i opened my box with my new mirror and the gasket isnt even close to fitting the base. so my question is where can i get a good gasket or maybe a good mirror assembly. are the ones that say made in america good fitting units. i bought this one over a year ago and dont remember where it came from thanks rodney

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I have no idea but if you do not get a better answer send vettsteve@AOL.com an email and ask that question.  He is an inactive C2VR lifetime member that restores a lot of C3 so he may have a good current source. 

I bought new mirrors for the '74 a long time ago...either from Mid Am, or Eckler's...I can't remember. In any case, the gaskets I got were just like your's...way too large...stuck out like a sore thumb. I wound up using my old ones, then later, cut the new ones right down the center, trimmed, and superglued them back together, so they look, and fit, perfectly.



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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

 great idea!  now -  if I can only remember this when I need it .........

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Joel, I almost did that last night then thought that was a little "redneckish"!  If thats a word! I cant believe that any company would make something new that fits that poorly. I thought that maybe the ones that say made in America were better but I dont know. I'm betting that mine wasnt one of them but like i said its been at least a year since I bought all my stuff. I never had an old gasket so I must do something in the next few weeks. I am willing to buy a new one if the gasket mates up ok but I dont want to get stuck with another bad one! Paragon has their Made IN America mirrors back ordered and other then that I dont know if anyone else has another option. Hopefully someone else will have some better news!
Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Rodney


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 Wow! Paragon has 'Made In America' mirrors'? I've bought three... one from MAM that I sent back because it was total junk and two fron Ecklers..very little better.. all made in Taiwan. Would be nice to find decent ones that would last awhile...... Note to self... check out Paragon next time

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   I know the voices aren't real, but they have some pretty cool ideas...

And yer point is?
My long hair just cain't cover up my redneck....


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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

I saw this on Ebay today.  A possible consideration.

 

     http://www.ebay.com/itm/Corvette-Vette-Stingray-C3-Sport-Bullet-Mirrors-COMPLETE-SET-/160771034665?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item256eb34e29

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Corvettes and women are the same...You want to make love to them but they keep breaking down.

I'd love to have those mirrors.  My stick-chrome mounts keep coming loose.  With these though, they say they are reconditioned but did C3's ever come with these mirrors?  Plus I'd have to drill two more holes in the door.

Sport mirrors weren't offered until 77. If you want to change them, it's very intensive work. I've seen many people install them just thru the fiberglass. They are very fragile mounted that way. I fabricated large meatal backing plates that fit behide the fiberglass and are epoxied to the fiberglass. You have to make an opening thru the sheet metal skin to get to the mouning studs to secure the nuts and to install big back-up support plate (fabricated by me). You also have to make a place in your door panel for the remote control adjustment. It takes a lot of patience and work. A tool that I used was a pneumatic pencil die grinder. 

|UPDATED|4/25/2012 3:54:36 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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I ordered mirrors from Paragon today. They said they are made in America and the description says GM Restoration part. I ordered a left and right mirror and also the base to the left hand mirror. I plan on doing the 74 as well as put a mirror on both sides of the 72. I feel lost without a mirror on the passenger door. And it will make it a lot safer when out on the road. The mirrors themselves are back ordered until early around the first week of May. But they will ship the mounting kit out for a Saturday delivery, I'll let you knw how the gasket fits.
Rodney


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Gilbert,
The reason I did not contact vettsteve is because I took the mirror off my original 74 and the gasket is the same size as the rest of the gaskets I had gotten. I have come to the conclusion that the problem isnt the gasket but the base of the mirror seems to be slightly smaller on the aftermarket mirror I am hoping the mirrors that are GM Replacement from Paragon are a closer fit.  Also before I removed the mirror on the 74 I looked closely at the placement of the gasket. It also had a bit of the gasket sticking out around the base but it was more out on the top so not as visible as if you try to center it on the mirror base. My new mirrors from Paragon have not arrived yet. I am not ready to take the car out yet so I can wait a while yet but I hope to finish the interior in the next week or so then I will need to install a mirror. Thanks for the suggestion. I didnt want you to think I wasnt interested.
Thanks
Rodney


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Please keep us posted on the mirrors Rodney. I have put at least 3 different aftermarket mirrors on that were total crap. Yes I did have the gasket issue and used the original gaskets. But worse than that one mirror i purchased would blow out of adjustment at about 50mph. There is no way to tighten them up so back they went. So let me know how Paragon works for you. T

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Click on images for Before and After pics!

