General Rectangular Inspection Mirror

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ARCHINSTL
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My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
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General Rectangular Inspection Mirror

Post by ARCHINSTL »

This is a low-tech item, but still...the ubiquitous 2"x3" inspection mirror on a telescoping wand made by General has changed, and not necessarily for the better.
Good change - the mirror is now made from Lexan instead of glass.
Bad changes - the case of the mirror is now made from plastic and its attaching ball and stalk are from the same material and are quite easily breakable, which relegates the now-detached mirror to a vanity item.
The mirror is now 3" instead of the 3 5/16" length of the glass mirror.
Unknown value change - there is now a rotating knob on the end of the stalk; its value is neither explained nor deciphered nor realized.

When your elbow/knee cracks the glass mirror of the old tool - get a sheet of the Lexan "mirror" material from an auto parts store and make your own; it cuts easily and works quite well.
In the meantime -check your local hardware store for stocks of the old mirror.
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
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splatterdog
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Re: General Rectangular Inspection Mirror

Post by splatterdog »

Add it to the very long list of new and unimproved.

Thanks China....
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ARCHINSTL
Goldie Forever
Posts: 6369
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:52 pm
My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis

Re: General Rectangular Inspection Mirror

Post by ARCHINSTL »

That's exactly what I thought - until I checked the header; still made in the USA.
General just downgraded the product - I returned it to Home Depot and fixed my old ones per described method.
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
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Re: General Rectangular Inspection Mirror

Post by Petros »

ARCHINSTL wrote:That's exactly what I thought - until I checked the header; still made in the USA.
It appears now USA manufacturers are taking their lead from China. Trying to price compete? Poor choice IMO, we do not need more than one china making cheap products.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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