Build 74. Mirrors

"And finally the mirrors" is the aptly named last page of the manual. I'm not sure I will be using the side mirrors once it has passed IVA, they are next to useless in being useful in actually seeing anything out of them, more so when you are driving along and the are vibrating. Anyway they need to be put on for now as part of the build for the IVA before I end up changing them for something else.

The manual calls for you to remove the bracket it comes with and replace with the Caterham version which is packaged along side the mirrors in a sealed plastic packet. The easiest way to do this is to simply dunk them in a hot bowl of water for 30 minutes and then use a plastic trim tool to pry it away from each corner. Once you have done that, keep the "goo" in position as it will be needed to re-attach it all.

Then it is a simple case of undoing the existing bracket, and then replacing with the new one. Over to the windscreen, I simply removed the middle screw from the side (kept it for re-use later!) and then attached the new metal bracket to the windscreen in this hole. I used some Loctite on the threads as I've seen people have been pulled up on this at the PBC prior to IVA.

Next up was to place the nylon washer on the small bracket, and then the new mirror bracket can slide on and be secured with a grub screw. also put some Loctite on this to be sure. My experience with the Loctite I'm using (I think it is 273) is that screws seem to be easily undone with it anyway so I'm not worried about them getting permanently stuck!

I loosely placed the mirror back inside and setup the mirror how I wanted it, before then applying a tiny single blob of "sticks like" on one of the corners of the mirror, just to secure it back in place a bit more sturdily (the other gooey parts seem to hold it well but I just wanted to be sure for the IVA and drive back home before investigating other options.

The rear view mirror was simply stuck into place centrally after cleaning the windscreen with some rubbing alcohol. I held it myself for about 2-3 minutes before using some clamps to leave it long enough that I was happy that it was stuck!

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