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I broke the mirror off of the passenger side (don't ask) and want to replace them with an older type mirror that would require drilling 5 holes into my doors and using riv-nuts to install the new mirrors. For the top three holes, Ford uses a piece of plastic/rubber to separate the mirror frame from the door, but nothing for the bottom two holes for the "arms" of the mirror frame. I'm wondering if I need to treat the holes with something before I attach the mirrors. Some kind of rust preventative chemical/paint maybe? The first pic are the mirrors I currently have (shown with Charlie, who wants to go for a ride), and the second pic shows all of the mirror types - I will be installing type 8 mirrors. TIA
Ford did use a plastic bushing between the mirror stand and the door for the mirror types used on this vintage truck, and there was also extra support behind the sheetmetal at all mounting points. If you don't have that support at the mounting points for the mirrors you have selected they will be quite wobbly and will damage the sheetmetal pretty quickly.
and there was also extra support behind the sheetmetal at all mounting points. If you don't have that support at the mounting points for the mirrors you have selected they will be quite wobbly and will damage the sheetmetal pretty quickly.
Whoa - I did not know that. Any idea what that support looked like? Guess I'll have to hit some local junkyards to take a look.
Just so you know, you will have to drill hole at top as well for that mirror. You will also have to make a plate for the center hole (at top) as there is a big square hole where wires go for power sport mirrors. Also you might have to make a plate to cover the wire hole. Been there done that.
I mounted mine one hole too far forward but would have to drill 3 new holes and fill old ones so will leave them alone.
wag53, so we know the 3 top holes do not match the existing mirrors holes. Did you match the rear existing hole with the rear mirror hole, or match the front existing hole with the front mirror hole?
I matched the front hole but they are too far forward(rt division bar is in mirror). As I said, I would have to drill more holes and I don't want to do that. So will leave it alone until paint then fix it.
I would definitely brush a little paint(color not important, won't see it when mirrors are mounted) around the inside of the freshly drilled holes before mounting the new mirrors. Otherwise you will soon see some nasty rusty streaks heading south from the mirrors on those good looking white doors.
Use clear silicone around the holes both inside and out..........fender washers on the inside of the holes should provide enough additional support that you wont have wobbly mirrors or start cracking the door skins out.........I'd recommend Nyloc nuts to make sure your bolts stay tight.
Whenever I cut a hole in sheet metal that wasn't in a place where it needed painted, I'd just put that rubber undercoating stuff all around the bare edges. Never had rust start afterwards. And yes I'm in the south but bare metal does still rust here.
If you get the Correct mirrors for your truck(the correct era style 8), they use 2 top holes and they will match right up with your existing sport mirror holes.
Also there is a left and right mirror. Make sure you moan them in the correct location or you will have to look thru the wing window bar if you moan the drivers side one on the passenger side and have the mirror folded in( I prefer to mount t them this way because I ALWAYS have the mirror folded out and it pushes the whole mirror forward so i dont have to turn my head as far. But then again I only moan these mirrors on dually, not 1/2 tons The pic shows how there is a bar at 90*(supposed to be the rear) and a bar on an angle(supposed to be the front)
Next up, there was a plastic gasket used to seal the top bracket to the door.
On the bottom, there were also small gaskets but they get lost. Just use a rubber washer.
As for drilling and unsealing nut-serts. Drill the hole the correct size. Use touch up paint to paint any bare metal. Then install the nut-serts.
As for support inside the door for the 2 lower mounting points, there are NONE from the factory. I like to use a piece of aluminum flat stock about 1.25" wide and 3/16" thick and about 36" long inside the door and just sandwich the door skin between it and the mirror brackets. I also use stainless nylon lock nuts on the lower mounting points
It's important that you use a reinforcement on the lower mounting points... I installed several of these at the Ford store when I worked there in the 90's... they need that to spread the load in case they are bumped hard... without this the bolts can pull thru.
The official name for these mirrors are "low mount swing-away mirrors"...
I HAVE seen a factory installed brace behind the lower mount but only on trucks with factory installed mirrors... just a simple piece of stamped angle steel.
08-07-2017, 10:05 AM
