68 rearview mirror restoration

[beh911]

Guys,
I am no admin here, but I think there is some sort of trial period based on number of posts or moderator discretion that all of us go through. I remember wondering the same thing about approvals of my photos and then one day they just started showing up immediately.

Be patient. Meanwhile, maybe Chuck or someone else could chime in on the approval of new user pic posts...

[mshaver51]

Thanks to beh911, too. I didn't mean to sound as if i was complaining. the collective knowledge at this community outruns everything else. i just couldn't figure out how to get the photos into a response to rotmilky expeditiously. i'm an old man and this electronic stuff is a bit elusive for me. luckily, i have grandchildren that can explain it. in the meantime, i just kind of flop around until someone explains it simply enough that i can understand it. (tell chuck that, if he'll help me, i promise not to post any pictures of shirtless new york congressmen.)

[stphers]

Hi, I am an old BMW guy as well as a Porsche fellow. I seem to remember that when I did a little BMW 1600 up and I was able to find a "sport " type version of the interior mirror that was quite a bit longer, if memory serves me, it was just about the same length as the Porsche mirror. I also think that an early 5 series mirror had the same ball and socket on the backside but was also longer. Something to check out.

Thanks, Rick

[raspy2point2]

Side reflectors are only a hallmark of US delivery cars. My '68 911L does not have them-- never did. It also does not have the smog pump-- never did. It also does not have the 911S deco trim under the doors and 911S bumper trim--never did. This is ROW car. In Europe the 911L took the place of the standard 911 that we got in the states still. There was no 911 normal in the rest of the world production. Also these cars were made into the 911L factory Rallies. Chris

[jhelgesen]

I'm going to see if this fits...

[Rotmilky]

I'm going to see if this fits...

I'm assuming that's a Mercedes part? Is that NOS? Sure looks new. If so, any chance you have a part number? Post some photos of it in your car once you get it on there.

I ordered a used Mercedes mirror from fleabay a few days ago to see how well it'll work. Hasn't arrived yet, but I plan to soda blast the black coating off...which I think a previous post said was rubberized. I've also got a pretty good original mirror coming (thanks Mike). I'm hoping to try to disassemble my original mirror. Will post up any progress I make on the disassembly. If I can get the mirror apart without breaking it, I'm hoping to disassemble the new mirror, make a plastic mold of it and then cast a new back. We'll see if I have the courage to try to take apart an original '68 mirror in good shape. Easy to say "I'm just going to take it apart", but once you hear that old plastic start creaking , I tend to call it quits.


--Von

[jhelgesen]

Yes, its a Mercedes part, brand new #107 810 02 17, listed as 72 to 89 350's to 560's. Should arrive in a few days, that's a picture from the auction. Figured it was worth a try....

[Rotmilky]

Since I've got a much better 68 mirror on the way, I decided I'd take the plunge and try to disassemble this mirror. I managed to get it apart tonight. The mirror housing is a kind of stretchy plastic. The mirror just sits in a slightly recessed channel. From the mirror side, I took my thumbs and pushed the plastic out and off the mirror. First one corner and then the next.
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aVHGdJLd-deObYJOh7Ei3A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ff16NkUYCyc/TlRYekQw0uI/AAAAAAAAAXE/yMF12O5u0gA/s400/IMG_1248.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/107685368595078804853/1106Porsche911OriginalState?authuser=0&feat=embedw ebsite">11 06 Porsche 911 original state</a></td></tr></table>

Once the side was free, I could grab the mirror with one hand, the plastic housing with the next and then pull in opposite directions to free the mirror. The problem with my sun-damaged plastic is that the stretching caused the brittle edge of the plastic to crumble. So, be aware that the plastic may look like this afterward:
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9g-XxEV8Eyrhj-x2nh0HOw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-d-eBVZ8d8z0/TlRWnKOIH5I/AAAAAAAAAWo/gCP74chlLg4/s400/DSCN0449.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/107685368595078804853/1106Porsche911OriginalState?authuser=0&feat=embedw ebsite">11 06 Porsche 911 original state</a></td></tr></table>

Here is a photo of the mirror completely disassembled, including the plastic 'bright-light' toggle removed. Look closely at the back of the glass portion of the mirror and you can see it's stamped in red 'May 1968':
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/i2YajoNYXJgrpP44kq3ogA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nonxF5MBxMM/TlRWpQZ3ojI/AAAAAAAAAW0/4MeeaPs-eiQ/s400/DSCN0456.JPG" height="321" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/107685368595078804853/1106Porsche911OriginalState?authuser=0&feat=embedw ebsite">11 06 Porsche 911 original state</a></td></tr></table>

And how the toggle switch clips into the back:
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/govVt_038JR7ul7Inb2PlA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rZXdx1AWdN8/TlRWomSzeDI/AAAAAAAAAWw/UTTDytbStC4/s400/DSCN0455.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/107685368595078804853/1106Porsche911OriginalState?authuser=0&feat=embedw ebsite">11 06 Porsche 911 original state</a></td></tr></table>

I'm really surprised at how this toggle switch works. It's held to the bigger piece of plastic by a really thin sliver. I'm talking hair thin--look at the photo below. If your mirror toggle is floppy, I'm pretty sure the hair-thin attachment has broken. Mine is white from the stress of 40 years of movement and probably would break soon. Here it is side on:
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gDZND9HeD6jfAC-9yUhP6A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FqVTyuzEeFg/TlRWqKEMKXI/AAAAAAAAAW8/6hmU10gOXt0/s400/DSCN0458.JPG" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/107685368595078804853/1106Porsche911OriginalState?authuser=0&feat=embedw ebsite">11 06 Porsche 911 original state</a></td></tr></table>

This is the only mirror I've tried to disassemble so far. Outside of the potential of stretch-related brittle fracture of the surface, I don't see any major problems with popping the old mirror out and putting a new one in if we can locate a mirror with the same shape and dimensions. I *don't* think my mirror was glued in, but just held by the channel. Here's a photo of part of the channel, and I see no old glue in the bottom:
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HQxTrC7-QW_josKmSnk9oA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BgB1xu-hNB8/TlRWnykKLGI/AAAAAAAAAWs/QuDXDTWonWY/s400/DSCN0451.JPG" height="321" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/107685368595078804853/1106Porsche911OriginalState?authuser=0&feat=embedw ebsite">11 06 Porsche 911 original state</a></td></tr></table>

Maybe it stayed on the ground glass mirror edge, but I didn't see any there. In any event, if the mirrors were glued in, my glue had long since deteriorated.

[Rotmilky]

Oh yea, after I got the mirror disassembled, I could inspect the socket that the ball inserts into closely. There are two slits in the side of the socket that allows it to expand around the ball as it's pushed into the socket. So, it seem that the correct technique to get the post connected and disconnected to the mirror was basically what I posted earlier. Liberal amounts of brute force.

[joe912]

Rotmilky : Very nice work I have a 68 myself but my issue is with the metal part that it started to have some kind of rust (or maybe is part of the metal grain?) . I have a couple of questions for you :

1) How do you detach it from the headliner by pressure only ?
2) How can I have a smoother metal by sanding ?

Thanks.