Date:         Tue, 21 Aug 2001 10:28:54 -0400
Reply-To:     doug.alcock@HEWITT.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Doug Alcock <doug.alcock@HEWITT.COM>
Subject:      Re: My passenger mirror has fallen and it can't get up
Comments: To: '80 Westy Pokey <pokey@VANAGON.ORG>
Content-type: multipart/mixed;
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>My passenger mirror is loose at the sort of ball joint and will not stay aimed.
Is there any way to adjust the >tension? Should I just get a new mirror?

Hi Chris,

     Take the mirror off (two screws at the base). Look up into the base ---
you'll see a nut, stud and spring arrangement. You can tighten the nut --- and
this will hopefully cure the floppiness. Approach this gently, with lots of
penetrating oil if it looks at all corroded. The stud is just stuck in the
plastic and can pull out --- or (as happened to me once) can simply shear off.
There's a fix for the loose stud from Dave C which I post below.

Cheers,
Doug Alcock
'84 Westy
Toronto, Canada

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is to pass along a fix for non-power mirrors (which I now have).

So, you've got floppy mirrors, eh? And no amount of tighening the bolt
underneath will fix it? Thats prolly because the "mounting stud" is slowly
pulling out. Well, the following repair that I made to my passenger side
mirror has been working fine and doesn't take a lot of talent.

You will need:
tube of JB Weld
vise
Vise GripsŪ
bench grinder (wear safety goggles/gloves/french maid uniform if you want)
keen line of vision
beer (optional)

1-Remove mirror from side of door. (If you can't do this, stop reading now!)
2-Disassemble the nut/spring assembly making note of where things go. Draw a
picture if you need to.
3-Now...place the arm of the mirror in a vise so that you can pull on the
stud extending from the swivel part and it won't slip. Pad it with some old
cloths or something. Don't tighten the vise too tight.
4-With appropriatly sized vise grip, grasp the smooth part of the shaft &
clamp down firmly.
5-Pull the stud. Pull some more. Pull hard enough to pull it out.
6-When stud is removed; rest, have a beer. Look at the way the bolt emerges
from the socket. Remember it.
7-Now to use the grinder. The object here is to remove material from the
surfaces of each of the six sides and end to make room for JB Weld to fuse
the metal stud and the white cast metal of the mirror support arm. I removed
about .5-1 mm I would guess from each surface.
8-Periodically test fit the stud to fit loosely in the previous home of the
mirror support arm. You want enough room to glop some JB weld in there and
get a good contact between the two.
9-Mix up JB Weld.
10- Glop some JB Weld into the hole. Use a toothpick to get good coverage on
the surfaces down in there. Glop some JB Weld onto the surface of the stud.
Not too much, just coat  _all_ surfaces.
11-Insert stud so that it resembles it's position before you removed it.
12- Clean around area of socket to ensure smooth surface contact between the
ball and the socket.
13-Loosely assemble to look for clearances. Fix any problems. Dissasemble
for curing.
14-Postion the mirror for curing so that the stud protruding from the arm
now points straight up or position a clamp to hold it in place during
curing.
15-After about a day or so resemble and enjoy a tight mirror.!

Cheers,
Dave C.
Williamsburg, VA
           zzzzzzzzz__
         |E[__] [__]|[_]\\
         | _DC&SP | _ ||
* * * =-( )---------( )--=
'85 GL Westy (His)
'91 Cabriolet (Hers)




|--------+------------------------------->
|        |          "'80 Westy Pokey"    |
|        |          <pokey@VANAGON.ORG>  |
|        |                               |
|        |          08/21/2001 10:15 AM  |
|        |          Please respond to    |
|        |          "'80 Westy Pokey"    |
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  |      To:   vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM                                   |
  |      cc:                                                               |
  |      Subject:   My passenger mirror has fallen and it can't get up     |
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Thanks,
Chris Gronski
'80 Westy "Pokey" - SLOPOKEY
'87 Chevrolet Sprint - Ice Racer
'91 Pontiac Firefly - Convertable
www.vanagon.org & .ca
www.gronski.com, .org, & .ca
www.nineeleven.org & .ca