Rebuilding mirror heads

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Canonman67
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Rebuilding mirror heads

Post by Canonman67 »

I've never seen a thread detailing where to get mirrors or what people have gone through to fix rusty, crusty mirrors so I've taken it upon myself to do so. I also used the opportunity to play with my new to me Fish Eye zoom. If I'm just another idiot at the party, well here's my spin. I spent days looking for new mirrors and finally found these. ImageIMGP3321 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

I got mine on ebay from a seller named hubcaps_plus at $25 for the pair. They're listed as fitting Ford vans from the same era but as you can see they'll work on trucks too.

I wanted to reassemble using only stainless hardware. This started life as a 3/8 16 TSlot bolt that was two inches long.Since I'm using acorn nuts this is all that's left. The best price I found for the was $5.88 each on ebay from a seller named jrcj7. ImageIMGP3323 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

Yes, stainless acorn nuts are this much at the local hardware store. It sucks but if we don't buy from them they won't be around much longer. ImageIMGP3324 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

I could be a lot better at grinding things but it works. ImageIMGP3325 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

Here's the assembly before being screwed to the frames. ImageIMGP3326 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

The frame assembly. ImageIMGP3327 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

Happily the rubber is still pliable so with a little cleaning I was able to use it. ImageIMGP3329 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

Make sure the numbers are right way around since the silvering job isn't the absolute greatest. The mirrors aren't backed so in the right light they're two way. With the stainless back on they're fine. ImageIMGP3331 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

The rubber fits just fine. ImageIMGP3333 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

I thought about polishing them but I'm building a driver not a show truck. ImageIMGP3334 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

The (mostly) finished mirror heads. ImageIMGP3338 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

The stainless is tight in the middle and squeezable at the top and bottom so I'm probably going to take them apart again and use these to tighten things up. ImageIMGP3339 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

Well that's it. As always share your experiences, especially if you've got a shortcut I've missed or a better source for parts.
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colnago
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Re: Rebuilding mirror heads

Post by colnago »

Nie write-up! Thanks for sharing.

Joseph
"Sugar", my 1967 Ford F250 2WD Camper Special, 352FE, Ford iron "T" Intake with 1405 Edelbrock, Duraspark II Ignition, C6 transmission, front disc brake conversion.
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Mancar1
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Re: Rebuilding mirror heads

Post by Mancar1 »

Interesting, thank you............John
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Idaho Chris
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Re: Rebuilding mirror heads

Post by Idaho Chris »

Old thread, I know, but found it searching for mirror refurbishment. I wanted to thank Cannonman67 for the post.

My West Coast mirrors need some love so I am about to take them apart and replace the oxidized hardware. The glass is showing its age so I will be having new mirrors cut by my local glass shop. I am wondering if I might find some convex mirror stock that could be cut down. Might really improve the visibility. Just a thought.
-Chris
1969 F250 4x4 4spd 300 I6
1973 Mustang Mach 1 351C
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