oval mirror

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Fri 28 Mar, 2014 21:20

latest project for my Z, its going to be a mould

guesses below

David · Post by **David** » Fri 28 Mar, 2014 21:28

"Shmear Shmoo Shmirror?"

(Edited: to keep everyone else guessing.......)

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littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Fri 28 Mar, 2014 21:30

doh that was too quick

was hoping I could keep it going for a while

David · Post by **David** » Fri 28 Mar, 2014 21:32

Sorry... I'll edit my comment, so others don't guess

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littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Fri 28 Mar, 2014 21:33

yeh cool. just checked the post - 8min

Post by **Robert T** » Sat 29 Mar, 2014 00:07

Jacuzzi to go in place of the boot lid?

Cheers R.

gookah · Post by **gookah** » Sat 29 Mar, 2014 00:12

m style interior mirror.. or a tissue box...

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Sat 29 Mar, 2014 08:07

hey Jacuzzi would be great, though a bit rear heavy, unless I pump the water from the rad then back again after I finished. ummm will have to find some scented antifreeze or something. personally I thought it looked more like a sub box of some kind.

Rafolian · Post by **Rafolian** » Sat 29 Mar, 2014 08:38

Where's the periscope then?

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Sat 29 Mar, 2014 09:46

hadn't got around to that bit yet.

the drawing will be divided into 25 planes, each one is printed onto paper, cut out and stuck onto 1mm flexi Perspex, these are then cut and stacked back up again. the steps from each plane are filled with modelling clay and finished smooth. this forms the plug for the mould. the plug is then cast in a kind of liquid plastic, this stuff is great for moulds or you can even use silicon.
the old one (still not mentioning what it is) is simply popped off its ball and the new one popped back on again. simple

I have looked everywhere for one but cant find one that is a simple swap, so im going to make them and put them on ebay

I may even colour code some

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Fri 04 Apr, 2014 19:25

my composites arrived today, will be building the plug this weekend hopefully

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Fri 04 Apr, 2014 19:46

It's the mould for the connecting arm which will attach to the smaller mirror....as well as attach to the OEM clip on the windscreen....

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Fri 04 Apr, 2014 20:29

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Mon 07 Apr, 2014 18:34

made a start on this today
it will be slightly smaller than the oem square, but not as low down as the m mirror

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Tue 08 Apr, 2014 16:48

had a bit of time today, so made a bit more progress

I will be using the original window mount, not the one in the pics

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Tue 08 Apr, 2014 18:13

ok folks, I need other peoples opinions please - the eventual mirror will be cast from clear resin with a black pigment, then polished to a glass like Finnish, the other option is to carbon skin it, but would that make it look cheap or aftermarket

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Tue 08 Apr, 2014 20:47

..... well done ! I think some Rustoleum matt black paint will give it the right finish.... What are you doing about the internal space for the electronics from the OEM mirrors???

bertiejaffa · Post by **bertiejaffa** » Tue 08 Apr, 2014 20:47

Gut feeling is the carbon might make it look cheap - just my opinion, I am sure there is probably someone on here who can offer images of both finishes?

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Tue 08 Apr, 2014 21:30

Southernboy wrote:..... well done ! I think some Rustoleum matt black paint will give it the right finish.... What are you doing about the internal space for the electronics from the OEM mirrors???

don't think there is any electronics in mine, the mirror is attached to the window, if there were electronics in mine where is the power supply? I could be wrong. last week I pulled mine off the mount and took it into the house, car still locked ok

maybe some don't have this feature. this is a replacement for the rear view on the 1.9. I looked everywhere for an oval mirror I could just swap for the oem square mirror, couldn't find one anywhere so I decided to make my own. am I missing something maybe

I will also be loosing the silly dip tag on the bottom, could never see the point in these as if you try to use them the mirror moves. abit like the gear knob showing me the gears, I drive it everyday so why would I need to know where each gear is

my gut feeling on the carbon finish was the same, at first I was just going to have a black like glass fininsh, however now I have painted the part I will be taking the mould from im not so sure. the colour of this part is very close to my plastic trim and would look more original.

