I acquired a set of rust free doors for my '80 from the JY. One is off an '87, the other off a '94. The '87 had western style mirrors but the '94 didn't. What is the best way to go about converting it to the western style? It looks like it has a bracket on the back of the door skin to hold nuts, can this be cut off or removed from the inside?

Or... if somebody is in need of a later style mirror door shell and wants to trade me a rust free door shell with western mounts, I'd be open to that too. Saves us both the work.

 

Do you mean towing mirrors? I am trying my best to get Dodge style towing mirrors to work on my Ford, I think it will work sexy. I've determined that the best course of action is to remove the vent windows fab up a metal piece to fit in there drill it out for the mirror and then bolt it in, and box in the back side.

 

The '94 door on the left, my '80 on the right. I have the western-style arm mount mirrors, and the '94 had the all in one unit that just bolts on under the vent window pillar.

I planned on welding up the holes for the old mirror and drilling the new ones, but I'd like to know what goes with that backing piece.

 

That is not a "Western Style" mirror.

This is a western style mirror:



I am not sure how the Western Style mirrors attach.

 

Heh. It lists my style mirror as a low mount swing away Western style in the dealer brochure... I think. I'm not sure what else they'd be called. Jughandle mirrors...

 

I'd call them "break-free proximity detectors". Or "wind resistance friction plates". Sheesh they really stick out.

 

Correct. or Jr west coat mirrors

 

Ford actually refers to both mirrors as western style. It depends on what brochure you are looking at.

 

And I am not sure when the last year was those were offered from FORD?

 

My 1985 brochure calls the ones on the red door swing lock mirrors.

The 1980 - 1981 swing lock mirrors have a slighter different, more angular mirror head.

I think 1991 was the last year for the swing lock mirrors.

 

Western style to me is what you see on an 18 wheeler. Then you have the tripod mirrors like mine, where you have two arms that mount just below mid-door. The ones on your door Id just call a low mount swing away mirror.

 

When I was growin up my family owned a 94 F150 with the swing out mirrors.

 

97 You could still get those mirrors

Or

or

 

LMC has all of the different mirrors shown on one page of their catalog.

LMC Truck Parts - Page 75

My truck originally came with the little "car" style mirrors. A PO removed them and installed some aftermarket "swing lock" mirrors. He just drilled holes and drove in sheet metal screws. The door panel has stress creases in it from times when someone (or something) has pushed the mirror back on its pivot. The stiffening plates inside of the door would definitely be useful. You could probably remove them from a door and add them to the new door, or you could make your own. I think it would try putting them in with body panel adhesive. Welding would warp the door panel. If you clean both parts down to bare metal, the body panel adhesive is incredibly strong.

 

I picked up a set of new mirrors from ebay, and they came with the screws and plastic "nuts" so you could actually do the conversion. They were actually those plastic push nuts that you would use for license plate screws, and they used large self tapping screws with like a 3/8 or 7/16 head and flathead slot. Maybe a #10 screw? I'm not sure what size they were. It looks like you just drill the right hole, and shove those things in there, and mount it with the self tapping screws.