Date:         Sun, 16 Jun 2019 18:56:20 +0000
Reply-To:     Keith Hughes <keithahughes@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Keith Hughes <keithahughes@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Power Mirrors - refurb and parts search
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I recently refurb'd and installed power mirrors on my van - not powered yet, but have the parts and when I get the time...
One of the mirrors was black with some dings and rash, and the other was painted white (I don't know for sure, but I don't think it was factory). The white one had also been whacked at one point and needed some crack repair as well as rash repair. The rash and crack was easily fixed with ABS cement. But, both of the white plastic beveled washers that go between spring and nut in the mirror mount are cracked and pretty useless. Has anyone run into a source for these, or some type of retrofit?  I assembled them without the washer and they work fine, but I'd like to find replacements for the long term. 

For those interested: To refinish, I started off using SEM products (high build primer, Ultra trim black, with SEM solve and adhesion promoter - not cheap) and found some interesting things. On the black mirror I used the primer to fill some finer scratches from rash repair, then followed with the Ultra trim black. Found that the Trim paint never hardens - supposed to remain flexible, but it was just too soft after 2 weeks in the AZ sun and I could just predict it ending up full of bugs over minimal time. While I was trying to cure it on the black one, I worked on the white one. I blended the repair on the crown of the mirror into the white paint, then primered with the SEM high build. Slowly as the primer cured, it dissolved the paint at the edge of the repair. I could sand and recoat and not have bubbles come through, but soon as I hit it with the Trim paint it would look great, then slowly bubble up - even though the primer base looked solid.  Tried just the Trim paint without primer at the feathered paint edge, and it dissolved the paint as well. Ended up stripping both completely, using Upol chassis black as base and clear coated with SprayMax 2K clear. So, just a warning to anyone using the SEM products over a painted surface; may have been the type of paint that was on the mirror, but ate a number of weekends for naught. The SprayMax 2K clear is seriously good stuff, and the mirrors look great, finally.

Keith Hughes
'86 Westy GenV Turbo (Marvin)