The combination of modern day super bright headlights and the fact that our cars sit so low results in what I find to be a blinding reflection from the dash mounted rear view mirror when driving at night. Very annoying and very distracting. Has anyone found this to be a problem and if so, what have you come up with to solve the issue? Conventional mirrors have that tab at the bottom of the mirror to flip the mirror for nighttime use. Not an option here.
I was toying with the idea of getting one of those computer privacy screens and cutting out a small rectangular shape to lay over the mirror at night.
How about the material used in window tinting? It's like a camera neutral density filter. The down side is that anything you apply will also reduce effectiveness in daylight... In the old days before the flip switch and self-dimming I just turned the mirror so it didn't directly shine in my eyes.
When cutting it out for the mirror make sure you make it at least 1/2" longer on the width side. Then cut that down leaving a 1/2x1/2" tab protruding. Place Scotch tape on the tab backside so it's easy to pull off the windshield.
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
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Originally Posted by SBSerpent
Has anyone found this to be a problem and if so, what have you come up with to solve the issue?
I can tell you exactly what you need, but I can't tell you how or where to get it. In this thread A Replacement Convex Mirror that Really Works I show how to convert a 90mm convex bullet style mirror in to the very high end Talbot mirror, with all the German optical components, for a fraction of the price. The mirror glass for that is very unique, aside from the fact that it is convex, it allows light to pass through it (meaning headlights) while still acting as a wonderful mirror. The glass is like magic. At the end of the thread I have the instruction pamphlet as well. Anyway, that's the type of mirror glass you want (not convex though for a dash rear view mirror). I don't know where you would get it, and I don't know the proper term for that type of mirror. But that's what you want. Here's a pic showing you the "see-through" aspect of the mirror glass.
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,025
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First-surface reflective glass
It's called "first-surface reflective glass" -- if you try, you can find it. This place will cut it for you, there's also engineering and optical places on the net that say they'll do it. Now, I do know there are different grades of mirror glass. Just like diamonds the better stuff will cost you more. That's about as far as my technical knowledge goes.