C3 floppy door mirrors

[72ray]

Apologies if this is a well worn subject (I couldn’t find much when searching here for C3s).
Any ideas would be appreciated re resolving my floppy wing/door mirrors. They have loose mirror heads and they flop if I hit a bumpy section of road or get bumped when I wash it or remove the car cover. Groan

 

[nascar03]

Hello mr72ray..
You could replace the whole assembly if you wish.
But if it is just a floppy mirror head I used crazy glue.
A few applications will build-up the size of the ball and things will be much better.
One little hint...when you apply a couple of drops of glue make sure you tie an old rag around the mirror stem and hanging down the door to catch any drops..
Don’t ask me how I know this!!,

Good luck
Graham

 

[Corvetteplus]

i would change and put a new mirror, glue is good until you need adjust it , then glue will crack and you will get a floppy mirror again

 

[nascar03]

I found that the glue slowly built-up on the ball and it is tighter than before.
But I can’t argue with getting a new one though.

Graham

 

[72ray]

i would change and put a new mirror, glue is good until you need adjust it , then glue will crack and you will get a floppy mirror again

Yes, That’s exactly what has been going on. It’s brittle and cracks when bumped as I remove my car cover or wash it.

 

[Destracted]

I used a small chunk of rubber about 1/8" thick. If you look there is a small gap under the face where the top meets the arm. I wedged the rubber in with a flathead screwdriver. the mirror stopped rattling and the rubber is invisible and stays put.

 

[72ray]

Update: I removed the mirror unit from the door and managed to carefully pry the mirror itself out of the chrome holder. This revealed the inside section of the ball pivot you see from the outside. I removed the grease from the area and where the OEM had peaned over material to secure the steel plate (that holds the ball joint in position) I peaned it again to increase the tension of the plate on the ball joint. This worked a treat! I’ll post some photos on here as that may make more sense before I re-secure the mirror with sealant. SUCCESS! Cost = zero $ & I get to keep my OEM mirrors

 

[charliebates]

Mine has screw tightening.

 

[turbozig]

Update: I removed the mirror unit from the door and managed to carefully pry the mirror itself out of the chrome holder. This revealed the inside section of the ball pivot you see from the outside. I removed the grease from the area and where the OEM had peaned over material to secure the steel plate (that holds the ball joint in position) I peaned it again to increase the tension of the plate on the ball joint. This worked a treat! I’ll post some photos on here as that may make more sense before I re-secure the mirror with sealant. SUCCESS! Cost = zero $ & I get to keep my OEM mirrors

Great job 72ray, glad to hear you fixed it. There is a procedure I found years back thru the NCRS group. This involves soaking the mirror portion in a solvent for 24 hours to soften the mirror adhesive, and then peening as you have mentioned. It's awesome when you can restore the original parts.

 

[XFIRE82]

often it is time and patience but the end result is rewarding, good job......

 

[72ray]

Great job 72ray, glad to hear you fixed it. There is a procedure I found years back thru the NCRS group. This involves soaking the mirror portion in a solvent for 24 hours to soften the mirror adhesive, and then peening as you have mentioned. It's awesome when you can restore the original parts.

Which solvent is recommended?

 

[turbozig]

Which solvent is recommended?

lacquer thinner or acetone

 

[72ray]

My success was temporary so I replaced the mirrors this week. They're sweet but I managed to snap off one rusty screw in the anchor thread in the left door and now will at sometime have to replace it. Is it easy to get at these inside the door?

 

[taylorsk8]

Easy is relative....but I would say it is not to bad going from memory. Access from inside. Remove door panel. I think window up leaves enough room.

Sorry not much help but once you are looking at it you will likely figure it out!

T