115/3484 Restoration

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WIL
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by WIL »

Superb work!

best regards,

Wil
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NigelK
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by NigelK »

Rearview mirror refurbishment finally completed. It's been a bit of a saga, since I got the crackle black painted mirror stem and body and chromed mirror surround back from Jason last April. As some of you will know, Mk1 mirrors have two pieces of glass, an outer clear piece and an inner mirrored piece. The glass is only 1.5mm thick and very difficult to procure. We thought the outer clear glass had gone missing at some point in the past, but it was actually lightly stuck to the mirror piece and in good shape. Initial relief all round.
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Off went the mirror glass for resilvering, and some small metal parts for rechroming. And I cracked on with the wiring for the built-in courtesy light. Extremely fiddly, as it's impossible to feed the wire through the stem if the swivel bolt and locking nut on the mirror body are already screwed into the stem. Plus the thread in the stem was worn so I had to apply some contact adhesive to the swivel bolt thread and hope that the wire wouldn't get glued too. Next job was the light switch, which has vexed a couple of other Mk1 owners. I got an original switch from Jason, but could not work out why it didn't fit. Eventually, Jasper (Terdu) came to my rescue and pointed out that the aperture in the stem for the switch had been filed out larger. So I had to design an insert, and Jasper very kindly turned my design into a file for 3D printing. Next job done, my soldering skills gradually improving along the way.
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By this time I had trial fitted the resilvered mirror back into the chromed surround. I didn't work out the best way of doing this until after I'd scratched the silvering with the metal rod that attaches to the chromed lever underneath the mirror. Back to the resilverer for another go. That then took nearly 3 months - the mirror glass went missing in the post for a while, the resilverer wasn't happy with his first pass as his chemicals had degraded in the summer heat, then he broke the mirror glass trying to remove the backing plate, so I had to source another mirror glass etc. etc. I finally got the resilvered glass back (again) this morning and put it all together. Tip - assemble the chrome lever and metal rod into the mirror backing plate first, slot the lever into the surround, and then gently expand the surround with your fingers and push the top part of the backing plate into place. And make very sure no dust particle gets caught between the two pieces of glass, otherwise you'll have to take it all apart and start again. Don't ask me how I know! Anyway, the final result looks good. But what a palaver!

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Nigel Kieser
Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire
Interceptor 115/3484
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Martin R
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by Martin R »

That's dedication! Well done 8)
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VFK44
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by VFK44 »

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing with us.

Is car mirror resilvering a common trade? And is it expensive? (Ignoring procuring the glass in the first place!)
"Now that chassis number is particularly interesting ‘cos it’s the one after the one before, which is the one after mine, not many people know that"
Stephen, Epping, Essex
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NigelK
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by NigelK »

I only found this place actually advertising a car mirror resilvering capability (https://www.antiquemirrorglass.com/post ... le-mirrors). £45 per piece.

It's possible that telescope restorers might be able to do it. Or maybe electroplating companies who can resilver headlamp bowl surfaces. But I used the guys above.

Best wishes,
Nigel
Nigel Kieser
Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire
Interceptor 115/3484
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VFK44
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by VFK44 »

Thanks. That sounds reasonable for the work involved.
"Now that chassis number is particularly interesting ‘cos it’s the one after the one before, which is the one after mine, not many people know that"
Stephen, Epping, Essex
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Grant
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by Grant »

What a lovely job that it was in the end though Nigel..have one of theseImage
Nigel, I have a few of these mirrors in my hoard, and yes a couple have the switch problems too, I haven't redone them yet, but..Maybe I'm missing something as I just bought new replacement mirrors for inside mine from a place in Bristol I think it was, they just copied the shape of the old one and cut me a couple more £12each, so no re-silvering needed, I was put onto the place which was just a local glass shop that a chap who used be on here called "Taximan"..he had that interceptor that used to belong to Matt Busby, I bought a complete mirror from him and he said he got a replacement glass for his from this place he told me about.. So I am left a little confused here..did you try to get that mirrored glass replicated?Image
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NigelK
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by NigelK »

Hi Grant

Yes, getting new mirror glass was my first option, but I couldn’t find anywhere that could provide the correct 1.5mm thick glass. Jasper had the same issue. The guy who resilvered my mirrors had to source new glass when he broke one of mine - the thinnest he could find was 2mm, and that was from a specialist supplier in Aylesbury. It turns out that 2mm is OK, but any thicker might not fit in the mirror body. It would be good to know the name of that supplier in Bristol though!

Best wishes,
Nigel
Nigel Kieser
Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire
Interceptor 115/3484
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Grant
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by Grant »

NigelK wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 6:31 am Hi Grant

Yes, getting new mirror glass was my first option, but I couldn’t find anywhere that could provide the correct 1.5mm thick glass. Jasper had the same issue. The guy who resilvered my mirrors had to source new glass when he broke one of mine - the thinnest he could find was 2mm, and that was from a specialist supplier in Aylesbury. It turns out that 2mm is OK, but any thicker might not fit in the mirror body. It would be good to know the name of that supplier in Bristol though!

Best wishes,
Nigel
I'll measure mine today Nigel and also see if there is any clue of where I got them..prob 5 years ago now, but I'll dig around NigeMan :P
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DPP
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by DPP »

Great work Nigel, I have been slowly restoring 3 off those mirrors and managed to buy the mirror glass from Rejen they had a batch made, it was a while ago but my memory thinks £20 per piece.

Still got the switches to finish on 2 of them and now a customer has given me a box of bits which hopefully will make one good mirror, its these little things that take lots of time.
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Terdu
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by Terdu »

Forgot to check in regularly on your posts here nigel, hidden away in the 'members section'. :-D looking terrific, you must be on the home stretch now right?
Found a Vignale built LHD MK1 in South Africa, Sincar #15, chassis 117/2592.
On a long and winding road to restore it back to original condition. :shock:
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NigelK
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by NigelK »

Hi Jasper

Home stretch? Hmm, perhaps. But to extend the athletics analogy, it's a 5000m steeplechase and the athletes (i.e. workshop mechanics) still have to hurdle the waterjump (adjusting the doors and door frames so they fit correctly) and negotiate the last two fixed barriers (long COVID and the webasto sunroof refitting).

All the best,
Nigel
Nigel Kieser
Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire
Interceptor 115/3484
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NigelK
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by NigelK »

First update for a while. We’ve spent many weeks sorting the electrics and the paintwork, and all those other time-consuming fiddly Interceptor jobs - hatch trims, door and bonnet fitting etc etc. We’re nearly there, next step is to send the car back to the trimmers for some remedial work, and then we’ll be done. Just in time for Spring (hopefully).
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Nigel Kieser
Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire
Interceptor 115/3484
KaranMK2
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by KaranMK2 »

Super stuff Nigel, can’t wait to see it again.

Karan
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Martin R
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Re: 115/3484 Restoration

Post by Martin R »

That looks really lovely 8)
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