Original Mirror Glass Replacement

[lts70]

Many years ago I gently pried out my faded stock mirror glass and used it as a template to cut and install a fresh mirror. It worked great but I lost my night glare switch function as it was not a beveled piece of glass.

Fast forward 15 years and I am now building trucks and blazers with my 5 boys and they have the same mirror problem. This time I have been finding cheap mirrors and cutting the glass out so that the glare function still works. Some I have had to sand the corners with my belt sander some fit right in with no modification. I have got a couple used ones for free as donor mirrors and the last one I just bought at my Napa auto parts store.

Just be sure to remove your old glass and take it with you to hold up to the new mirrors to find one the right size.

Thought I would share incase anyone else was in the same boat

[lts70]

We just finish my boys 72 blazer mirror. It turned out great.

[LockDoc]

-
Good job! Is it hard to get the glass out of the new mirrors?

I put new glass in a few mirrors back in 2012 but like you say I lost the day/night function. It didn't bother me much because I very seldom drive the classics at night anyway.

LockDoc

[Love 70 Chevys]

Really nice! Great idea. You have inspired me to restore and not replace mine.

[lts70]

Thanks Guys. Getting a new glass out is easy. I usually use a sharp razor blade and cut into the casing about a half inch behind where the glass is. It’s just a small lip of hard plastic that holds the mirror in. As long as you don’t get to rough you shouldn’t have any problems.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by lts70

Thanks Guys. Getting a new glass out is easy. I usually use a sharp razor blade and cut into the casing about a half inch behind where the glass is. It’s just a small lip of hard plastic that holds the mirror in. As long as you don’t get to rough you shouldn’t have any problems.

OK, thanks. I will try it.

LockDoc

[cericd]

How do you remove the glass from the original mirror? Is it possible to do it without breaking the original glass? Also, how do you install/secure the new glass to the original housing?

[cericd]

Image flip and hoping for an answer to my previous question by the original poster, or someone else who has successfully done this repair.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by cericd

How do you remove the glass from the original mirror? Is it possible to do it without breaking the original glass? Also, how do you install/secure the new glass to the original housing?

Originally Posted by cericd

Image flip and hoping for an answer to my previous question by the original poster, or someone else who has successfully done this repair.

Sorry, I missed your other post....

I have never been able to get the original glass out without breaking it. In fact I usually break it and take it out in small pieces. It can be a bear to get out. I wear safety glasses & leather gloves and use a sharpened putty knife to dig the pieces out. It is glued to the rubber backing.

The new mirror is held in place by the rubber lip around the outside of the mirror housing. You have to be careful you don't damage the lip while removing the old glass.

LockDoc

[cericd]

Thanks for the reply Leon. I was wondering about Its70’s method. You replied on the thread that you have regarding mirror glass replacement. I was really hoping that I could get the original piece of glass out without damaging it. I’ve seen a couple other guys say they were able to do it then resilver or have it resilvered then put it back in. Unfortunately neither of them elaborated on their technique or posted any pictures. If I had a couple junk mirrors to practice on it would be helpful but I only have my original. Thanks again for your response.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by cericd

Thanks for the reply Leon. I was wondering about Its70’s method. You replied on the thread that you have regarding mirror glass replacement. I was really hoping that I could get the original piece of glass out without damaging it. I’ve seen a couple other guys say they were able to do it then resilver or have it resilvered then put it back in. Unfortunately neither of them elaborated on their technique or posted any pictures. If I had a couple junk mirrors to practice on it would be helpful but I only have my original. Thanks again for your response.

No problem Chris. Maybe a guy could soak it in a solvent that would dissolve the adhesive holding the mirror in. I have a few mirrors laying around, maybe I will try that.

LockDoc

[LNP]

Maybe you could use a heat gun to heat the glass which should cause the adhesive to go soft to where you can easily work the glass out.

[Love 70 Chevys]

LocDocs great post on this subject inspired me. I'm at work right now, but when I get a chance I will post more detail with pics. I also resorted to tapping on the
original mirror with a hammer and breaking it into little pieces. (Doubting myself the whole time, because my mirror wasn't all that bad and maybe I could have lived with it...) Just taps though as the sheet metal that supports the mirror can be easily dented and damaged. I wanted to keep the day/night function, so after I made my template I went shopping @ my local U-pick. I found that the mirror from a '97 Buick Century is almost a drop-in! The wedge shaped thickness (thicker at the top) is perfect. The narrow dimension is about an 1/8" of an inch too wide. Still works out great though as the thick top has almost the same exact curvature as our trucks and needed no modification. Just scribed an almost straight line on the thin bottom, snapped it off and then massaged the transition/sharp edges into the rounded corners using a diamond Dremel bit. Four bucks @ Home Depot. Just kept everything wet while grinding. After several trial fits and a little more grinding, snapped into the rubber outside boot with no tools or prying. Did not secure with any adhesive, it is not going anywhere. Thank you LocDoc!! I will think of this post every time I look into my crystal clear non scratched mirror.

[Love 70 Chevys]

One important fact I forgot to mention. Getting the glass out of the Buick housing is cake without hurting it. Constructed totally different than our trucks. Big plastic back housing with a smaller plastic front bezel that is snap fit into the back. Just needs to be pried off and you have straight-on access to pry the mirror off the back housing. It was secured by a rubbery/foamy adhesive that gave up pretty easily.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Love 70 Chevys

One important fact I forgot to mention. Getting the glass out of the Buick housing is cake without hurting it. Constructed totally different than our trucks. Big plastic back housing with a smaller plastic front bezel that is snap fit into the back. Just needs to be pried off and you have straight-on access to pry the mirror off the back housing. It was secured by a rubbery/foamy adhesive that gave up pretty easily.

Thanks for the valuable addition to the thread and the kind words. I am going to try this myself.

LockDoc