Rebuilding mirror heads

[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. IMGP3321 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. IMGP3323 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. IMGP3324 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

I could be a lot better at grinding things but it works. IMGP3325 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

Here's the assembly before being screwed to the frames. IMGP3326 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

The frame assembly. IMGP3327 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

Happily the rubber is still pliable so with a little cleaning I was able to use it. IMGP3329 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. IMGP3331 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

The rubber fits just fine. IMGP3333 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

I thought about polishing them but I'm building a driver not a show truck. IMGP3334 by Lionel Geis, on Flickr

The (mostly) finished mirror heads. IMGP3338 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. IMGP3339 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.

[colnago]

Nie write-up! Thanks for sharing.

Joseph

[Mancar1]

Interesting, thank you............John

[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.