When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My 68 has problems with the silvering on the back of my day/night rear view mirror and looks like stink.
I bought a replacement glass from Zip but can't get the old glass out.
I tried soaking the mirror overnight in mineral spirits as recommended elsewhere. This didn't loosen anything up.
Any tips?
I did mine, had to put a straight screwdriver between the glass and back and keep working it on each side a little at a time, suprised that it didnt crack, its glued on there good. Put a little PL 200 for glue back on. Next time it will be a replacement.
I tried prying but it's stuck real good. Accidentally made a little tiny cut in the rubber surround while prying so I stopped.
Some have suggested breaking the glass out. Is it hollow behind the glass? do you think breaking it out is a good approach?
I could have just broke it, probably easier. Its just flat behind it, you still have to pry the pieces off. could try adhesive remover on the glue slowly. you will get it, its just time and patience.
I took a heat gun to the edge of the mirror and that made the rubber soft enough that I could get the mirror out. Ditto putting it back in. Next time if there ever is one, I'll break the mirror glass, and worry about putting the new piece in. A friend bought a replacement assy. and it looks just the same as mine.
thanks wmkj69
so the repro mirror assembly is same quality as orginial with same markings and day/night function?
If so, at least I won't need to worry as much about messing up my original mirror as I "gain experience"
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
well I got the glass out finally.
Just a large flat blade screwdriver ended up being the best tool for prying it out. The glass did break in two during removal.
Then I tried to insert the replacement glass from Zip and it didn't fit! I held up the old and new glass and the replacement is clearly wider and longer than the original. I pryed and pryed the rubber surround but it's just too big.
Dang!
So now I'm deciding whether to take it to a glass shop and see if they can resize or returning it to Zip and get a replacement entire assembly.
well I got the glass out finally.
Just a large flat blade screwdriver ended up being the best tool for prying it out. The glass did break in two during removal.
Then I tried to insert the replacement glass from Zip and it didn't fit! I held up the old and new glass and the replacement is clearly wider and longer than the original. I pryed and pryed the rubber surround but it's just too big.
Dang!
So now I'm deciding whether to take it to a glass shop and see if they can resize or returning it to Zip and get a replacement entire assembly.
fwillison, PM me your contact information and we can look into it. If it is indeed incorrect we will be happy to replace it for you.
well I got the glass out finally.
Just a large flat blade screwdriver ended up being the best tool for prying it out. The glass did break in two during removal.
Then I tried to insert the replacement glass from Zip and it didn't fit! I held up the old and new glass and the replacement is clearly wider and longer than the original. I pryed and pryed the rubber surround but it's just too big.
Dang!
So now I'm deciding whether to take it to a glass shop and see if they can resize or returning it to Zip and get a replacement entire assembly.
I got it all the way back in after wrenching on it forever, only to find out that the mirror seems to be to big as I can still see the beveled edge of the mirror sticking out. So frustrating as getting it in was a PITA!
What did you end up doing with yours? Did you buy a repro mirror? If so, how's the quality?
I got it all the way back in after wrenching on it forever, only to find out that the mirror seems to be to big as I can still see the beveled edge of the mirror sticking out. So frustrating as getting it in was a PITA!
What did you end up doing with yours? Did you buy a repro mirror? If so, how's the quality?
Update on my own quote - I was able to get the mirror in using a heat gun to heat up the rubber shroud on the outside. After it’s heated up, you sort of have to manhandle the whole thing to get it to fit right. Don’t be afraid to wrench the rubber back a bit as it’s quite strong. It will fit very.. very tight. I also didn’t use any glue/silicon.
As always, appreciate others experience. I also wanted to preserve the original mirror unit and purchased the new mirror glass from Paragon as mine was tarnished with that gold/ brown rim visible in the glass. I have a small electronic repair kit with a plastic ribbed chisel that I used to mobilize the gray rubber casing off the glass. This is the same thing you would use to break the seal on the back of a computer or cell phone. Then I took the leap of faith and used a small nail punch to break up the existing glass. This worked best along the left and right sides, about an inch from the rubber. Used a thin long handled flathead screwdriver to get the glass out, middle piece came out as one big section. New glass went in easy just with my fingers, couple drops of 3M adhesive, same one used for weatherstripping. Whole job took 20 minutes so I'm not sure the $160-200 rebuild service is really needed if the unit is otherwise in good shape.
Are complete mirror units that much more expensive to purchase? Sounds like that would be a better way to go. With C3's it's always a trade-off between 1) buying only the detailed piece/part and spending lots of time/effort to manhandle the disassembly/rebuild process; or 2) just purchase the sub-assembly to eliminate the "learning curve" and the extra effort.
{Lord knows I've taken route #1 way too many times!!!}
Last edited by 7T1vette; May 13, 2021 at 05:40 AM.
Yes, but I purchased one of those Repo rear view mirrors, looks good, but when you flip it from day to night, the stop is in the wrong place, go's to far. original mirror didn't do that.
Are complete mirror units that much more expensive to purchase? Sounds like that would be a better way to go. With C3's it's always a trade-off between 1) buying only the detailed piece/part and spending lots of time/effort to manhandle the disassembly/rebuild process; or 2) just purchase the sub-assembly to eliminate the "learning curve" and the extra effort.
{Lord knows I've taken route #1 way too many times!!!}
No, reproduction units are cheap. If you don't care about keeping an original mirror, it's one screw to swap out for a new one. But to my knowledge no one makes an OEM reproduction so you can either send an original unit in to Paragon (currently not performing this service) or Dr. Rebuild for around $160 or buy the glass for $40 and replace it yourself, again, especially if your original unit is working properly and otherwise in good shape. I was putting a plug in for the techniques described to swap out the glass and found it to be pretty easy.
I sent my original '72 mirror to Joyce Borrell in PA to replace the glass and restore the housing. She advertises in NCRS publications and did a fine job. https://www.mirrorladypa.com/
Inside rear view mirror glass replacement