I'll let you know once I get them. Bad thing is that I probably wont have them at road speeds for a while.
Rodney


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Just an update on my mirror situation. The Made in America mirrors were ordered the last week of April. Since then they are still on back order with no definite date for a delivery. I called this week and was told they will ship once they come in. I ask if they had any idea when that would be and was told they hoped sometime in August. I may decide to try contacting vettesteve that was mentioned earlier. I will keep you up to date on the status of this mirror.
Rodney


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When I painted the car, I lucked out. The original gaskets were still in very good shape and I was able to re-ude them.

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LukesVette Homepage
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Just my 2 cents here

I bought a right hand mirror a while ago and diligently followed the instructions.  What a piece of crap.  Yes, the gasket was too big but I thought it was supposed to be that way.  The problem is I could never adjust the mirror so I could see behind me.  Now its come loose anyway and I get a good look at the road beneath me.  Suppose that's good if I run over money or something.

With the big pillars, I need a right hand mirror!

Just a quick update, I called paragon to find out what the latest was on the made in america mirrors that I had ordered the last week of April. They are still on back order. I ask what the issue was that its taking this long. (only been 4 months now!) The lady said it is due to a plating issue and didnt know when that would be corrected. Well I have the old mirror on the car for now so I guess I can wait it out! I will let you know when they come in.
Rodney Hake


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The original OEM mirrors had the head off-center.  Even w/ the head adjusted to the higher position, the rear fender still blocks a good portion of the view.  I'm always surprised at how many I see w/ the mirrors set in the low position.

I assume that there's no NOS available from Chevrolet.


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1973 L-82 4 spd

What is this high and low position?

Also, just day before yesterday, I was out for a drive and went to readjust my crappy side view mirror.  As soon as I took my hand off it the mirror part fell out...at 45mph.    So much for that mirror.

|UPDATED|8/24/2012 11:25:51 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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The mirrors I bought from Eckler's(I think) were perfect repros, except for the dated glass. I changed the mirror glass out on mine. The mirrors were loose as heck from the get-go...wouldn't hold position for crap. While I had the glass out, I tightened up the strap that holds the base to the ball, and got them to hold up pretty well. I have my old mirrors in a box somewhere. I can show ya'll how to get them tightened up so they will hold their positions better(but you will have to remove the glass first). I'll try to get some pics this weekend.

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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

I bought the left and right set for my '75 from Corvette Central. I've had them on for a few weeks now and up to 95 mph and both are holding their position perfectly. In fact, it takes some effort to adjust them which is good. The gaskets seemed alright. And the mounts are on good; I can rock the car back and forth while holding on to the mirror. It sure is a lot safer having the right side mirror.

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Since the pivot point of the mirror is off-center, you can rotate it such that over half the mirror is above center and affords a slightly better view above the rear fender kickup.

BTW, the F4 Phantom is/was my favorite airplane.  Could always tell when it was a F4 going overhead when we were plane guarding in the South China Sea because of the distinctive banshee howl of the engines at slow speed.


|UPDATED|8/24/2012 6:25:57 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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1973 L-82 4 spd

It sounds like the mirror situation is gonna be tougher than I thought. My driver door mirror was attached with sheet metal screws into the fiberglass. There is no backing plate at all. Not that I can find anyway.
Did you install the plate from the inside of the door or did you have to remove the fiberglass outside panel?

