Inside Mirror Restore

[Norm C.]

For early c3"s,,, Is it possible to remove the glass from the inside mirror to have the backside of the glass restored without damage to the mirror casing or damage to the date on the mirror glass? Tried several forum searches, couldn't locate this question. Thanks in advance to those who have gone before me!!

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Norm:
Removal of the glass is quite easy and replacement glass is availble from Paragon. The old glass can be resilvered but it isn't worth the cost. There have been artlcles in the Restorer on doing this and I have done several successfuly.
Jeff

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Norm: I just re-read you posting and you referred to the date on the mirror. I don't believe the inside rear view mirror was dated. The side view mirror was but not the inside.
Jeff

[Jack H.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Correct! Interior Day/Nite mirrors were NOT dated.

I did this job once by injecting lacquer thinner between the mirror glass and the rubber mirror mounting pad. CAUTION: if you immerse the entire mirror in lacquer thinner, expect the rubber mounting pad to SHRINK!

Once the glue holding the mirror glass to the rubber mounting pad had dissolved (same as that used to affix weather stripping) and I popped the mirror glass out, I found a local glass shop to re-silver the mirror.

Bottom line, when I was done, I'd forked out about $50 to 'save' my original mirror when I could have purchased a correct reproduction mirror glass from Paragon for $35... So, is it worth it to 'save' your original?

If you have a replacement mirror glass from Paragon, simply don a pair of safety glasses, take a ball pen hammer and CRACK the existing glass. Using needle nose plier, remove the glass shards from the plastic mirror mount and clean up the mount's plastic surface.

Spread fresh adhesive on the cleaned platic mounting surface a 'pop' your replacement glass in place. You're done!

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Jack:
I would hesitate to use laquer thinner on this part for fear of destrying the grey plastic/rubber retainer that surrounds the mirror. It is safer to soak the whole mirror assembly in hot water to soften this retainer and then pry it off using an ice cream stick or similar tool. As long as the rubber is hot it will be pliable enough to stretch and come away. I was then able to pry the glass away from the backing and remove it without damage to either the rubber or the glass. No adhesive is necessary for re-installation. Simply heat again and pry the rubber back arount the glass. Just my experience.
Jeff

[Norm C.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Jack & Jeff.....

Thanks for the super help!! Yes, I assumed the inside mirror was dated like the outside. With that obsticle removed, its much easier. My only question about removing the old one, is the grey rubber border. If I understand it correctly, the glass is held in place by a combination of the grey rubber and the adhesive behind the glass to the back housing. Is that correct? If so then its down to whether to go with a new replacement glass or re-silver the old glass. Right??

Thanks again Jack & Jeff.... there is just no site for any type of hobby or enthusiast that is as valuable as this one!!!!

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Norm:
You are correct that original mirrors are held in place by a combination of adhesive and the rubber retainer. It may be urban legend but it is my understanding that the adhesive is waht causes the problem of the silvering degarding. As I understand it, as the adhesive shrinks and degrades, it pulls the silvering off the glass. Others may be able to correct me or give more insight into this. No adhesive is necessary on re-installation of the glass. In any event, it doesn't pay to get glass resilvered- it costs too much. A new glass with the proper taper is $40 from Paragon. The whole repro mirror assembly is $75 but that's your call.
Jeff

[Jack H.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

It IS an urban myth; the adhesive destroys the silver backing on the mirror glass...

I've pulled several from scrap yard cars that just happened to be in PERFECT condition despite their age. Here's my take.

By design, day/nite mirrors do NOT have a protective coating of paint over the rear glass silver. So, the silver is wide open to attack from hostile chemicals. That's the reason I suspect the factory originally used glue in addition to the rubber surround...suck the mirror glass flat/flush to the rubber backing.

Silver is an aggresively active metal that'll interact with LOTS of acids and base PH oriented chemicals. The active ingredient in most glass cleaning agents is ammonia, a reasonably corrosive base.

If you clean the mirror with an ammonia based cleaning agent AND it 'wicks' down into the rubber surround, it can evaporate up and behind the mirror glass allowing surface contact to the rear silvering on the mirror.

That's why we see streaks of discoloration on aged originals. The silver is literally being 'eaten' up by glass cleaning chemicals. If you use simple soap and water (most soaps are a very mild base), and limit the amount of cleaner used to keep it from dripping/soaking down into the rubber surround, these mirrors will last for YEARS!

[Jack H.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Then, don't use lacquer thinner...use the 3M weatherstrip adhesive solvent. I only mentioned lacquer thinner because it's more readily available to most.

Plus, if you just carefull peel back the lip of the rubber surround and inject a limited amount of thinner for a limited period of time, the glue WILL dissolve and the mirror glass will release without damage to rubber (rinse the rubber thoroughly on removal of the glass)...

The problem comes when you immerse the entire mirror into a bath of thinner and let it sit overnight.

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Jack:
Thanks for the explanation. I did know that ammonia or other harsh chemicals would degrade the silvering but now I know thw adhesive has nothing to do with it. I have never used any chemicals to loosen the mirror from the rubber but if it works for you and you find that it doesn't damage the rubber then maybe it is easier and even safer (not risking tearing the rubber with a tool) than my method and I'll try it next time.
Jeff

[William G.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

For what it's worth I recently replaced the inside mirror glass on my 66 with one from Paragon, and the fit was poor. Maybe mine was a fluke but that was my experience.

[Jack H.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Your '66 (presuming we're talking about a day/nite mirror) has the glass held in the housing via crimp fit. After Ralph Nader cited mirrors as being 'unsafe' (facial laceration potential), the design changed in '67 to eliminate pointed protrusions (hence the day/nite knob changed geometry) and the mirror 'grew' a rubber surround with the glass held by the rubber vs. being crimped into the housing.

If you de-crimp a '64-66 day/nite mirror and extract the original glass, you'll find it has a slightly different geometry than that used for '67 and later mirrors.

First, the edges of the glass are beveled on both sides (front and back) to allow the radius of the housing's crimp to grab and hold. Second, the mirror glass rests inside the housing on one or more cardboard cutouts to thwart rattling and make the glass sit snugly in the crimped case.

BTW, that cardboard backing is REALLY prone to wicking up excess ammonia and spreading it across the rear side silvering on the glass!!!!

Paragon doesn't advertize their day/nite mirror glass to be 'compatible' with the earlier '64-66 mirrors because the glass isn't edge beveled and the geometry tolerance isn't held tightly enough. When they restore one of these earlier mirrors, they hand 'tweak' the '67 and up glass to fit the case precisely. This is what you have to do if you want to execute the restoration job yourself.

So, it doesn't surprise me that you found Paragon's mirror glass a poor fit for your '66 mirror! That's what I would expect absent modifying the glass to execute the job...

[William G.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Jack, I should have been more specific. My inside mirror is not a day-night mirror. The replacement glass sold by Paragon at Carlisle was a poor fit.

[Greg H.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

I just replaced my 70 day/night mirror with the Paragon replacement. Aside from the shape being asymmetrical, it fits fine and was easier than some of the above explanations so I thought I'd post it for others.

I found no evidence of adhesive behind my mirror. I simply heated the grey rubber with a blow drier and pried away the old glass. While the rubber is slightly adhered to the back of the glass it seems more due to the effects of humidity than adhesive. Came apart almost like a post-it note. The new glass slipped right into place after re-heating the rubber.

[Richard R.]

Re: Inside Mirror Restore

Norm I replaced the mirror on my 70's day/night mirror with one from Paragon. Used the wifes hair dryer as Greg said and it was a perfect fit. Hope this helps