"Mirror, Mirror...."

D

Dan Sarandrea (Phila)

Waitin' On Parts...
No, not the Evil Queen from Snow White***, and not the "Spock With A Beard" episode from Star Trek!

"....On the car, who is the smartest parts geek by far?"


Which of our esteemed members knows the most obscure trivia about inside rear view mirrors for FIATs in general and X1/9s in particular?

In the pic below I have several mirrors, all reported to be for X1/9. None is actually original to the car, that one is buried in a box somewhere that I haven't found. All three of these have been acquired as correct mirrors, but there is a striking difference and I would like to learn what is correct for my '86.

Note they are all Foredit mirrors, but one has 39017 stamped in it and the other two have 30086 stamped in them. The only difference I can see is 39017 is a flat black paint and both 30086s are what I would call wrinkle paint.

Would love some guidance!

***Apparently there is controversy over the Evil Queen's exact quote...who knew?

20191207_151052.jpg
20191207_151058.jpg
20191207_151104.jpg
 
Just looking at the pics, the mounting arms appear to be different. I've noticed a similar difference between my '79 and '85 mirrors - they are positioned differently due to the arms' shape/length. But I don't have any trivia to offer, as I'm also not esteemed. :oops:
 
Neither C.Obert and MWB list either part number on your mirrors. C.Obert shows part number 5979173 for 87-88 and part number 4246053 for 74-86. MWB lists part 4246053 without any model year info. So.... I went out into my garage to collect info on the mirrors in my 85 and 86 as follows:

1985=39017
1986=30086

Interesting that the vendors have different numbers from what is actually in my cars. If I could see the mirror on my 78 I would check it too, but it is buried in a corner. There is a pretty nice mirror in a box somewhere around here, but I cant find it.
 
Dr.Jeff said:
Just looking at the pics, the mounting arms appear to be different. I've noticed a similar difference between my '79 and '85 mirrors - they are positioned differently due to the arms' shape/length. But I don't have any trivia to offer, as I'm also not esteemed. :oops:
Click to expand...

Must be an optical "delusion" :) as they measure the same with calipers. Camera distortion and/or the angle of the arm/mirror body.
 
JimD said:
Neither C.Obert and MWB list either part number on your mirrors. C.Obert shows part number 5979173 for 87-88 and part number 4246053 for 74-86. MWB lists part 4246053 without any model year info. So.... I went out into my garage to collect info on the mirrors in my 85 and 86 as follows:

1985=39017
1986=30086

Interesting that the vendors have different numbers from what is actually in my cars. If I could see the mirror on my 78 I would check it too, but it is buried in a corner. There is a pretty nice mirror in a box somewhere around here, but I cant find it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for checking!

Do your mirrors track with these----39017 is a smooth flat paint while 30086 is a wrinkle paint? 'Cause I'm hard-pressed to find any other difference.
 
Dan,

The 39017 looks smoother, not really smooth. The 30086 is definitely more of a crinkle. Now for more fun, I found the mirror in the box. It is a Vitaloni No. 80. There is more on the back, but I can't make it out just yet. I need a bigger magnifying glass.

I applied some dust to the labeling because it was handy and provided a little contrast. I still cant read it clearly.
IMG_2017.JPG IMG_2016.JPG IMG_2013.JPG IMG_2014.JPG IMG_2015.JPG

VITALONI
TP-RT-????
No. 80
 
Last edited:
I just checked my factory 74 mirror and it lacks any of the stamped in ID on the metal shell that all three of the mirrors in the photo show. Also, the crinkle finish is much more subdued, although that could be the photo.
 
There is some possibility that there is no “correct” mirror.

Fiat didn’t make the mirrors, they bought them from secondary parts manufacturers. Likely they’d buy a number of mirrors from a number of manufacturers, put them in cars as they came down the line, reorder as necessary from whoever had the best price or could meet a delivery schedule.
 
Here's
tvmaster said:
Reviving old thread. When you say ‘cleaning’, can, or did you get inside it, between the front glass and the mirror? Mine has 46 years of dirt in there somehow...
Click to expand...
Here's a thread I followed on cleaning/restoration. I did not have much luck with this - I marred the retaining ring, my ratty corner broke off, and even after cleaning the glass and the mirror, it was an improvement but not perfection.

Any tips on rear view mirror restoration?

