[s-cars] Igor Kessel on Frankenmirrors (1993)

[Charlie Smith]

Earlier, Darin Nederhoff wrote:
> 
> Sadly, the UrS4.COM site got sniped by some tool in Washington who
> apparently thinks a Volvo is a German car.  Have a look for yourself.  :-(
> 
> I could publish it on the s-cars site if desired.
> 
> 
I've got the text of the Frankenmirror plan up at this URL:

    http://www.elektro.com/~audi/mirror/

If Igor sends me the photos, I'll add those.

    - Charlie




> -----Original Message-----
> Subject: [s-cars] Igor Kessel on Frankenmirrors (1993)
> 
> Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 09:42:15 -0500
> From: Igor Kessel <igor at s-cars.org>
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Retrofit 93-94 Mirror to 97?
> 
> below is my homework and BTDT on the subject. BTW, 
> =================================
> 
> The '94 - '97 A6/S6 and the '96 - '98 A4 LHD (Continental) market Audis 
> came with the smallish RH side mirror. Coupled with the solid headrests 
> of the later cars they limit the visibility and hinder the right lane 
> merges. This "feature" mirror has compromised the car's safety so badly 
> that it was dubbed the "Suicide Mirror" by the sarcastic folk on the 
> S-Cars List.
> Fortunately there is a way out. The real, full size mirror can be built 
> using the parts of a later A4 and/or A6. When building a full size 
> mirror for my '97 S6 I ended up using the original S6 mounting triangle 
> piece, the A6 motor bracket, the A4 shell and the A4 mirror glass. 
> Needless to say the same sarcastic folk on the S-Cars List has dubbed it 
> the "Franken Mirror".
> 
> Here is the detailed project description.
> 
> The '99 forward Audi A4/A6 RH side USA market mirror is comprised out of 
> three parts. Below is the break down by model, p/n and list price.
> 
> 1. The shell:
> 	a) A4 part: 8D0 857 508 GRU, $66.30
> 	b) A6 part: 4A0 857 508 3FZ, $66.30
> 
> 2. The mounting bracket w/motor:
> 	a) A4 part: 8D1 858 532 L 3FZ, $90.45
> 	b) A6 part: 4B1 858 532 BF 3FZ, $120.50
> 
> 3. The convex glass:
> 	a) A4 part: 8D0 857 536 M, $45.45
> 	b) A6 part: 4B0 857 536 H, $62.95
> 
> First you need to decide which parts to use.
> 
> §1. Keep in mind that the shell and the glass *ABSOLUTELY* have to 
> belong to the same model since they have a slightly different shape. I 
> used the A4 parts coz its glass was cheaper. The more expensive A6 glass 
> listed above is the cheapest convex one available in the USA. The rest 
> of them are of the expensive auto-dimming variety. The second reason 
> behind my choice of glass was that I already had completed the same 
> project on my wife's '98 A4. Her car is painted the same Pearl White 
> colour as my S6 so I decided to keep the things interchangeable just in 
> case.
> 
> §2. Paint the shell, either yourself or elsewhere. I painted both shells 
> myself with great results and mind you my colour is absolutely the worst 
> to match no matter how you look at it.
> If you would like to paint the shell yourself read on. If not - skip to §3.
> Try to obtain the OEM Audi touch-up paint IN SPRAY CANS. The Pearl White 
> one ("Magnolia Pearl Effekt") comes in three cans for three different 
> steps. I can't sing enough praises to the quality of the German paint 
> and of their spray cans. I would strongly advise to buy the universal 
> pistol grip for standard spray cans (costs only a couple of bux at any 
> Home Depot) as it enables the near professional uniformity of spray.
> If your car is white or Pearl white I would recommend buying a can of 
> white primer and re-priming the shell. The A4 shell comes primed (the 
> GRU suffix comes from the German "GRUNT" - "Primer") and its colour is 
> bluish-grey. If you fail to re-prime the shell in white I guarantee you 
> that the resulting colour will be a shade darker than your white or 
> Pearl white car is.
> The painting process is straightforward. Degrease the shell with 
> Methanol or your own favourite solvent. Make sure not to wash the 
> "GRUNT" away! Wear latex gloves and a painter's mask. Spray like the 
> pros do (you *DO KNOW* how the pros paint, right? Otherwise don't even 
> attempt to do it, save yourself a lot of grief and delegate the whole 
> thing to a paint shop). Coat lightly in multiple passes, dry for 15min + 
> between the coats, put about 3-4 coats for each stage.
> Bake 1 - 2 hrs between different stages. That's 4 stages times 4 coats 
> each for us with Pearl cars. I utilised my wife's small electric 
> convection oven and a thermometer. Baked the shell at ~ 60° to 70°C for 
> about 2 to 3 hrs each time. Better safe than sorry.
> 
> §3.  Either shell fits either mounting bracket. In fact the early '98 A6 
> utilised the A4 shell and glass. In the middle of the '98 m/y the A6 got 
