Another shaky mirror fix....hopefully a better fix. (1 Viewer)

[Qball]

Just like most of 80 owners I have been dealing with shaky driver side mirror for years. Tried the zip tie method and didn’t work that great and pain to deal with. One the of the “ears” where the mirror hangs into the housing broke off a year go and fixed it with JB weld/epoxy, didn’t fix the shaking but some improvement. However the epoxy broke of a couple of weeks ago so I decided to use gorilla glue today and it should hold much better than expoxy.

After the gorilla glue fix the mirror still shakes ao I took a closer look on why it’s shaking. After taking off the mirror housing cover it was apparent that all the shaking is caused by the mounting slot to hang from the housing frame has been worn down and there is a lot of play.

So I decided to mix up a little bit of epoxy and filled the upper portion of the slot. I then waited till the epoxy is half cured but still soft and mounted the mirror and molded epoxy to the hanger on the mirror frame.

After a few hours I took it out for some hardcore mall crawling in the rain and no shaking!!!

So to solve the shakey shaky you just need 5 cents worth of epoxy!!!!


Oh here is the correct wiring for the mirror in case you have to figure it out like I did.

 

[ewillis]

On my list of to-dos...thanks brah

 

[asuddendeath]

Good show!
What happens if you need to take the mirror off the hanger?
Not that I could see this happening unless the mirror started to shake again.

 

[Qball]

Good show!
What happens if you need to take the mirror off the hanger?
Not that I could see this happening unless the mirror started to shake again.

That’s why I waited for the epoxy to be half cured and still a little soft but not sticky, it will form to the hanger but won’t bond to it.

 

[mudgudgeon]

I'd suggest drill through the glued joint and pin the ear on with some wire and glue so you aren't relying 100% on a small glued joint

 

[Qball]

I'd suggest drill through the glued joint and pin the ear on with some wire and glue so you aren't relying 100% on a small glued joint

Not a bad idea, it’s hard to see but there is an extra piece of plastic behind the original for reenforcement. If it breaks again I’ll definitely try the pin idea.

 

[Qball]

Quick update, drove the 80 to work this morning and NO Shaky mirror!!!! It is so refreshing and satisfying!

 

[mudgudgeon]

Funny such a simple thing makes a big difference!

 

[Qball]

Funny such a simple thing makes a big difference!

YUP! It also helps when I have to look at it constantly.

 

[Qball]

By far the cheapest and most satisfying fix I have done on the 80 ever! Have to look at my driver side mirror constantly when driving also makes this fix the most used.

So far it’s still holding great over some very bumpy roads but no off-roading yet. Here is the video showing the mirror is rock solid on bumpy local roads, freeway is no different.

 

[RayRay27]

Most of the slots were broken on mine so I went full JB weld on it. No more shakey mirrors.

 

[Tools R Us]

We always put double stick foam tape, reduces the chance of vibration. In this case the tabs were broken, but we add the tape ether way.

 

[Cruzerman]

I did this fix with epoxy putty. Been about 6 months. So far, so good.

 

[Qball]

Most of the slots were broken on mine so I went full JB weld on it. No more shakey mirrors.

JB well is just another epoxy. If you have all the original broken plastic pieces then try gerrila glue because epoxy isn’t terribly good at bonding to materials, it’s great for emergency breakfoix but not terribly strong for long term.

We always put double stick foam tape, reduces the chance of vibration. In this case the tabs were broken, but we add the tape ether way.

Do you leave it with both side sticky? With that I assume it will be hard to take the mirror off especially with 3M red. It is a great idea and I’ll add some to mine but I don’t think I want the double sided tape just in case I want to take the mirror off.

 

[Qball]

I did this fix with epoxy putty. Been about 6 months. So far, so good.

I did mine with epoxy first also but came loose after a while since epoxy doesn’t always have a permenant bond. I had better luck with guerrilla glue before so I’m trying thatvthis time and someone also suggested adding pins which is also a great idea. But one the ears are on there is a good chance the tab is a little worn so take and/or epoxy to ensure snug fit of the ears is important.

 

[Tools R Us]

...
Do you leave it with both side sticky? With that I assume it will be hard to take the mirror off especially with 3M red. It is a great idea and I’ll add some to mine but I don’t think I want the double sided tape just in case I want to take the mirror off.

We stick it, never had a problem getting them apart. Gently pry from the bottom and it peels loose.