My rear view mirror is in pretty rough shape as far as the mirror surface goes. Is there any prevailing wisdom on the best way to open it up and remove the mirror glass? I figure if I can get to it without destroying the housing, it should be easy to get a replacement cut at a glass shop. Any...
xwebforums.com
 
Michael Oxman said:
Here's

Here's a thread I followed on cleaning/restoration. I did not have much luck with this - I marred the retaining ring, my ratty corner broke off, and even after cleaning the glass and the mirror, it was an improvement but not perfection.

Any tips on rear view mirror restoration?

My rear view mirror is in pretty rough shape as far as the mirror surface goes. Is there any prevailing wisdom on the best way to open it up and remove the mirror glass? I figure if I can get to it without destroying the housing, it should be easy to get a replacement cut at a glass shop. Any...
xwebforums.com
Click to expand...
Thanks. Sounds like it may be less hassle to find a replacement...
 
Apologies in advance for any contamination of the x19 thread, but I have been looking for an explanation about how some of the foredit mirrors are attached and this thread is the only place I have found that shows a similar mirror . Specifically I have been fixing up a maserati khamsin that I believe originally came with a foredit 30083 rear view mirror. My car has the rear view mirror attached to the front windscreen. The correct installation is shown in the first picture. The pieces that I have are the mirror, the bracket that supports the sun visors to which the mirror is attached, a foredit part, and a metal bracket that is the same shape as the base of the mirror as shown in the second image. The metal bracket and sun visor bracket are screwed into the ceiling on the car (all the holes lining up). The issue is with the mirror attachment mechanism as it appears to rely on the screw in the base (1st picture) expanding the four tabs in the center of the mirror base via a brass piece however the four tabs in the base of the mirror do not extend above the surface of the mirror base and therefore do not engage with either of the brackets. There are also two alignment pins at each end of the base which match up to holes on both brackets. Can anyone offer any insight into how the mirror attachment mechanism is expected to work and if I am missing either a piece of hardware or misunderstanding of how this is all meant to work. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Regards
Paul
DSC_0167k.jpg
IMG_1958.jpg
IMG_1959.jpg
 
I think the four fingers on the mirror snap over some sort of ball. That's how it works on a Scorpion. I don't see the "ball" in the parts you show. I think the idea is to mount the mirror in a "breakaway" style. No idea what the screw on the mirror is for?
 
So the screw on the mirror base screws into the brass piece shown in the attached photo which is placed within the center of the four tabs. This brass piece is tapered with a tab to prevent it rotating. As the screw is tightened it pulls the brass piece down the center pushing out the four tabs which I am assuming are used to grab either of the two brackets through the large center hole. However given that the tabs do not extend or protrude above the base of the mirror the four tabs never engage with the brackets.
Regards
Paul
IMG_1960.jpg
 
I have a similar looking mirror on my 74. A few years ago, I had to take it apart to fix a broken dimmer lever and replace the mirror glass which lost much of its reflective material. I could not find any place that had mirrored glass thin enough to fit in the assembly (original is metric) so I got some mirrored plastic film and put it over the glass. You probably don't care about all that but in the process I took a number of photos that may or may not be helpful including a fixture I had to make to get the spring part back together.

X19 Rear View Mirror Case Back & Broken Pivot

X19 Rear View Mirror Case Back & Broken Pivot.jpg


X19 Rear View Mirror Case Opened with Wood Chisel

X19 Rear View Mirror Case Opened with Wood Chisel.jpg


X19 Rear View Mirror Parts

X19 Rear View Mirror Parts.jpg


X19 Rear View Mirror Dimmer Handle with Repaired Pivot - Front (Repaired with steel pin through rotation axis)

X19 Rear View Mirror Dimmer Handle with Repaired Pivot - Front.jpg


X19 Rear View Mirror Case on Fixture - Side View

X19 Rear View Mirror Case on Fixture - Side View.jpg


X19 Rear View Mirror Case on Fixture with Spring Compression Tool

X19 Rear View Mirror Case on Fixture with Spring Compression Tool.jpg


Without building the fixture, I found it impossible to get that spring compressed and pinned in position.
 
Paul, just a guess but what if you mounted the black bracket against the upper piller first. Then place the oval 'goldish' piece OVER that. It may(?) bring that second oval part up above the mounting surface (black bracket) enough to allow the four 'fingers' to catch it. I believe you were trying it the other way around - putting the black bracket on top (not sure)?

If that does not bring the oval piece far enough out for the fingers to grab, then maybe space it out further with something like washers to make sit further proud of the black bracket.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top