Mirror in Sunvisor

[hands_aus]

Hey Group,

The mirror in my passenger sunvisor LOOKs broken BUT it is NOT.

The reflective backing has marks across it like a street directory.

My sunvisors are in very good condition for their age.

I had a look at the unit and the glass seems to be HEAT bonded to the inside of the vinyl.

Has anyone repaired /replaced the mirror in their sunvisor and if yes how did you go about it?

regards

Bob(Brisbane,Australia)

[Cees Klumper]

I didn't know the sun visors came with a mirror! I do know they are "rather expensive" as the British might put it. My two visors do not have a mirror. I would expect that the right specialized vinyl (repair) shop would know what to do about your mirror issue.

Cees

(p.s. maybe your mirror is actually a map to a huge hidden treasure - like a stash of Bosch underhood emergency lights, a container full of factory-fresh ZF 5-speed transmissions, or twenty sets of brand-new sun visors). Today must be Friday, sorry.

white 1969 280 SL

[Bob G ✝︎]

Bob,
   You must have a 230SL to an early 250SL. The passenger side sun visor did have a glass miror this item was omitted for the USA because of safety legeslation. I beleive a good glass and mirror vender could figure out a way to re silver the mirror. I also have seen these at Buds Benz although expensive!!!
   It would be nice to add to our wish list a vendor willing to duplicate the factory sunviisors for our cars.
Happy Motoring
Bob Geco
USA

[George Davis]

European delivery cars had the passenger side visor mirror at least up to early 1969, and maybe to the end.

May I respectfully suggest that Cees contact Van Dijk on behalf of his US bretheren and see if the visors mit mirrors are still available in Europe?

George Davis
'69 280 SL Euro manual

[Cees Klumper]

I just sent a mail to Frank van Dijk regarding the visors. When I hear back I will post it here.

By the way, when I lower the visors in my car to shield me from low sunlight, I cannot get them to go all the way forward to the windshield, they get stuck a little past halfway. Is this normal?

white 1969 280 SL

[n/a]

My car is a 70 Euro, and it also does  have a mirror in passenger visor.

[Cees Klumper]

Frank van Dijk today sent me the following information. For 230 and the 250 SL up to chassis number 02980, the right-hand visor with mirror is NLA (No Longer Available). The version without the mirror is still available. For the 250 SL, chassis number 02980 and up, and the 280 SL new visors WITH mirror are available, in the colors cream and "bambus" (bamboo?). They cost around $190 each. Frank can be reached at vandijk@classicsl.com

Cees

white 1969 280 SL

[hands_aus]

Hey Cees,Bob,George

My car is an early 250SL, 113 043 22 000114

Cees I had a look around town and from the mpa I couldn't find the location of the booty. Pity really the ZF 5's alone could pay for all my improvements.

Seriously, I inserted a craft knife under the crimped edge of the vinyl. There is a plastic frame (with some flexibility) with moulded clips that holds the mirror. This frame is bonded to the vinyl.

There are 3 moulded clips on the long sides and one moulded clip on each end.

The mirror is 2 mm thick and 120 x 64 mm.

Glass thicker than 2 mm will be too thick.

I prised the end clip loose then carefully worked one corner of the glass free.
Then when the glass was totally free from the other clips I rotated it and removed it.

One point to remember.. the corners of the glass were very sharp.

This made it difficult to remove.

I will buy a new piece of mirror tomorrow and ask the glazier to round the corners and smooth the edges. This should make re-fitment easier.

MB had installed white vinyl tape across the back of the mirror.

This would be an excellent time to replace the foam wadding in the sunvisor.

I will post the results.

regards, Bob (Brisbane,Australia)


Bob(Brisbane,Australia)

[hands_aus]

Hey group,
I went to a local DOLLAR DAZZLER store today and found a mirror about 300 x 200 x 2 mm for $2.95.
I have cut glass before, so I simply cut the piece I needed and rounded the corners and smoothed the edges.
To protect the back of the mirror I added plastic tape just like MB had done on the original glass.
I then inserted the mirror piece into the plastic frame using small jewellers screw drivers as levers.

After I cleaned the glass I re-installed the sunvisor. It looked a MILLION DOLLARS.

Talk about job satisfaction!

I am going to try to replace the internal rear view mirror glass with the excess mirror. That is a more complex shape and more of a challenge.

Bob (Brisbane,Australia)

Bob(Brisbane,Australia)

[George Davis]

Bob, nice work!  I have worried about the day my visor mirror gets broken, but thanks to you I now know that replacement is possible.

Cees, I don't think my visors go all the way to windshield, I think they run into the windshield pillars first.  If yours don't even go that far, you might try loosening the screw on the visor to see if that frees them up a bit.  And thank you for checking at Van Dijk about the visors!

George Davis
'69 280 SL Euro manual

[113gray]

[Posting for 2 reasons. I had a mirror problem, did a search & fixed it as per Bob Brisbane's hefpful posting. Reason 1): I know Cees  & the other founders will be happy with how well the process worked. Reason 2): Just to add a couple of things to B Brisbane's comments. I could only get 1/8" glass, thicker than the 2 mm original. Used my Dremel tool with a small cut-off wheel to take a bit off the inside of each of the 9 little plastic tabs. Works like a charm. The 1/8" is also a bit sturdier to work with. I taped the vinal edges of the mirror opening with masking tape in case of an "oops" with the Dremel.Whole installation 30 minutes. Thanks to all.  -JP-

[hands_aus]

JP...113gray

Now that makes me happy to know I have helped a fellow enthusiat.

cheers

Bob(Brisbane,Australia)

[Longtooth]

Rear View Mirror glass was resilvered by a local mirror re-silverng shop --- this let me keep the original glass and bevel, since the retaining clip for the mirror is designed to snap over the beveled edges on both top and bottom (across the width of the mirror). The only issue in re-silvering (besides finding a good resilering shop) is that the paint used on the resilvered mirror has to be weather-proof -- the housing is not weather tight ('67 250 SL chrome housing), so condensation occurs inside the housing when you drive around with the top down.  