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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg

My mirror from the factory had "well nuts" in the fiberglass and that's what came w/ my psgr side mirror that I got thru parts dept.

Here they are if not familiar w/ them:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/Well-Nut-6AJU9?gclid=CNWWuefdirICFUZntgodtXAAJA&cm_mmc=PPC:GooglePLA-_-Fasteners-_-Nuts-_-6AJU9&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=6AJU9&ef_id=DptPrJURzBwAAB8B:20120828162331:s


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1973 L-82 4 spd

I sent that guy an email a few weeks ago and never got a reply.  Still wanting a couple of good 72 mirrors (small head).



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Gary
I got mine 2 weeks or so ago from Paragon. It is an american made. They are having some plating issues with many of them. Mine looks very nice. They still dont have the passenger side done yet but you might want to put your name on the list to get a pair if you dont want the aftermarket style.
Rodney

PS, Ive been waiting for mine since the end of April! Im A very patient person!



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  The aftermarket mirrors (Taiwan) always seem to loosen up after a while and you get a good view of the ground, as been said before. I found a way to fix them. After removing the glass, per Joel's instructions, I found there was nothing to tighten up since the nylon washer that should hold pressure on the mirror ball was split. I went to Home Depot and found some washers close in size, only thicker. and used them. I can barely move the mirror now. That was on the drivers side and now the passenger side is drooping. I will will be fixing that one soon and will try to remember to take some pictures and post them. I don't think my left mirror will EVER loosen up again.   Oh, and until I can fix it, I've found a drop of super glue around the ball on the outside holds it in place... until someone bumps it...

|UPDATED|9/22/2012 5:42:19 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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   I know the voices aren't real, but they have some pretty cool ideas...

What's the procedure for getting the glass out?  I want to fix my OEM mirror.  I've often wondered if there was a way to tighten them up - glad there apparently is!

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The mirror glass is held to the base with silicone....I used lacquer thinner to loosen mine. With the mirrors off the car(duh!), find a container that will hold up to strong chemicals, and is large enough to hold the mirror completely submerged. Carb cleaner, mineral spirits(naptha), paint thinner, etc. will work, but each has it's own amount of time to soften the silicone. I let mine sit for several hours, and just kinda push around on the glass every now and then to try to work it loose a little at a time. Once it is loose enough, it will pull right out. Clean the glass with soapy water asap after removing it. Don't use anything with ammonia! Ammonia will damage the silvering on the back. Amazingly enough, lacquer thinner did not...
Once the glass is out, you can see what hold the head to the base...it's kinda cheesy, but that's the way it has been done for years and years...


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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Here's some pics of a mirror. This was a correct, dated glass mirror that was just hanging on my car at the time, before I sent it to get painted. Mama walked by, and knocked it off, breaking the glass.  I found another mirror with correct dated glass, so all is forgiven...
Anyway, you can see how the glass is held to the head with small splotches of silicone....




The mirror head is held tight to the ball on the base by this strap, which is peened. A more accurate term would be "spun". The posts that the strap is on fit all the way thru the holes in the strap. The strap is then held with tension on it, and the whole mess is put into a machine with a concave mandril over the posts. The mandril is spun quickly, with downward pressure,a nd as it spins, the post metal heats up, and melts slightly, forming a rivet-like "head" over the strap. That's what holds it all together tight. Over time, the spun "peen" loosens, and the mirrors get floppidy. To tighten them back up, I have placed the heads on heavily padded block of wood, and used a punch to re-peen the posts. Most of the time, this works. Last time I did it on one of my mirrors, I got a  little overly aggressive with the hammer, and made a couple of small dents on the outside of the mirror head.




There are other ways to tighten these things up. If you have a drill press, or a really steady hand, you could pop the straps off the posts, and drill in the center of the posts, and then either use a metal screw, or tap the holes and use a machine screw. The posts would need to be shortened slightly for this to work well, but it is another option.


______________

Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"