I took the old corroded rearview mirror home with me to find a replacement.
I once replaced a mirror in my Sunbeam Alpine, and know the problems with
cutting a new mirror. These mirrors are usually thinner than the ones glass
shops keep in stock, so a little care must be taken in getting the right
shop. I found a shop in NYC that only cut mirrors. They were familiar with
my problem in finding a thin mirror. The glass cutter said that his "imported"
mirrors were thinner, and when looking at his domestic stuff, I could see
the difference. The thickness wasn't as crucial for my Alpine, but with
my Ferrari, it needed to fit inside a frame and sandwich inside the day/night
mechanism. Having thicker glass may not allow the mirror to move inside
the frame, so I went with the thinner glass. It took two tries to get the
mirror cut correctly. After cutting the mirror to the right size, he also
had to sand and shape the edge of the mirror to match the original. I wanted
to match the original shape as closely as possible so there would be no
reason for the new mirror not to work. I finally got what I needed without
seeming too anal!
The cost of this mirror was a little expensive at $20 bucks, but if it works, and is exactly what I wanted, I guess I should be happy. I think the mirror for my Alpine, although was the thicker glass, cost me about 10 dollars, but that was also from a little shop in New Jersey a few years ago. Besides, I know it certainly wasn't the fact that it was for a Ferrari because I told the guy the mirror was for an old Fiat!
Previous Restoration Day
Next Restoration Day
Ferrari Home Page
www.tomyang.net