http://www.datsunparts.com/Mirrors

Has anyone purchased these mirrors? If so, how are they? How's the right hand side one work for you?

I chose '89 - '90 Sentra Sport Coupe mirrors because I like the molded-in appearance common to most cars today.

I looked at those a couple of years ago, and sent him pictures of the wax I had carved-he said these were Genuine Nissan Mirrors with no slant to the base.. I passed because 1) it was not a reverse of the left side and 2) the glass is flat, I am sure a pair of these $167 mirrors would look great on a Z, but when I considered that:

1) Adding one will give me the same thing as taking the left and putting it on the right(two mirrors that are not actually a reversed pair, but two different-but similar Mirrors-granted with the stalks at a closer but not complementary angle) (The fact that the left and this one are obviously not a matched pair will be obvious from the front and rear of the car.)

and

2) In putting a small flat mirror five or six feet away, the field of view it reflects is seriously smaller-better than nothing-not quite as bad as fender mirrors-but not good enough for me at $175ish with shipping.

He also(understandably) declined to give me the part number to verify that they were actually Genuine Nissan parts.

I actually got the prototype that he made with the convex mirror. It IS a mirror (no pun intended) casting of the driver's side as opposed to just being the driver's side flipped over.

They are reproductions to the same specs as oem, including the parting line in the mold, but the oem's were flat. You are correct in stating that they are of marginal use with a flat mirror since the field of view is so small. The manufacturer is having a tough time getting the stainless housing to knurl over the convex mirror without cracking it, but they are still working on it.

You could take a flat mirror and add a cut convex one from a more modern car (I had used an Integra mirror on my prior round) and silicone it on top. It is a bit of work but it is also a HUGE benifit to be able to see traffic coming from the passenger's side.

Edited August 15, 201212 yr by tlorber

Here are a couple of our past threads on this-I spoke with Dean about it shortly after the 2005 thread, pointed him to the thread, and the rest is history.

I still have my original work on this, and may well have to finish it-with a convex lens...

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread17716.html

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread18525.html see post #12

You mean this outfit is selling a left-hand mirror as a right-hand mirror? What the hell is wrong with them?

Bill,

No, Dean used a lefty to make a mold for a righty-but as I examined early on, he made an ambidextrous model instead-that may not be what he ended up with-from the sound of Tlorbers' post.

.

Bill,

No, Dean used a lefty to make a mold for a righty-but as I examined early on, he made an ambidextrous model instead-that may not be what he ended up with-from the sound of Tlorbers' post.

.

Right hand mirror has to be completely different, with more articulation and different arm angle. They had flat mirrors on cars in the old days. Curved mirrors are maybe 25 years old or so.

BTW, read your other threads. Guess we're back to square one. We have no solution that will look original.

The right mirror should be a reflection of the left for side to side symmetry-there is enough articulation in the original flag joint to make the mirror useable-in my prototyping the convex mirror made the usability difference-but wasn't that noticeable from anywhere but the drivers seat.

I believe on most new cars the passenger side mirror only has slight curvature to give the driver about the same viewing angle as the driver side mirror without distorting the objects too much. Plus a wide angle makes things look closer, and too much can be a driving hazard. Thanks for the info.

Sorry, I thought I had been clear but perhaps not-pretty common per my wife. That's why attached a pic of my car. The one that Dean has is NOT ambidextrous, and it is NOT a lefty that has been flipped around. It is a new casting that is a reflection of the driver's side. "Enantiomers" for you chemistry people, much like your left and right hands. So I guess the good news is that he either has them or can get them (with flat mirrors). The bad news is that they are not cheap. Perhaps if there are enough orders, the price will go down.

So the only questions become,1) Is he now able to have them made with the Convex mirror, or do you have to get hold of a convex mirror, cut it to size, and glue it onto the flat one? and 2) What is the price point that makes it worth your while. Personally, I like having the "original" one on both the driver's and passenger's side, but that is personal preference. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a bulky, plasticy, gay looking, riveted on, wanna-be-modern appendage lashed on to your otherwise sweet looking ride.

So...that being said, with the mirror base he made, and with the convex mirror attached, there is plenty of movement to see the blind spot that you need to see. In other words, you are not staring at a reflection of the interior of your car.

Edited August 15, 201212 yr by tlorber

$175.00 for a Right Side Outside Rear View Glass Mirror???

Many of us have switched to "electronic ignition"... time to switch to electronic rear view as well.

With the availability of very small wide angle digital cameras and small high resolution digital displays - - - -we could easily mount side and rear view cameras that wouldn't even be noticed - with the display replacing the original inside rear view mirror.

A digital camera with a powerful ZOOM could look back the road behind for half a mile - and spot most of the "unmarked" patrol cars.

I'm just saying.....

FWIW,

Carl B.