Outside rear view mirror on a 69 is loose at the ball.

[Keith G.]

How is the best way to tighten it up, I would think it is like 67s but this mirror has no ring to take out, is it glued????

[Brian M.]

Re: Outside rear view mirror on a 69 is loose at the ball.

If you are looking for a quick no hassle fix, put a drop or 2 of loctite on the adjusting ball.

[Jimmy P.]

Re: Outside rear view mirror on a 69 is loose at the ball.

Brian,

The mirror glass on the C3's is held on with silicone adhesive in 4 spots. You need to soak it in lacquer thinner for awhile, over night or even longer to loosen up the adhesive and you can remove the mirror. Use caution when doing this because of fumes. There are a ton of suggestions here in the archives on different techniques to tighten them up. Mine on my 73 wasn't loose, I just needed to replace my non- dated mirror glass with a dated one.

[Joe L.]

Re: Outside rear view mirror on a 69 is loose at the ball.

How is the best way to tighten it up, I would think it is like 67s but this mirror has no ring to take out, is it glued????

Keith-------


There was an article in the Restorer magazine quite a few years ago on this very subject. It was written by Terry McManmon but I do not recall the issue. Terry might weigh in on it.

The method that Brian suggests might work, though, and will certainly be a lot easier. However, I don't know how long-lasting it will be.

[Terry M.]

Re: Outside rear view mirror on a 69 is loose at the ball.

Keith-------


There was an article in the Restorer magazine quite a few years ago on this very subject. It was written by Terry McManmon but I do not recall the issue. Terry might weigh in on it.

The method that Brian suggests might work, though, and will certainly be a lot easier. However, I don't know how long-lasting it will be.

Yes I wrote that article back in the early '90s, but I can not remember the exact issue it appeared in. IIRC I had to use gasoline. Lacquer thinner was not effective on the OEM sealant on my 1970. Joe's caution about fumes is to be strongly heeded. Do this outside and away from sparks and sources of ignition.

If the mirror is placed face down in the liquid you will not need that much liquid to cover the glass and ball. The liquid does have to get behind the glass to work on the silicone sealant. Cover the container and let it soak for several days. DO NOT pry on the glass. Bad things will happen if you do that. After soaking long enough the mirror glass will just fall out.

Using a small ball peen hammer you can tighten the rivets inside the mirror head to get more friction on the ball. Just be sure to support the back of the mirror head well so you don't dent the back.

Use silicone RTV to hold the mirror glass in.

Having said all that it is a defect of original late 1969 and 1970 mirrors that the ball loosens over time. It is a sign of an original mirror of the era, but unlike we don't deduct for visible body seams on original paint cars you are likely to receive a deduction for the loose mirror. Consistent, US???

[Joe L.]

Re: Outside rear view mirror on a 69 is loose at the ball.

Here's the article from the Restorer:


MirrorFix(a) 001.jpgMirrorFix(b) 001.jpg

[Keith G.]

Re: Outside rear view mirror on a 69 is loose at the ball.

Ok thanks guys, the mirror is socking as I type.