The mirrors I bought from Eckler's(I think) were perfect repros, except for the dated glass. I changed the mirror glass out on mine. The mirrors were loose as heck from the get-go...wouldn't hold position for crap. While I had the glass out, I tightened up the strap that holds the base to the ball, and got them to hold up pretty well. I have my old mirrors in a box somewhere. I can show ya'll how to get them tightened up so they will hold their positions better(but you will have to remove the glass first). I'll try to get some pics this weekend.

______________

Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

I bought the left and right set for my '75 from Corvette Central. I've had them on for a few weeks now and up to 95 mph and both are holding their position perfectly. In fact, it takes some effort to adjust them which is good. The gaskets seemed alright. And the mounts are on good; I can rock the car back and forth while holding on to the mirror. It sure is a lot safer having the right side mirror.

______________

Since the pivot point of the mirror is off-center, you can rotate it such that over half the mirror is above center and affords a slightly better view above the rear fender kickup.

BTW, the F4 Phantom is/was my favorite airplane.  Could always tell when it was a F4 going overhead when we were plane guarding in the South China Sea because of the distinctive banshee howl of the engines at slow speed.


|UPDATED|8/24/2012 6:25:57 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


______________

1973 L-82 4 spd

It sounds like the mirror situation is gonna be tougher than I thought. My driver door mirror was attached with sheet metal screws into the fiberglass. There is no backing plate at all. Not that I can find anyway.
Did you install the plate from the inside of the door or did you have to remove the fiberglass outside panel?

______________
It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg

My mirror from the factory had "well nuts" in the fiberglass and that's what came w/ my psgr side mirror that I got thru parts dept.

Here they are if not familiar w/ them:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/Well-Nut-6AJU9?gclid=CNWWuefdirICFUZntgodtXAAJA&cm_mmc=PPC:GooglePLA-_-Fasteners-_-Nuts-_-6AJU9&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=6AJU9&ef_id=DptPrJURzBwAAB8B:20120828162331:s


______________

1973 L-82 4 spd

I sent that guy an email a few weeks ago and never got a reply.  Still wanting a couple of good 72 mirrors (small head).



______________

   

Gary
I got mine 2 weeks or so ago from Paragon. It is an american made. They are having some plating issues with many of them. Mine looks very nice. They still dont have the passenger side done yet but you might want to put your name on the list to get a pair if you dont want the aftermarket style.
Rodney

PS, Ive been waiting for mine since the end of April! Im A very patient person!



______________

  The aftermarket mirrors (Taiwan) always seem to loosen up after a while and you get a good view of the ground, as been said before. I found a way to fix them. After removing the glass, per Joel's instructions, I found there was nothing to tighten up since the nylon washer that should hold pressure on the mirror ball was split. I went to Home Depot and found some washers close in size, only thicker. and used them. I can barely move the mirror now. That was on the drivers side and now the passenger side is drooping. I will will be fixing that one soon and will try to remember to take some pictures and post them. I don't think my left mirror will EVER loosen up again.   Oh, and until I can fix it, I've found a drop of super glue around the ball on the outside holds it in place... until someone bumps it...

|UPDATED|9/22/2012 5:42:19 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


______________

   I know the voices aren't real, but they have some pretty cool ideas...

What's the procedure for getting the glass out?  I want to fix my OEM mirror.  I've often wondered if there was a way to tighten them up - glad there apparently is!

______________

The mirror glass is held to the base with silicone....I used lacquer thinner to loosen mine. With the mirrors off the car(duh!), find a container that will hold up to strong chemicals, and is large enough to hold the mirror completely submerged. Carb cleaner, mineral spirits(naptha), paint thinner, etc. will work, but each has it's own amount of time to soften the silicone. I let mine sit for several hours, and just kinda push around on the glass every now and then to try to work it loose a little at a time. Once it is loose enough, it will pull right out. Clean the glass with soapy water asap after removing it. Don't use anything with ammonia! Ammonia will damage the silvering on the back. Amazingly enough, lacquer thinner did not...
Once the glass is out, you can see what hold the head to the base...it's kinda cheesy, but that's the way it has been done for years and years...


______________

Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Here's some pics of a mirror. This was a correct, dated glass mirror that was just hanging on my car at the time, before I sent it to get painted. Mama walked by, and knocked it off, breaking the glass.  I found another mirror with correct dated glass, so all is forgiven...
Anyway, you can see how the glass is held to the head with small splotches of silicone....




The mirror head is held tight to the ball on the base by this strap, which is peened. A more accurate term would be "spun". The posts that the strap is on fit all the way thru the holes in the strap. The strap is then held with tension on it, and the whole mess is put into a machine with a concave mandril over the posts. The mandril is spun quickly, with downward pressure,a nd as it spins, the post metal heats up, and melts slightly, forming a rivet-like "head" over the strap. That's what holds it all together tight. Over time, the spun "peen" loosens, and the mirrors get floppidy. To tighten them back up, I have placed the heads on heavily padded block of wood, and used a punch to re-peen the posts. Most of the time, this works. Last time I did it on one of my mirrors, I got a  little overly aggressive with the hammer, and made a couple of small dents on the outside of the mirror head.




There are other ways to tighten these things up. If you have a drill press, or a really steady hand, you could pop the straps off the posts, and drill in the center of the posts, and then either use a metal screw, or tap the holes and use a machine screw. The posts would need to be shortened slightly for this to work well, but it is another option.


______________

Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"