briane

I need to replace the vanity mirror in my '70 passenger visor. The glass is already separated from the metal backing. Do I yank on the heads of the plastic pins to get the backing off the visor? Seems like they're locked in there pretty good.


On the repro vanity mirrors from the usual catalog sources--are they all the same? One better than the others?


Thanks,
Brian

Greg Rogers

I also want a answer to this question. I hope someone chimes in. It looks like the mirrors have posts that push in to the visor??....

briane

There are sockets in the visor core material that mirror's plastic posts push in to. But they don't seem to pull out very easily. In my case with the mirror out of the may, maybe I'll drill down thru the post center and see if it will weaken them to easily pull out.

Greg Rogers

Sounds reasonable, let us know if it works.

Allan R

Brian, if the vanity mirror you're describing is the one I'm thinking of (and I think it is) you need to be careful taking it off. The pins that go into the mirror are plastic and have an 'expandable' ball on the end. Once it's forced into the sun visor it expands and locks the mirror in. Once the end expands, the only way it can be taken out is to compress it again. The best way to take this mirror out is use a hair dryer to heat up the plastic backing on one side, then gentle use a spackle spreading knife to gently ease the mirror base up and out of the hole. Repeat the process for the other side. It will be easier when one side has been released.

The other thing you can do is feel the opposite side of the visor to determine where the expandable ball is located and gently press from that side to get the pin started on it's way out. The sun visor has a stiff center that is drilled to accept the mounting posts of the mirror and you should be able to feel them under the slight padding that's overtop. Again, use gentle force and heat to get the posts out or you'll end up breaking the mirror glass.

I used this second procedure at the boneyard a few times in the summer when it was bloody hot and it worked well.

briane

Allan


Thanks for sharing this information. My mirror glass came off the metal backing. So I'm looking at the thin metal plate, shaped just like the mirror, and the heads of the two pins. The pins go thru the metal backing. So perhaps I can heat the pins from the top side and push from the other side of the visor. I can use a putty knife or trim removal tool to lift the head prying against the metal.


I just ordered a replacement mirror from Fusicks. I saw one they supplied some time ago and it looked pretty nice. The pins had spacing consistent with the original, but I don't know if they have the same design. Also I don't know if they still source this item from the same place as the one I saw.


I'll let you guys know how this works out. What's the worst that can happen? Break the mirror and in seven years I'll be good?

Fun71

I replaced mine with a mirror that was just the glass. I left the original metal base attached to the visor and stuck the mirror onto it. I can't remember if the replacement mirror had a sticky tape backing or if I glued it (I think it came with sticky tape), but it has been on since 1998 and shows no signs of loosening. It's been through a decade of Phoenix summers, which can be brutal, and it's holding up.

Greg Rogers

Hey Ken, I like that idea! Do you remember where you got the mirror glass? Thanks.

Fun71

It was from one of the restoration places, likely Year One, Brothers Automotive, or The parts Place. I can pull the file folder to see if I have a receipt, but it's been so long (over 10 years) there's no guarantee they would still be using the same supplier.

briane

I was able to successfully replace the mirror. I slipped a wide putty knife under the mirror metal backing from the top side and a trim removal tool from the bottom side. The trim tool was above the putty knife so I could pry against it as opposed to directly on the visor. I tried heating the pin with a hair drier as suggested but I don't think I was getting the pin's shaft heated. With prying one pin popped out while the head broke off the other. In a drill press, with the stop set so as to bottom in the visor's pin socket, I used successfully larger bits to remove the shaft of the broken pin. Not being perfectly centered I didn't drill fully to the pin diameter, instead taking the last of it out with an Xacto knife and some small picks.


The replacement mirror I purchased from Fusicks was the correct overall size, had the correct pin spacing, and the pin diameters matched the originals (about 0.225"). Not knowing if the new pins would fit securely into the original sockets, I coating them first with some clear silicone adhesive. Turns out the new mirror seemed to snap into the original sockets just fine.


So any easy task that came out well.

starfire

The next person who tries to replace that mirror is going to curse you!

Greg Rogers

Good job. I'll have to see what type of mirror I can get for mine. Thanks for the info.

briane

I was thinking that maybe this will need to be done again in 40 years, but I doubt I'll be doing it. I thought with silicone adhesive it would be easy to break the bond if need be, compared to contact adhesive or JB Weld!


Surprising how nice the visors cleaned up. They look much better than the new ones I shouldn't have bought.