day/night mirror

[John Thomas]

Is there any "how to" material available for the replacement of the mirror glass in a 1967 interior day/night rear view mirror?

[Mike M.]

Re: day/night mirror

gently cut away the gray rubber from the old mirror glass---exacto knife or razor blade. try not to cut beyond the mirror-rubber contact surface. then break mirror so you can grasp the pieces that will stick to the rubber you were unable to cut thru. insert new glass.i went to junk yard and bought used mirrors that are similar to the 67 vette but larger. they were in mid to late 60's olds, chevy pontaic, caddy etc and practiced on them before attacking the vette mirror. good luck. its not a difficult task.mike

[Mike M.]

Re: day/night mirror

gently cut away the gray rubber from the old mirror glass---exacto knife or razor blade. try not to cut beyond the mirror-rubber contact surface. then break mirror so you can grasp the pieces that will stick to the rubber you were unable to cut thru. insert new glass.i went to junk yard and bought used mirrors that are similar to the 67 vette but larger. they were in mid to late 60's olds, chevy pontaic, caddy etc and practiced on them before attacking the vette mirror. good luck. its not a difficult task.mike

[John Thomas]

Thanks Mike *NM*

[John Thomas]

Thanks Mike *NM*

[Jack H.]

Clarification...

I'd be warry of Mike's advice to use an exacto knife to cut the rubber from the mirror glass! The rubber is strategically glued to the mirror's SS back at the top and down the sides, but the bottom center section is NOT glued. This leaves the rubber free to move when you flip the day/night lever.

Next, the mirror glass simply 'snaps' into the rubber surround and it was retained by glue (like that used for exterior weather strip mounting) as was used for mounting exterior weather stripping. If you start CUTTING with an Exacto knife, you could slip and go through the sides of the rubber surround!!!

Doing a mirror glass replacement is about a 5-minute job that. It's simple.

(1) Put on a pair of glasses to keep any stray glass shards out of your eyes.

(2) Hold the mirror just inside the opening of a trash can to catch any stray glass.

(3) Using a ball-pen hammer, strike the mirror glass in the center SHARPLY to shatter it.

(4) Once the glass is broken, carefully remove the broken segments and discard. You won't need a knife. The glass pieces will lift from the old glue by simply pulling and wiggling gently...

(5) When the glass is out of the rubber, now's you chance to 'pretty' the mirror up using a good cleaning agent to renew visible sections of the rubber surround and gently buff the SS rear housing.

(6) Make sure ALL glass cleaner has evaporated and spread some weatherstrip adhesive onto the plastic surround (you'll see the erratic pattern of the original glue). Then, simply SNAP your replacement glass into place and let the glue dry.

You want to avoid getting any ammonia based glass cleaner on the rear side of the mirror glass. That's what causes deterioration...

The D/N mirror does it's dimming job because there is NO protective paint on the rear side. That means there's a raw coating of silver there. Silver is chemically active and WILL interact with either a strong acid or base. So, clean the mirror glass with water only or a glass cleaner that's almost acid/base neutral in composition!

[Jack H.]

Clarification...

I'd be warry of Mike's advice to use an exacto knife to cut the rubber from the mirror glass! The rubber is strategically glued to the mirror's SS back at the top and down the sides, but the bottom center section is NOT glued. This leaves the rubber free to move when you flip the day/night lever.

Next, the mirror glass simply 'snaps' into the rubber surround and it was retained by glue (like that used for exterior weather strip mounting) as was used for mounting exterior weather stripping. If you start CUTTING with an Exacto knife, you could slip and go through the sides of the rubber surround!!!

Doing a mirror glass replacement is about a 5-minute job that. It's simple.

(1) Put on a pair of glasses to keep any stray glass shards out of your eyes.

(2) Hold the mirror just inside the opening of a trash can to catch any stray glass.

(3) Using a ball-pen hammer, strike the mirror glass in the center SHARPLY to shatter it.

(4) Once the glass is broken, carefully remove the broken segments and discard. You won't need a knife. The glass pieces will lift from the old glue by simply pulling and wiggling gently...

(5) When the glass is out of the rubber, now's you chance to 'pretty' the mirror up using a good cleaning agent to renew visible sections of the rubber surround and gently buff the SS rear housing.

(6) Make sure ALL glass cleaner has evaporated and spread some weatherstrip adhesive onto the plastic surround (you'll see the erratic pattern of the original glue). Then, simply SNAP your replacement glass into place and let the glue dry.

You want to avoid getting any ammonia based glass cleaner on the rear side of the mirror glass. That's what causes deterioration...

The D/N mirror does it's dimming job because there is NO protective paint on the rear side. That means there's a raw coating of silver there. Silver is chemically active and WILL interact with either a strong acid or base. So, clean the mirror glass with water only or a glass cleaner that's almost acid/base neutral in composition!

[Wayne K.]

Jack, could you use silicone sealant instead of ..

weatherstrip adhesive?

[Wayne K.]

Jack, could you use silicone sealant instead of ..

weatherstrip adhesive?

[Jack H.]

Yep, it'll work, mon!!! *NM*

[Jack H.]

Yep, it'll work, mon!!! *NM*

[John M.]

Re: Yep, it'll work, mon!!!

Jack,

I have always had glass people tell me to steer clear of silicone for mirror work. They said that silicone creates ammonia as it cures, and will damage the silver.

Regards, John McGraw

[John M.]

Re: Yep, it'll work, mon!!!

Jack,

I have always had glass people tell me to steer clear of silicone for mirror work. They said that silicone creates ammonia as it cures, and will damage the silver.

Regards, John McGraw

[Dick W.]

Re: Yep, it'll work, mon!!!

You are right John, acetic acid is an ingredient of silicone sealer

[Dick W.]

Re: Yep, it'll work, mon!!!

You are right John, acetic acid is an ingredient of silicone sealer