Driver's side door mirror

[Jim Porter]

Hi all - When I installed new repro door panels I had to trim back (shorten) the pocket that the joy stick for the mirror control fits in, because the pocket was too deep and no threads were exposed to screw the retaining trim nut onto. I guess because I did that my mirror hangs loose in the mirror frame on the door. Does anyone have an idea about how to tighten up the cables so the mirror stays tight in the mirror frame.

Also on the outside mirror itself the previous owner had put in a regular screw with a head for the set screw. I have found that a #12 screw fits the threads in the mirror frame or housing. I can't find a #12 set screw, so I guess cut the head off and cut a slot for a screw driver?

Thanks.

[David Langhorne]

I can't see how the positioning of the control head in the door panel could have any effect on the tension of the 3 cables. Have you fitted the ends of the cables in the correct cut-outs of the control head? They are color-coded although the markings may have faded over time.

[Rt.146]

Repo. panel from what I read is another, aftermarket rip off, unless you possess the patients or skill , we probably all possess the patients in one degree or another the skill is another matter cutting them to fit without over-cutting is required, most of the repo. panels have several areas needing fitting, if they were less expensive then they are, possibly the fitting can be excused, though at the price they are, they should fit much better.

[cacockrum]

I had the arm rests on my '68 rebuilt by Just Dashes. They were perfect EXCEPT the joy stick for left outside mirror was not going to fit without some "help". The location and diameter of the hole were ok, but the distance between the bottom (interior) and upper (exterior) surfaces was too great, so the bezel nut would not thread onto the joy stick housing. Rather than removing any material, I used a heat gun to soften the vinyl along with a bolt and some different sized flat washers to reshape the vinyl, reducing that distance enough to get the threads started. Fortunately I had a two-pronged socket that fit the slots in the bezel, so I was then able to tighten the nut further while applying a little more heat. That way the vinyl was reshaped to exactly fit the bezel nut.

[ELTBIRD]

The remote was not working on mine so I removed the panel to find that there were no cables. I bought a mirror/cable assy on ebay. It works fine now. The issue I am having is with the original panel. It is supposed to fit into a channel on the bottom of the door. I set it in but it keeps coming out. The bottom of the panel seems to have "curled" inward a bit over the years. I was wondering if anyone had the same issue and found a way to correct it. Thanks, Ed

[David Langhorne]

Yes, the bottom of the panels can become a bit fragile over the years. An easy fix I used was to remove the panel, peel back the carpet (or vinyl) from the bottom and rivet/glue a piece of L shaped plastic strip onto the ledge under the carpet and projecting down below the bottom of the door card.
I can't remember the size of the plastic strip but I got one from a hardware store. Glue the carpet or vinyl back and trim the plastic by trial and error until it goes neatly into the channel.

[ELTBIRD]

Thanks Dave...I will take another look at that during the off season.