Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

[Dereck S.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

Bill,
Maybe an experiment could be done whereby you take the center knob in your picture. The one with only very light gray and put it on the window sill in your house directly in the sun for six months and see if the black portion turns gray?
Dereck

[Jack H.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

You may be the one to tell us!

The other pix in this thread confirm what I've known for a LONG time, the plastic is black up inside the mirror where it's protected from heat, UV and human touch. BUT, that's on early mirrors that lacked the '67 and up style of plastic/rubber surrounding the glass...

If I remember correctly the glass surround and the change in the geometry of the D/N actuator knob were reminants of GM responding to Ralph Nader's "Unsafe At Any Speed" movement with the focus being to safeguard the occupants from facial laceration in the event of a crash.

The rubber/plastic surrounding the glass is intrinsically grey in color. The later '67 & up mirrors have a "L-shaped" actuator lever with the lower portion point backward, away from the driver/passenger. Those levers are grey, apparently color coordinated to the rubber/plastic mirror surround.

Now, EXACTLY what color the 'tear drop' shaped actuator was on the short lived early '67 mirrors is something I know I don't know... If you're CONVINCED that the mirror you have is factory original to your early '67, you can tell us! How/why?

Turn the mirror upside down and using a flash light and magnifying glass, look up inside the mirror as you rotate the actuator knob gently back and forth. Do you see the telltale black color higher up on the shaft as the pictures in this thread indicate?

If not, it's possible that this limited run of early '67 mirrors actually color coordinated the teardrop actuator knob to the grey plastic/rubber glass surround as the later L-shaped actuator knobs were constructed and different from the through '66 versions of the mirror where the glass was crimped into the housing with black teardrop actuators...

[William L.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

I have no Dog in this hunt, I’m just saying that in all the mirrors I have taken apart. I have never ever seen an all Gray square knob. They are ether all black or black faded to gray. Don’t you think that if GM had wanted the knob to be gray instead of black, like the 65-66 knob, Donnelly the mirror vendor would have simply changed the dye in the plastic?
In my 67 fourth edition JM it dose not give a color for the square knob. It only says that lever style should be gray. So I would say that most judges would not deduct for a gray knob. My offer still stands for a free dinner if you can show me a all gray knob with out black plastic underneath !!

[Jack H.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

I don't understand the reference to 'Donley'... The D/N mirrors (that's why there's an actuator knob) were made/supplied by GM's Guide Division. I can't recollect ever seeing a D/N mirror from Donnelly Mirror, Inc...

[William L.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

I don't understand the reference to 'Donley'... The D/N mirrors (that's why there's an actuator knob) were made/supplied by GM's Guide Division. I can't recollect ever seeing a D/N mirror from Donnelly Mirror, Inc...

Jack
When I was restoring mirrors I bought all of my prism's from Donnelly. I just thought that Donnelly made the whole mirror for GM???

[David L.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

Enclose is a photo of 4 original day/night 8" mirrors that I collected from various junk yards in the 1980's. All are stamped "GUIDE GLARE-PROOF" on the top and "MADE IN USA" on the bottom near the knob. Three of the mirrors have a black knob (two 63 Corvairs and a 65 Buick Skylark). The early 68 Camaro mirror ("VZ", or Dec. 67, glass code on windows) has a gray L-shaped knob as well as a gray plastic band around the perimeter of the mirror.

I also have similar 10" mirrors with the same features ("GUIDE GLARE-PROOF", gray L-shaped knob, and gray plastic band) from the following: 66 Chevelle Malibu, 68 Chevrolet Impala, and late 69 Camaro (Sept. 69).

I also have a similar 10" mirror from a 66 Pontiac Station wagon with a chrome knob similar in shape to the black knobs but only smaller.

[Neal K.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

You may be the one to tell us!

The other pix in this thread confirm what I've known for a LONG time, the plastic is black up inside the mirror where it's protected from heat, UV and human touch. BUT, that's on early mirrors that lacked the '67 and up style of plastic/rubber surrounding the glass...

