68 Corvette driver side mirror mounting problem
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Instructor
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 101
Likes: 2
68 Corvette driver side mirror mounting problem
I didn't wonder until today why I had no holes for the left/driver door mirror. The passenger door ironically had the holes for the well nuts that the dealer would use to install the passenger mirror. Apparently my body guy decided to fill them on the driver door. I divorced him about 5 years ago, and why he did it doesn't much matter now. I just need to solve my problem, which is:
I drilled two small holes in the area where the driver mirror should have been mounted (I made a hole template using the passenger door, and I also found a template in this forum which matched). I expected to hit the reinforcing plate for the mirror that I see in the AIM, and I did. The only problem is that the plate isn't attached to anything, it is just flopping in there. It seems to be sitting on a narrow shelf inside the door, just below the top of the door. I don't see a way to get to it. When I moved it around with a thin awl through the hole in the fiberglass, I can see that one of the screws originally securing the mirror base had its head sheared off when the body guy removed the mirror assembly.
So my question is, what do I do? It's kind of hard to do anything through the two 1/4" holes I drilled in the fiberglass. I don't really see any way to easily get at that area from the inside of the door (the innards of the door are all in and the door panel installed, too). The only thing I can think of is buying a pair of well nuts and mount it like the mirror would be mounted on the passenger door. But won't the mirror be kind of loose and floppy while driving?
Has anyone else run into this? What did you do?
I drilled two small holes in the area where the driver mirror should have been mounted (I made a hole template using the passenger door, and I also found a template in this forum which matched). I expected to hit the reinforcing plate for the mirror that I see in the AIM, and I did. The only problem is that the plate isn't attached to anything, it is just flopping in there. It seems to be sitting on a narrow shelf inside the door, just below the top of the door. I don't see a way to get to it. When I moved it around with a thin awl through the hole in the fiberglass, I can see that one of the screws originally securing the mirror base had its head sheared off when the body guy removed the mirror assembly.
So my question is, what do I do? It's kind of hard to do anything through the two 1/4" holes I drilled in the fiberglass. I don't really see any way to easily get at that area from the inside of the door (the innards of the door are all in and the door panel installed, too). The only thing I can think of is buying a pair of well nuts and mount it like the mirror would be mounted on the passenger door. But won't the mirror be kind of loose and floppy while driving?
Has anyone else run into this? What did you do?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,713
Likes: 1,372
Here... read this thread. Quite fascinating on how to do a metal plate.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...placement.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...placement.html
Safety Car
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,747
Likes: 713
From: Lafayette Louisiana
I did the following when I added an outside mirror to the RH side of my 68. Corvette Central and others sell this kit.
Very similar to how you secure a trolling motor to the bow of a boat with no access on the back side. This kit worked great on my 68. Although I agree Dub's method is a great way to put the mirror attachment back to OEM on the LH side.
Very similar to how you secure a trolling motor to the bow of a boat with no access on the back side. This kit worked great on my 68. Although I agree Dub's method is a great way to put the mirror attachment back to OEM on the LH side.
