Re: [DML] The Resurrection of Vixen Continues... And Crunch Time Begins

["Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx>]

> I've been warned against gluing the DMC mirror to the glass because of
breakage.

I have seen a photo of a DeLorean with the windshield cracked right down the
center over where a GM style metal mounting tab was recently glued on.
Presumably this is why the windshield cracked. Iron can be mixed in glass
to make it stronger, and this gives it a green tint. Since the DeLorean
windshields don't have this green tint, my theory is that they are not as
strong. The GM system uses a rigid metal tab with glue that holds tight.
The DeLorean OEM uses a plastic pad with some double sided tape which
provides more room for expansion/contraction.

I bought probably the same electrochromatic rear view mirror that you did
with compass & thermometer. It's a Gentex model I bought from JCWhitney who
also listed next to it in their catalogue a mounting kit to make the mirror
fit foreign cars. Since the kit was cheap, I bought it. I probably won't
have time to install it in time for Memphis. (I'm going to dedicate any
'recreational' time to making convex side mirrors, and I haven't made the
first one to bring yet! Arrg!) The kit is really a plastic replacement for
the metal mounting tab that is standard for American made cars. This
plastic is full of holes and comes with a tube of glue. The instructions
say that moisture helps cure the glue and recommend leaving a bowl of water
under the mirror on a hot day. This sounds totally absurd, but then I'm not
a glue chemist.

I want to know how you run the new wires for the mirror along the passenger
side of the windshield. Does the trim come off easily? Or do you fish the
wires through using a coat hanger? Oh, you bought your car in kit form, so
probably the post was already apart. :-)

The same mirror came stock in my '99 GMC truck, but it has a telescoping
plastic cover that holds the wire neatly against the windshield. The
aftermarket Gentex mirror lacks this. I already installed one of these
mirrors in a Mercury and found that the glossy sheath on the wire bundle is
very distracting at night. As cars pass, it reflects light in a swirling
fashion. It definitely needs that missing matte cover.

Walt