If I remember correctly the glass surround and the change in the geometry of the D/N actuator knob were reminants of GM responding to Ralph Nader's "Unsafe At Any Speed" movement with the focus being to safeguard the occupants from facial laceration in the event of a crash.

The rubber/plastic surrounding the glass is intrinsically grey in color. The later '67 & up mirrors have a "L-shaped" actuator lever with the lower portion point backward, away from the driver/passenger. Those levers are grey, apparently color coordinated to the rubber/plastic mirror surround.

Now, EXACTLY what color the 'tear drop' shaped actuator was on the short lived early '67 mirrors is something I know I don't know... If you're CONVINCED that the mirror you have is factory original to your early '67, you can tell us! How/why?

Turn the mirror upside down and using a flash light and magnifying glass, look up inside the mirror as you rotate the actuator knob gently back and forth. Do you see the telltale black color higher up on the shaft as the pictures in this thread indicate?

If not, it's possible that this limited run of early '67 mirrors actually color coordinated the teardrop actuator knob to the grey plastic/rubber glass surround as the later L-shaped actuator knobs were constructed and different from the through '66 versions of the mirror where the glass was crimped into the housing with black teardrop actuators...

As I previously stated, I purchased my early 67(#100179) in the summer of 1969.The tear drop shaped knob has always been a light shade of grey. It didn't start black or a darker shade of grey and then fade. The plastic is not deteriorating or showing any significant evidence of sun damage. I shined a flashlight inside the opening where the shaft of the knob goes into the mirror housing and it is grey for as far as I can see. The person who recently restored my mirror confirmed to me today that the entire knob on my mirror was grey and that that is usual for an early 67 corvette mirror. Lastly, I would think that if a plastic knob had originally been black and then faded to grey that underneath it would still be black. That should be easy enough for someone to check by scraping a little of the "faded" part off to reveal the black underneath. In my opinion it is more likely that when the mirror manufacturer ran out of the grey knobs they found some black knobs in the parts drawer that were intended for another application and just spray painted the part that was visible grey to match the grey rubber surround and called it "good enough"
Just one persons opinion.
Neal

[William L.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

Dereck & Neal, I was WRONG . I went out to the barn today and dug out all my old mirror restoration stuff and look what I found. I must have 10 of the gray knobs. All I can say is I'm sorry and its a B*tch when your memory goes second. I'm glad no one took me up on my dinner bet!!!
When you think your right, stick with it.
Bill

[Dereck S.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

Gray substrate; Amen.

[Peter L.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

Bill - Thanks for rechecking and responding back and clarifying the situation. You saved me from having to take apart one of my 67E D/N mirrors, which would not have been a big deal. I guess I wasn't hungry enough. And you are right about getting old. Pete

[Neal K.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

Dereck & Neal, I was WRONG . I went out to the barn today and dug out all my old mirror restoration stuff and look what I found. I must have 10 of the gray knobs. All I can say is I'm sorry and its a B*tch when your memory goes second. I'm glad no one took me up on my dinner bet!!!
When you think your right, stick with it.
Bill

Bill,
Your candor and "owning up like a man" is refreshing. Seriously, I have come to appreciate the wealth of knowledge that is available thru the Discussion Board and how members like you are so willing to share information and give of their time to folks like me. Meanwhile the restoration of my 67 inches forward.
Neal

[William L.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

Bill - Thanks for rechecking and responding back and clarifying the situation. You saved me from having to take apart one of my 67E D/N mirrors, which would not have been a big deal. I guess I wasn't hungry enough. And you are right about getting old. Pete

Pete
I should know better than to trust MY memory

[Chris E.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

This whole "grey" vs "black" issue is probably similar to the "white box on the top" vs. "black box on the top" of the crossed flags emblem on the horn button.

Two suppliers with a SLIGHTLY different spec...

[Brian M.]

Re: Early 67 Day/Night Mirror Help

I believe both of them to be correct.

This whole "grey" vs "black" issue is probably similar to the "white box on the top" vs. "black box on the top" of the crossed flags emblem on the horn button.

Two suppliers with a SLIGHTLY different spec...