Be careful you (and/or the resilvering shop) don't scratch the mirror glass ---- it's pretty soft glass.... and resilvering won't fix it.

Re-silvering cost me $20.

BTW, while I had the whole rear-view mirror and bracket apart I had the pieces rechromed... the pig-metal bracket was especially tarnished.  If you have the housings (front and back halves) rechromed make sure to tell the chrome shop that the edges (mating edges of the 2 halves) can't be plated up too thick or you won't get them back together without bending something in the process.  That was a hint from a local high end (300 SL's etc) full body up restoration shop where I get my advise and cousel.... and it turned out to be good advice ... the 1st pass by the chrome shop was too thick... they had to re-do (at their cost the 2nd time 'cause I made them write the thickness restriction on my order form the 1st time).

Anyway, my mirror, mount, and bracket is now show-room fresh again.. pit marks gone... smooth as a baby's butt, and brilliant.  Quality triple plate (Ni, Cu, Chrome) is the only way to go.

Longtooth
67 250SL US #113-043-10-002163
95 SL500

[Longtooth]

Bob - Thanks for the info on the sun visor mirror.  Mine has one narrow streak down the middle.  My visor's are in great shape - after having the mounting brackets and hangers re-chromed, but my the passanger side mirror needs fixing sooner or later.

I had already started prying (with trapazoidal razer blade) the vinyl up on the inside edges to see how / if the mirror was bonded to the vinyl or what.... but stopped when I couldn't easily find the method by which the mirror was attached to the visor.... afraid I would cut/rip/tear/distort the vinyl edge(s).

You said the mirror's in a plastic frame, with molded clips holding the mirror (to the frame? I presume). The whole thing's under the Vinyl of course, but how far from the edges of the vinyl do you have to pry it (detach vinyl) back?

BTW (by the way), why didn't you just have the mirror re-silvered instead of cutting a new piece from 2mm stock (or as in the 1/8" glass JP's case (dremmel tool work))?  After cutting the mirrored piece from larger stock did you apply a coat of paint or 2 (primer grey) to the silvered side of the cut edges.... at the cut edge the silvering is delaminated from the glass (microscopically speaking), and offers the opportunity for condensation (oxidation) to work at the silver.... which will corrode the silver from the outside edge toward the center... over time... and might give you a new 'frame' of discoloration around the visible edge of the mirror.

I'm an engineer though... and long term reliability is one of the major design and mfg'ing process items I have to be concerned with in my tech business... hence my attention to these kinds of things.  I plan on keeping my 250SL in highly presentable condition, and driving it for the next 20 years or so... then probably giving it to my daughter (who's wanted it since her Sr year in high-school)... so while I'm restoring or repairing / replacing things that need to be done, I opt for the long term options, though perhaps costing a tad more, these options will be far more costly in 20 years.

Longtooth
67 250SL US #113-043-10-002163
95 SL500

[hands_aus]

Hey Lt
One point, I did this in our SUMMER so the vinyl was probably more flexible.
The vinyl has a plastic frame bonded to it on the inside of the visor. There is heat bonding strip all the way around the opening for the mirror.
I used jewellers screw drivers because they were not too big but had strength enough to flex the vinyl. The distance in to the clips is about 3,4 maybe 5 mm.
I worked from one end only.
You could try working on one corner first then the other corner of the same end.

BE AWARE  the glass is only 2 mm thick and could break easily

If you poke around on a side of the rectangular opening you may be able to have a look at the clip in the middle of the side. That way you will know what you are working with.
I cut new mirror because I had used the piece to replace the internal rear view mirror and I had it left over. It all cost $2.95

Bob(Brisbane,Australia)

[Longtooth]

Bob - I'm getting it... slowly I think.

The vinyl's heat bonded to the frame... you unbond this joint by prying upwards between the vinyl and the frame ... ideally using something that can slice along the heat bonded joint (slicing between the vinyl and frame)... like a thin blade layed flat on it's side (parallel with the surface of the mirror).  

You have to do this around the entire periphery of the mirror (heat bonded joint) to cut the frame from the vinyl... or clips and frame.  Is this right so far?

Doing this allows you to relocate the frame/clip/mirror under the vinyl, independant of the vinyl, so that by translating and rotating the frame/clip/mirror assembly combination you can get the short side thru the vinyl opening and pull it out. ... at least far enough to remove enough clips to let you lift/slide the mirror over the edge of the frame and out.

Did I get this right? or do you have to tutor me some more?

In any event (assuming I can eventually get the removal part understood) AFTER FIXING or replacing the mirror, reverse actions, slide the asm back in place and rebond it to the vinyl.  But how did you rebond it?  Epoxy Adhesive?  


Your help much appreciated.  

BTW, I'm used to handling small, fragile (usually less than 0.2 mm.... would you believe 0.02 mm (20 microns --- micrometers) on a near daily basis... breath on it and it breaks kind of stuff) pieces and parts, including things like microscope slide cover glass (0.35 mm) so the 2 mm thickness part I can live with... but now knowing it's 2 mm thick (a hair less than 3/32's of an inch) insures I won't be doing too much forcing of anything without breaking the mirror.


Longtooth
67 250SL US #113-043-10-002163
95 SL500