the mirror base won't cover the existing holes from the sebring mirrors, so I'll be doing some paint repairs to fill the old holes in.
Thanks again Silver Beast
Jerry Rude
4005R