Celica Forums Install Guides and Technical Articles Exterior Guides Mirrors, APR Performance Formula GT3 Carbon Fiber Mirrors

APR Performance Formula GT3 Carbon Fiber Mirrors
By Isaac DeCoursey @ EverythingCelica.com

APR Performance Formula GT3 Carbon Fiber Mirrors are designed for optimum performance, and are most widely used mirror on formula race cars. They feature a left to right pivot at the mirror housing with an adjustable ball stub rod to allow a very wide range of adjustment.

These carbon fiber mirrors are compact and aerodynamically shaped with a very low drag coefficient.

Billet aluminum mounting bases are specifically designed to factory specifications for easy installation.



These mirrors are excellent for anyone wanting to upgrade the external appearance of their Celica - they are especially perfect compliment for anyone who already has carbon fiber pieces such as carbon fiber hood and/or carbon fiber spoiler.

They come with either a black base or a silver base - we choose silver for this car because we felt the silver would match the color of the rims, and would make the mirrors stand out much better with the silver they're getting installed to.

APR Performance Formula GT3 Carbon Fiber Mirrors can be purchased directly from APR Performance at...
http://aprperformance.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=91&Itemid=51

INSTALL REVIEW:
Installation took about 30 minutes for the first mirror and another 15 minutes for the second mirror - both sides were basically the same installation method, but we were much more confident about what were doing after getting the first one done.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being easiest... we give these mirrors a confident "DO IT YOURSELF" rating of 3 (but do recommend having a friend to help hold different parts during the install)

Tools required for install:

You'll need a 10mm ratchet, a flat head screw driver and a Philips (+) screw driver to remove your factory mirrors and install this upgraded set - we also recommend that you have a razor blade handy... all other tools required for installation are provided in the box from APR (APR has always been excellent to include misc parts such as an "Allen wrench" with each and every one of their products)

On with the install...

We suggest doing the install on your passenger side first - so you dont have the steering wheel in your way as you do this install for the very first time - but in this install guide, you will see photos from both sides of our install... purely for the fact that we wanted to show you the very best photo angles and steps to complete this installation with 100% success your first time through




First thing that was done was pry-off the plastic covering on the reverse side of the mirror - this plastic comes off without any real force.



Next you will need to pop-off the two plastic covers on your inner door plastics - these can just pry off using your finger nail or the head of a flat screwdriver - again, not much power is required to remove these (be careful not to scratch your door)



Along the bottom edge of your door, where the plastic meets the metal, you will fine another 2 more screws that need to be removed.



and there is one last screw on the door frame - this is typically called "the hidden screw" - its located right behind the panel next to your orange "door lock" switch. The cover just pops-off with the flat head screw driver... and it will expose the last screw for your door panel.

NOTE:
you are NOT removing your door panel, you are just giving some extra "play space" for getting your ratchet into the tight area to remove your mirrors - this will also get you enough room to reach your hand inside the door and disconnect the electrical for your factory mirrors.

You may now lift the paneling of your entire door and it will unclip from the top - having a friend to lift the panel from the bottom, while you push the two pieces apart will be a huge help. (Pay close attention to how this works - because when you re-assemble everything, you will need to re-clip this panel back to your door).



all you need is one or two inch of space between the panel and the door frame - once you have this, you can work on the three 10mm bolts that keep your mirror attached to the body of your car.



Notice how we found-out about the door situation the "hard-way", without lossening the door pannel as instructed above, and began to tear the plastics - the good thing is that when it was all put back together, no one will ever see this tear since it was so tiny. Just follow the posted directions above and you will not have this problem. (again, remove the 5 bolts detailed above, before trying to remove the three bolts that attach the mirror to the frame)



At this point, you may want to have your friend hold the mirror from the outside for when you have removed all three screws holding the mirror to your car - after the screws are out, the mirror will be loose from the car - only thing attaching it is the electrics.



Reach your hand inside the door and unclip the electrical wires (do NOT cut them).



Your factory mirror is now free from your car... it's been removed and now you're ready to install the new set

Continued in next message...

continued from above...



The install directions from APR for this product come with very detailed photos of how the pieces should be assembled - but we thought it would also be nice to see actually pictures of how these pieces go together.





First install the nut with the "ball-head" into the backside hole of your mirrors



Then place the metal washer over the ball



Now drop the thick nut on top of everything - be sure the hex side of the nut is facing UP.



Using the included Allen wrench, tighten this nut down so that it is secure - NOT "tight tight", just secure.





Flip-over the assembly and rotate the mirror arm into the screw

make sure this is tight! - Now go back to the reverse side of the mirror and tighten that hex screw down. be sure that everything is in "correct" positions and securely tighten the entire assembly (there should still be "play", but it should only be STIFF play - you want to be able to move the mirror when they are attached to your car, but you dont want the wind to be able to move them )



The next part involves removing the rubber washer from around your factory mirrors and transferring that to your new APR mirrors.



Gently peel the rubber away from the surrounding edges of your mirrors.



You'll see electrical take around the wires - take your time and peal that away (it may be a bit messy, but thats why you have soap in your house).



now that you have all the electrical tape off from the rubber, take your razor blade and cut the plastic from the center of the circular mirror where the wires enter and make a slit all the way out towards the end of the plastic where the wires are exposed.







The whole reason for this slit, is so that you can slide the white electrical connector out from the rubber washer without having to cut any electrical wires.





The rest of this install is pretty simple from here on out...
We'll start off with the easy part of washing/cleaning that rubber washer and then transfering it over to your new mirrors.

you'll notice that on the rubber piece, there are little "nubs", those nubs will fit securely into all but one of the nub-holes on the backside of your new mirrors (dont worry about this - it wont make any effect on the after product)



Since you just got through cleaning the rubber piece, we suggest that you also clean the outside portion of your car where your factory mirrors had been attached - hot water and a soapy sponge will get the job done nicely

Continued next post...

continued from above...



Re-assembly doesn't really take that much work - but it's always best to pay close attention to what you are doing, as you do it.

You're all set to install the new mirrors to your celi - press them up against your car in the same location that your factory mirrors were installed at - making absolute sure that the rubber washer is perfectly sitting the way that you want it to sit.



Having your friend hold the mirror into position while you screw in the bolts will help for a better outcome. Replace all three of the factory mirror bolts into their correct locations - making sure that they are tight.



Now take your new carbon fiber mirrors and slide the post up through the hole, having the post's center, "peak through".





Using the included Allen wrench, tighten the screw and washer into place - taking caution NOT to scratch your new mirrors.



... the only thing left now is to re-assemble the door panel.





Start off by having your buddy lift the bottom of the plastic door panel, while you press everything together - paying close attention to getting the top few clips up and over their proper locations. It should all just snap back together when you have things lined up correctly.



Replace the two bolts on the bottom of your door's plastics.



then replace the two screws at the door-jam - next replace the single screw near the door locks and finally cover all the screws with the plastic covers you removed earlier.

Thats all... you're done
The same instructions can be used in installing the reverse side mirrors

... as stated before, install took about 25 minutes for one side and about 15 minutes for the other side (you have most-likely spent more time reading this guide than it will have actually had taken to complete the entire install )



They look awesome!





It may take an afternoon of driving to get use to them, but you will surely love them! What you see out the mirror is almost the same as factory since these mirror lens are converse and NOT flat.





Good luck and enjoy your new APR Performance Formula GT3 Carbon Fiber Mirrors!

Additional install photos can be found at...
https://celicahobby.com/gallery/index.php/category/inst-apr-formula-gt3-mirrors