My stock side mirrors need adjustments every time the door is shut.
Looks like the after markets replacements Im seeing on ebay and other sites aren't much better.
Any other suggestions?

 

Is it the arm or mirror attached to the arm that moves? i am going to guess that it is the mirror itself. You didn't say what year your van is? I will use information from my 85 Ford service manual... The manual calls those style mirrors "western" mirrors. Unless you can find the exact Ford factory mirrors, I would not replace the mounting arms. My mom has a 78 E100 and years ago she let someone replace the factory mirrors with aftermarket mirrors. The mounting brackets did not line up with the factory holes and whoever mounted them for her did a crappy job..

If your mirrors are like the ones on my 88, the mirror POST? is like a big rivet to the arm and the only way to get the mirror head off of the arm would be to drill out perhaps. If you can get the mirror head off and then replace it with an after market mirror head would probably be the best option. I do not know if you can buy the mirror head separately but replacing just the head would be the way to go.. Those in the pic above have 2 screws that you can tighten to tighten the mirror head on the stud.. At least that is how my moms mirrors work..Till they get to the point where they will not tighten any more..

I have seen some ford mirrors on Ebay but seems like they wanted over $100 each!!!

Another possible option. I say possible because I have no clue but Ford did make a replacement glass and if you break out the original glass you might have access to the inside and could possible figure out a way to tighten it up and then replace the glass. I have been driving my van for 5 or 6 years now and have never adjusted the mirrors since I set them when I bought the van.

Here is some info from the manual.., looks like they use special retaining nuts in the door to bolt the arms to the door.

 

Thanks for the info and thoughts. Yeah its just the mirror head that flops over. The friction on the post/neck just isnt what it used to be I guess.
The idea of replacing the glass to gain access is something Ill think for sure.

 

I'm interested in this as well, mine do the same thing. I actually bought replacement mirror heads from lmc truck but the quality is just not even close to the factory mirror heads. I've thought about trying to get the glass out to see if something inside could be serviced but have been hesitant to do so in fear of ruining the mirrors.

 

Well I came across some more information that might fit in this thread since its about mirrors.
This info is from my master parts catalog i am just trying to learn how to use!. It states that some of the diagrams are generic. Eariler I stated that my mirror head head appeared to be riveted to the arm but that is not correct. I checked in the day time and there is recessed bolt head with a torx like head and is flush with the underside of the mounting arm. One of these new pics shows the bolt.

For used several types of mirrors throughout the 80's
Type 9 is what i believe we are all; talking about in this discussion.


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The #9 mirror also came with different variations though.
I think this is the most common used on our vans.
Notice the bottom mounting bracket is just above the crease line in the door. It also shows the bolt that holds the mirror head to the arm.


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Here is a second type and the bottom arm appears to mount in the crease line. It also shows a nut holding the mirror head on.


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And finally for those who could afford to buy extras was the electric mirrors which I have never seen on a van...


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Ok so now for the part numbers.
Under the "year" you will sometimes see 80/, that means the part was used from 1980-1989. since the catalog ends at 89,,, most parts also apply all the way to 91.
If the yer shows something like 80/82, that means that the part was only used on 80-82.

Under Model/Restrictions A=areostar, B=Bronco E=Econoline, F=F series trucks, R=Ranger, and U? (My neurons are not firing correctly today) I should know what U stands for..

Assembly is the complete unit arm and head. The KIT I believe is the Assembly with mounting hardware. Then of course "head" is the mirror housing and frame.



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If you are willing to spend the money for new parts then once you identify the part number and are sure it is the correct part number, You can try searching rearcounter.com and see if anyone has the part in their files.

For used mirrors you might try https://www.car-part.com/ There is a large selection of yards to choose from and most all will ship the parts to you. The only issue is that you cant inspect the part before buying it. I just ordered 2 spindles and took them to a auto machine shop to have them checked out. They were good but if not I had 30 days to return them for a refund.. Each yard will probably have a different policy though so ask them if you go this route..

Looking on autozone and a couple of other sites they say they have a replacement glass... You could probably shop around online and find a replacement cheaper though.. Once the glass is out then I would think one could figure out a way to hold it in place..

Another option might be a locktite product to glue it in place.

 

a last note is I went and measured my mirror and glass measured 5x8
https://www.ebay.com/itm/36346620452...evt=1&mkcid=28

 

That seller offers Burco Products which are also available direct from that company, find them here: Burco Inc They're not the cheapest you'll find BUT they are high quality replacement mirror elements and have a ton more knowledge than just someone who's a re-seller. Those of us in the automotive glass business buy quite a bit of their products through our wholesale suppliers.

Of course they require year, make, model and which mirror you need, none of this "generation" nonsense.

 

I bought a set off of amazon like what is on Bronco's, they bent to line up with the stock van mirror hole locations, yet mirror bracket wasn't identical, so I used a rivnut tool to insert new threaded inserts to mount them, drivers side did hit the vent glass when opened, had to move the mirror head out on the arm, 6mm mounting bolts BTW, I used stainless steel Ford factory mirror bolts.

 

That's why, if at all possible Maples, one needs to try to use the factory original arms/brackets and fit the mirror head to the arm/bracket

 

yes I confirm, the 2 lower and upper brackets rust very quickly, see immediately with the first rain, on the cheap reproduction available on Ebay. Also the 4 head screw.
Every 2 months I have to remove the rust with a steel wool 0000 and apply a special oil to prevent rust. It's not much to do but boring on brand new Chinese pieces.


Besides, if someone has these 2 original FORD non-rusted brackets, I am very interested in buying them. Packaging and shipping costs at my charge of course.
i’ve an U.S address for shipping on Atlanta, GA.

 

Yep, mine rusted first rain drop that hit it, I hate chrome, prefer stainless steel.

 

I too suffer from floppy mirrors, I was wondering if anybody simply squirted some type of sealant into the holes to set and forget. If so what did you use? I did replace the mirrors, but since the pivot/ball thingie was already so worn, it didn't do anything to help me.

 

@jvossman did the ball ball/pivot look to have any serviceable pieces? Maybe a few drops of loctite, read that tip on a corvette forum.

 

Found this thread that had a few extra picts of the mirror and one post explains the construction of the mirrors.
Looks like theres a spring in there around the pivot. Wonder if adding in some shims or washers to add some more tension to the old spring.

 

The ball was just worn out after all these years. I'll try loctite I have some for mt bike stuff.