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 05:36

The power supply comes down from the top of the windscreen trim. It includes the sensor/receiver for the central locking which is in the form of a pc board. The wiring enters the mirror via a small opening at the top of the arm just in front of the area where it attaches to the windscreen...

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 06:26

umm mine doest have this. are all z supposed to have this?

Cabrioot · Post by **Cabrioot** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 06:33

Hi.
On the z3forum.nl in Holland the have changed the rear vieuwmirror and made a howto for it.
The used a Cosmic blindspot mirror and it will fit all the electronics needed.

Cabrioot · Post by **Cabrioot** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 07:35

http://www.z3forum.nl/index.php?/files/ ... n-rev1pdf/

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 16:42

defo no electrics in mine

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 16:46

I suppose if someone wanted one with an internal space it wouldn't be a problem either, however I would need to know how large this space needs to be

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 16:47

I see that....perhaps your car model has a different system for some reason...quite peculiar !.... All the Z3's I know of have a small pop out window on the top bend of the connecting arm which allows the power for the pc board to enter there....Anyhow, your endeavours will need re-thinking to accommodate the electrics in other cars one way or the other.

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 16:52

how odd, is mine non original I wonder, maybe mine was a stolen car

making the mirror hollow isn't a problem, where is the board located, is it actually inside the mirror casing?

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 16:54

Perhaps you can ask someone to loan you their OEM mirror so you can examine the internals, and the method of access for the wires. There is a connector housed in the OEM arm so that when removing the OEM or M mirror, it is easy to pop the window, and disconnect them before removing the mirror. If it's going to be a problem, perhaps you should run a test where the reciver / pc board is housed inside the windscreen upper trim. If this performs satisfactorily, and it isn't absolutely required to be inside the mirror, then that may prove the simplest solution to your creative effort for a smaller and higher placed mirror. Also, I would imagine a curved smaller mirror would be desirable to maintain the width of view with a smaller mirror ???

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 16:55

Yes...it's housed behing the mirror glass. One has to remove the front / glass section of the OEM mirror to get to it.

('_')Z3 · Post by **('_')Z3** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 17:09

If you take a look at my thread there are some photos that show the inside of both the standard and the ///M mirror from when I swapped mine. The plastic rim on the front prises off allowing the glass to come out exposing the circuit behind which is held in situ by two plastic lugs from memory.

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=34180

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 17:22

cheers for the link, the question now dominating my every waking moment is why is mine different

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 17:23

panic over, I have found another z mirror the same as mine phew
http://www.midlandbm.com/catalog/bmw-z3 ... nuu3cj1dk2

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 17:36

ok blond moment over, I don't have remote central locking

I don't even have a button on the key for it (just a light button) I have a brick fob for the alarm but no remote for the central locking

looks like I will be the only one with the new fangled mirror

not that this matters as it was originally for me anyhow. once done I may have a go at a hollow one if anyone wants one.

Rafolian · Post by **Rafolian** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 18:38

Just had a look at mine (1998 2.8) and same as wee fellers, no wires but I do have remote central locking?

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 19:21

curiouser and curioser...maybe you had an "aftermarket" central locking system installed Mark..?? Do you both have the same model car ?

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 19:28

no mine is an m44 1.9, but it is 1998

Rig sparky · Post by **Rig sparky** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 20:52

my baby is also an m44 1.9 1998 build and she don't have any electrics in the mirror either or any remote central locking

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Wed 09 Apr, 2014 21:09

umm seems to be a 98 thing, anyone got a different year without electrics?

Post by **Robert T** » Thu 10 Apr, 2014 08:17

Where is the receiver for the housebrick type alarm? If it is not in the mirror, then there's your answer - the later alarm receiver IS in the mirror.

Cheers R.

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littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Thu 10 Apr, 2014 16:34

well that clears that up

don't know where the receiver is, I don't actually use my alarm.

