The next pics are my mirror disassembled. This was done simply by removing the two, seemingly rust-tinged sheet-metal (in this case plastic) screws from the bottom of the mirror. Note the genuine Italian moth included... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Spring, pressure plate, and nut, are yellow cad plated. I know...no one will ever see this, which is why I didn't re-plate, and mine were in excellent condition. Two small screws removed to disassemble the the mirror are also yellow cad but the screw heads are painted or anodised black so the don't stick out like dog's balls on the underside of the mirror. Two flat spring plates/washers are stainless steel and clean up very nicely with mild abrasive like Mother's. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Reassembled innards with a dab of lithium grease on the ball spring assembly... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Plastic outer shell was cleaned with Mother's, because it's very mild as an abrasive/polish and washes off with water. Only the deepest scratches, of which there were very few, were left behind. Removing these deeper scratches might have changed the subtle texture of the plastic which is something I really wanted to preserve. The base was stripped completely to bare aluminum then sprayed in gloss black paint/primer rustoleum, three coats, followed by light polish to remove any imperfections then a single coat of satin clear rustoleum for the correct dull base finish. It matched the starting texture as close as I could discern. The long retention/pivot bolt appears to be stainless steel or plain steel, so I just cleaned it and sprayed the head only with clear gloss rustoleum to protect it in case it's plain steel. All put back back together... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Final note: when the mirror is apart, the backing of the actual mirror is the silvering, so avoid scratching it. Mine came with a hair thin super small scratch in that silvering and it is noticeable from the front...only since I looked for it. Still, if it gets scratched, it could be a sad day. Pic below from another thread shows the vitaloni imprint on the outside front edge of the plastic case. Mine was super subtle and didn't photograph well. Of note, some of these imprints have some text and numbers while mine simply says Vitaloni under the circular seal. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I know that was a lot. This was a fun little project, and other than stripping and painting the base, took less than an hour.
To determine, whether it's stainless or plain steel, you can use a magnet. If it's magnetic, it's plain steel. If not, it's stainless. Though there are certain kinds of magnetic stainless steel, they are rarely used for bolts. But if the bolt is not magnetic, it's stainless for sure. Best Regards from Germany Martin
Hi, Nice job. I was in Switzerland last week and had the opportunity to view a private car collection of around 40 cars, including a pair of totally original 308's, one plastic, the other steel and I noted the style of the Californian mirrors and I have two different styles on my car and I wanted to know which was original. The style of the base on your mirror isn't the same as those fitted to the two cars in the collection. EuropaSpares have what appears to be the correct style for sale at a very reasonable £25 each. Paul
This is the single mirror on my UK 77 car ..no sticker though. Is it original, or do i need the sticker too? is the 30014 a part number? Thanks. Image Unavailable, Please Login
That looks like the "correct" style to me, which has the wider section of the base towards the rear of the car, whereas the alternative style has the wider section towards the front. I'm not sure about the sticker, but Superformance lists it in their price list. Paul
Thanks to PBD and stradman...this really is a great forum. 86 pence? I better grab one before they hit 3 figures .
The mirror pictured in post #44 has a base that is narrow in front, wide and thin in the back and has all the melted text on top consistent with a later mirror. Would love to see the pictures of the "original collection" car mirrors. That said, I'm no judge, so maybe I got it all wrong and should be looking for a $25 mirror to put on my car after all...
Well, mine is an Oct 76 build and it has its original mirror and it looks like that so I presume this is the original early ones...
