[dataway]

Is there anyway to replace just the mirror glass on a 68 A-body mirror? Mine has some problems around the edges and I really don't want to replace this nice US made piece with some Chinese garbage. The rest of the mirror is in excellent condition.
Thanks.

[67GP428]

What I did was order a new rear view mirror. and installed the mirror in the orignal housing. Easy as Pie.

[dataway]

Did you have to peel off the vinyl surround? ... seems like it's own there pretty tight.

[tjs72lemans]

I have the same issue. A friend told me a glass shop can cut a new one to install. But, I also wondered if the outside rubber just peels off and the glass can be removed. Or, are they glued to metal backing of mirror?

[DavesGTO]

Fwiw there is a guy on Facebook that restores these. I have my wife in the Pontiac GTO group on there just to look at picks. Every once in awhile something useful there, that’s where someone asked and a bunch of people recommended him and the guy himself also replied.


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[dataway]

I wondered how a simple replacement glass mirror would work with the "day/night" thing ... is there another mirror inside?

I do have a spare ... I guess I could just go at it and see how hard the vinyl is to get off. Maybe warm it up some.

[67GP428]

I was able to peel off the trim surround with no issues. I can't remember if I had to glue the surround when I reinstalled it?

[jeff chmura]

The way I understand, the day/night mirror is different, In that it still allows viewing when in night mode, two reflections so to speak.
It's a different type of mirrored glass compared to like a side view mirror.
I also would like replace my original Glass. The frame is fine, the glass is crap.
Mine is the day/night type

[Formulabruce]

I have done plenty. Usually hot water can really help get the outer ring soft.

[dataway]

Ohhh... hot water, good idea.

I'm going to pull one apart tonight, I'll post pics of the results.

[dataway]

Below are my pictures of the dissection.

Bear in mind this is a 67-68 type mirror it may not be the same construction as other years.

First ... the vinyl trim is not trim. It is a solid flexible vinyl piece that goes completely behind the mirror and is bonded around the back edges to the metal base. If warmed up enough the glass probably can be removed by stretching the lip that holds the glass in, the glass seems pretty sturdy so you can do a little prying around the edges.

Second ... it's not regular glass, it's thicker on one long edge compared to the other (see picture of the cross section). Also when viewed at an extreme angle you can see the strange banding it creates ... don't know anything about optics so not sure what causes this ... probably the differences in edge thickness.

Third ... it's a typical "second surface" mirror with the reflective coating on just the back side, nothing sandwiched in the glass itself ... so it could be resilvered by a mirror shop I'm thinking ... or DIY with the right kit.

For probably less money you could do as 67GP suggests and just buy a new mirror and carefully pry the lip out and replace the glass. I wouldn't recommend separating the vinyl backing from the metal base unless you want to get in there and lubricate the mechanism (just a simple spring loaded off center pivot). However I have no idea if the repop mirrors use this same type of asymmetrical thickness glass or some other mechanism to be "anti-glare" ... if they use some other method then the glass would fit, but wouldn't work the same. Also I have no idea if the repop glass is the EXACT same size or not ... the vinyl surround that holds it in isn't going to tolerate much difference in size.

The "anti-glare" function appears to work by shifting it from a "second surface" mirror to a "first surface" mirror ... meaning at night when you flip the switch you are seeing a less efficient reflection off the front of the glass, rather than the perfect reflection off the rear silvered surface of the glass. The difference in thickness top to bottom compensates for the change in angle so the mirror is still adjusted to the same view as the daytime setting.

Shame no one seems to sell just the glass.

[tjs72lemans]

Interesting. Thanks for posting that.

[67GP428]

Like I said before. The new China made unit works the same as the orignal rear view mirror. Ames repop unit is only $49 and I feel it is worth the cost just to use the mirror.