BladeRunner919 · Post by **BladeRunner919** » Fri 11 Apr, 2014 07:41

littlefeller wrote: I have a brick fob for the alarm but no remote for the central locking

That remote is for the alarm and the central locking. They work together.

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Fri 11 Apr, 2014 17:28

nearly there

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Sun 13 Apr, 2014 12:53

quite chuffed how it has turned out, it just popped onto the existing ball

little things eh

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Sun 13 Apr, 2014 12:55

im working on a personalised gear shift plastic thingy for the top now

also note- crucial kit like hair brush for my locks and a bottle of leather conditioner

(the bag puss is an old air freshener) and my new cheapo sd card stereo

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Sun 13 Apr, 2014 13:28

looks very neat !! well done....you really should've shortened the arm though so that it lifts the mirror higher...even 25mm would be good....In fact a shorter arm would be a winner on it's own !!

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Sun 13 Apr, 2014 14:11

the mount cup I used does come with a shorter mount, about half the lengh of the original, I did drive it to the shops with no mirror this morning, I think your correct as it really makes a difference with no mirror so a higher one would be good. if you wanted just to move the square mirror up then I can confirm this type of mount fits the mirror great, so if anyone wants to know which mount it is I can point you in the right direction

im using the original mount at the moment. I don't know if the ball on the central locking type mirror is the same though

bertiejaffa · Post by **bertiejaffa** » Sun 13 Apr, 2014 14:55

This mirror is very M style which gives a little more visibility in the forward viewing than the original - especially around the left hand turns. In addition to this I have found an addition aid is to get the seat modification that lifts the front of the seat up. I got mine from BIMMERDIFFS but I have since heard that Barry does one too...?

Anyway, the additional extra 2-3 inch of lifting the seat allows you (me at least) to see over the top of the mirror when turning left which is better than the viewing you get with the standard Z3 RVM with which most left hand turns are done with fingers crossed

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Sun 13 Apr, 2014 16:04

I had a similar prob as littlefeller I aint

the user name - its a long story. but not now I have a much better view. to be honest I hadn't realy noticed it till I was sat at some temporary lights and couldn't see them, since then I keep noticing how much room rear views take up, not just in the zed.

bertiejaffa · Post by **bertiejaffa** » Sun 13 Apr, 2014 16:25

littlefeller wrote:I had a similar prob as littlefeller I aint the user name - its a long story. but not now I have a much better view. to be honest I hadn't realy noticed it till I was sat at some temporary lights and couldn't see them, since then I keep noticing how much room rear views take up, not just in the zed.

the inches count

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Sun 13 Apr, 2014 16:47

I'll have 10 sets of seat lift kits next month...
If you search my original post on this you will read that these were developed over some time with the intent of producing an item which would be as safe to use as the OEM seat bolting system, which they are. Also, they don't require any alteration to the OEM set-up of your car. ie. you can remove them and replace the OEM nuts and that's all that is required to restore to OEM.
As you see in the pic below, the spacer has a nipple on one face and a round slot on the other. This allows the spacer to locate the nipple into the floor recess where the seat slide used to locate with it's nipple, and the seat nipple will now locate into the slot... The bolt is internally threaded, and is commonly called a sex bolt.... It passes through the center of the spacer and locks onto the OEM front stud. The height of the lift is such that it will still allow 99% of the backrest adjustment of it's tilt function with taller people, and 100% for others. The benefits are the raised front edge of te seat is just comfortably sufficient to restrict forward slip of your butt on the leather seats under braking. It also gives the impression of being more of a "bucket" seat to the non sport or M seat version. The entire item is made of high tensile steel which was specified for safety. It is essentially as near as dammit to stainless, so rust isn't a major issue.
The cost per set of 2 (for one seat) will be £. 22.00 excl. postage. Last time I posted these the cost of postage was £.14.00 per set. Mostly because the weight and the fact that I can't pop them into an envelope. They have to be packed in a box.
There are cheaper ideas and options one can use, but there isn't another option which is as safe as OEM.

Apology for hijacking the thread...but someone mentioned my seatlift kits....