I don't know if everyone is aware of the two new reproduction mirrors that Scott Drake has recently came out with, a '65 version and a '66 version. They were posted on Virginia Classic Mustang's blog several weeks ago. I'm not posting as an advertisement for Scott Drake or VMC (though I just ordered one through them). The reason I'm posting is to provide some comparison shots between the new '66 repop and an original mirror.
Let me begin by saying that if you've ever seen the old repop version of the '66 day/night mirror, then you're probably aware they were horrendous! The new version is far from perfect, but miles ahead of the old one. If you're looking for a spot on replacement for those expensive NOS mirrors for that super concours resto, IMHO, keep looking. If you're looking for a really nice replacement though, this one will certainly fill the bill. Below are the differences I've been able to find (the original is always in the top of the image):
Starting with the WORST feature of the old repop; the knob! The new knob now has embossed metal plates on them, gone are the cheap paper tags. The flaws I found were; the font is slightly different and a little larger (causing letter spacing to be slightly longer); the "day" side is slightly bulged out from the knob as opposed to fitting flat. While the font and sizing issue is also seen on the "nite" side, it fits flat as the original does.
Moving to the back side, there are a number of small differences. One thing added though is the "FoMoCo" oval. It's size and location are pretty darn close to perfect. The ribbing across the back is now dull silver. In the photo below there are several issues. The mounting post is slightly larger on the repop than the original. It fits fine into a Scott Drake bracket, but I didn't try it on an original. At the top of the mirror back the embossed curved area had a larger radius in the curve on the original, providing a more sweeping line. The bulged area at the very top of the mirror is a shallower bulge on the on the repop.
At the bottom of the back side (near the knob), the embossed area is more pointed on the original than the repop.
The ribbing is different between the two. The repop has larger ribs and the embossing seems a little deeper. This is hard to see in my crappy pics of this, sorry. I couldn't get it any sharper with the lighting I had.
Last is the outer radius of the mirror edge. The repop has a more curved edge as opposed to the originals more flat edge along the side. (repop is on the left)
With all that said, many of these differences would be difficult to spot without an original right beside it. I plan on using the mirror in a slightly modified '66 coupe. It is a nice piece. My fastback restoration will have to wait in an original though! Hope anyone curious about the new repop finds this helpful. BTW, since most "errors" seemed to be associated with the twist knob and areas surrounding it, I'd be curious to see how close the '65 version is.
John
