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fender mirror install


Guest skratchavenger

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Yeah, I was aware that they were for the skyline/bluebird, I just hoped that the angle they sit at wasn't horribly different. Oh well, time to make it work! Its all I've got, the black mirrors were too hard to source at a comparable price.

 

Disregard my posts. I was dumb, and was adjusting the mirrors wrong because I was so afraid I'd break them. The mirrors will adjust just fine to give a good view of either side, regardless if they're meant for an old skyline/bluebird. I would really like to see a side-by-side comparison of both mirrors though, to see if there's ANY difference besides the chrome or matte black finish.

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Quite simply, the "stainless" ( chrome ) mirrors were never designed for the S30-series Z body. They are from another model. Usually a GC10 Skyline, or 510 Bluebird. It's not surprising that they don't work properly.

 

There was a NISMO offered Stainless Steel Version of the S30 mirror that was in all ways identical to what came on my Showa 50 S30 I had in Japan. Identical I actually interchanged parts between the matte black units I had while trying to get my other matte parts 'reblacked' and still drive the car.

 

What is still available, I don't know, but some years ago NISMO USA was clearing out those chrome (stainless steel?) mirrors for $79 a pair...which was about half the cost of a pair of matte units ordered through normal channels!

 

As for using different models mirrors on the car, as long as you get them in the right positions, I can't fathom why they couldn't be adjusted to work and give the right view. Are you loosening the screw at the front of the 'bullett' to allow the mirror to move freely? Because of the distance, only a small movement will totally change your view. That should be WELL within the range of normal adjustment with the screw loosened.

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I would really like to see a side-by-side comparison of both mirrors though, to see if there's ANY difference besides the chrome or matte black finish.

 

There isn't---if you are discussing between Matte and Stainless from the same model. I think Alan is mistaken on his contention that Stainless/Chrome mirrors were never offered for the S30===maybe not OEM from the factory, but most definately from the Sports Option aspect Nissan did offer them for the S30 and S31's. The bases are what is different between models, though. My son's 510 model bases are totally different than my S30 Bases. And the early models are even more disparate.

I see you figured out the adjustment---was it the screw? Don't forget to tighten it back up. Some joker bumps your mirror and you're looking at the pavement during a lane-change and it's no fun at all!

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Tony D to the rescue, as usual, lol. We need to get a machine that hooks up to your brain and downloads all the information to our own Datsun encyclopedia. :)

 

As stated, I made a dumb mistake. So dumb, that its one of those facepalm moments. As said, I was handling them with kid gloves because so far they seem to be the most valuable and hard to find part for my Z. And they're mirrors so... yeah. Adjusting them was so carefully done, that I would loosen the screw and turn the mirrors about their axis when I first did my trial fitment. For some reason it didn't occur to me that the inside was like a ball joint and pivoted as well. :rolleyesg Regardless, I thought I would need to use shims or something to fix them because no matter how much I turned the mirror it was aimed too high. Took them off shortly after and reboxed them so I could get the car ready for paint, which was about a month ago.

 

Today I removed them from their boxes and loosened the screws just enough to find out that ,lo and behold, they pivot like a ball joint. Good thing I didn't "discover" this little wonder until after I made an ass of myself!

 

facepalm.jpg

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There was a NISMO offered Stainless Steel Version of the S30 mirror that was in all ways identical to what came on my Showa 50 S30 I had in Japan. Identical I actually interchanged parts between the matte black units I had while trying to get my other matte parts 'reblacked' and still drive the car.

 

NISMO?

 

'NISMO' was simply a TELEX address in the period I'm talking about. NISMO is something like fifteen years later than the original Nissan parts for the S30-series Z, so I can't take any responsibility for the correct or incorrect positioning of mirrors where the person does not even know what series or model the part numbers pertain to.

 

Since I first posted the dimensions, I've had all sorts of people telling me by PM that they "don't work", or that there must be "some mistake" - but half the time it turns out that they are fitting some generic eBay purchase ( more than once an aftermarket lookalike from Thailand, or originally from a Toyota or Honda ) and don't even seem to have the curiosity to wonder what the part numbers for their eBay-snagged purchases originally related to.

 

And Tony, I have never seen a chrome or stainless fender mirror specific to the S30-series Z in a Nissan 'Sports Option' list or catalogue. I believe that most of the chrome or 'stainless' versions that people have been buying lately were originally designed - with part numbers to suit - for Bluebirds or Skylines. Yes, they may well work - but the versions I have seen have had different stalk lengths / angles and different bases. The data I gave out originally was for early S30-series Zs specifically, so if anyone wants to fit anything else then it may - or may not - be the same and may - or may not - work as well as they expected - but in the end they have to take responsibility for that themselves.

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  • 1 month later...

I installed the mirrors sometimes it gets me cause they are not even but I followed the diagram to a T but because the passenger is higher then the driver side it just looks different but Its cool cause I dont have to turn my head anymore and the visual is great

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  • 3 years later...

Sorry to bump such an ancient thread, i'm preparing to install my fender mirrors. The problem I have is that the G-nose on my car is fiberglass and molded into the fiberglass fenders. Does anyone have a measurement from the headlight opening edge to the mirror for both sides in LHD configuration? Or even just how far back that dimension is on the diagram from the edge of the headlight opening?

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  • 5 months later...

So I installed mine last night and figured I would post some pictures. These are on a LHD 280z. Visibility seemed very good in the garage but it was too dark out to test them out down the road. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

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