> their own shell and glass. You can use either of the mounting brackets, 
> but the A6 one is slightly easier to adapt since there is no need  to 
> Dremel away the front piece of the bracket where the spring sits.
> 
> The mounting bracket itself consists of three parts:
> Part "A" - plastic/Aluminium triangle piece that is mounted to the door. 
> This piece is car-specific and has to be replaced with the part off the 
> S6 since the doors are different in the shape and in the glass to door 
> angle.
> 
> The mounting bracket has a vertical hollow axel onto which the pivoting 
> Part "B" is mounted and it is spring loaded to allow to fold the mirror 
> alongside the body (that click-click sound when you fold the mirror is 
> made by the recesses in the heel of the Part "B" when it jumps over the 
> matching tabs of the Part "A"). This part is a fancy shaped metal 
> bracket that houses the Part "C" - motor. The A4/A6 and S6 motors will 
> have to be swapped since the plug pin-outs are different but that's so 
> easy that I won't even go into details here.
> 
> The trouble is that the axel in Part "A" in the S6 is shorter than the 
> one in the A4/A6 and that the Part "B" in the A4/A6 piece is thicker 
> than that in the S6. The shorter axel of the Part "A" of the S6 does not 
> clear the thicker Part "B" of the A4/A6 with the OEM spring installed. 
> W/o this very stiff spring the mirror will be loose on the mounting. In 
> fact if you put the OEM locking C-clip onto the shaft all you get is 2 - 
> 3 mm of clearance whereas you need at least 12 - 14 mm to install the 
> spring.
> 
> This major problem was solved when I realised that I could use several 
> spring (a.k.a. the "Belleville") washers in place of the OEM spring. I 
> ordered them from McMaster-Carr catalogue.
> 
> §4. Draw the pin-out diagrammes of the electrical plugs of both your 
> original mirror and of the mounting bracket that you have bought. Open 
> the latches on both plugs, pull the contacts out and fish the wires 
> through the hollow shafts on which the motor housings pivot. Unscrew the 
> three long screws that secure the motors to their housings and remove 
> the motors.
> 
> §5. Disassemble the mounting bracket of your original mirror and of the 
> mounting bracket that you have bought. For that you'll need to fabricate 
> a semi-circular tool out of at least 1mm thick steel ribbon. Shape it up 
> with a mallet over a suitable long socket. With this tool positioned 
> over the top washer, compress the spring in the vise to relieve the 
> pressure on the locking C-clip. Remove the C-clip, the OEM washer and 
> the OEM spring. Repeat for the second assy.
> 
> *********** WEAR GOGGLES! ************
> 
> Note the difference in lengths of the respective hollow shafts.
> 
> §6. Install the Part "B" of the mounting bracket that you have bought 
> onto the Part "A" of your S6. Put two Belleville spring washers (with 
> their crowns pointing in the opposite directions) in place of the OEM 
> spring over the hollow shaft of the Part "A" of the S6. You may need to 
> adjust the number and/or orientation of the Belleville spring washers on 
> your particular mirror as to see that the Part "B" is not loose on Part 
> "A" yet it can still be "click-click" folded. Once satisfied, put the 
> OEM washer over the packet of Belleville spring washers and compress the 
> washers with the tool described above until the OEM washer clears the 
> two slits in the hollow shaft of Part "A". Insert the C-clip back. You 
> may want to enlist an assistant since you will desperately need a third 
> hand.
> 
> *********** WEAR GOGGLES! ************
> 
> §7. Fish the S6 motor wires back through the hollow shaft of Part "A" 
> and assemble the plug per your drawing. Secure the motor on Part "B" 
> with the three OEM screws.
> 
> §8. Mount the newly Frankenised mounting bracket w/motor to the door. 
> Reconnect the plugs and reassemble the inner door panel.
> Mount the painted shell over the assy. Don't forget the small screw that 
> goes inside!
> Mount the bottom plastic piece that came as part of the mounting bracket 
> w/motor and secure it with the two screws provided with it.
> Connect the two defroster contacts to the mirror glass. BE VERY 
> CAREFULL! The glass is very fragile. Position the mirror with its big 
> round plastic receptacle on the back against the similar round 
> receptacle on the motor. Position all your fingers squarely against the 
> mirror glass roughly over the round plastic piece and gently press on 
> the glass until it clicks home.
> 
> Enjoy the safe driving with the full size RH side mirror!
> 
> Igor Kessel, © copyright 2000
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Igor Kessel
> two turbo quattros
>