Milano headliner prep

[Pottree@domain.elided]

In a message dated 8/18/2002 4:11:42 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:


> I'm planning to repair my sagging headliner. Does the rear view mirror just
> pop off its mount like in earlier Alfa's? Any other things to be aware of?
> 

The mirror has a ball joint made of something like plastic.  It is made to 
pop off the base in case of incursion of a skull.  But this material, baked 
by the sun, tends to get brittle and if it hasn't broken already, it may if 
you try to pop the mirror off.  And, the base will still be there (I recall 
it is attached with two screws but could be wrong).

If the mirror in your Milano is flopping around because this ball and socket 
joint isn't what it once was, but it is in fair shape, here is a fix I cooked 
up that works perfectly (YMMV): get a pair of old nylon stockings (make sure 
they are old or it could be your life!) from a cooperative person.  This 
could be the most fun part of the process, or the worst. Using a suitable 
tool, cut out a small square of fabric.  Remove the mirror from the housing.  
Stuff some of the nylon into the mounting socket, then pop the mirror back 
in, so that the nylon surrounds the ball, making up a firm connection.  
Because of the texture of the fabric, this holds the mirror in place, yet you 
can still adjust it easily.  This works for a long time, but you don't have 
to admit it in case you had a good time getting a hold of the nylons and want 
to try again!

Charlie
LA, CA, USA
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided