Chris FJ80
SILVER Star
I am on my second driver side mirror and now it too has gotten floppy.
I decided to go the route of using a "bolt" to compress the spring, but really wanted the wires (both the OEM motor wires and my aftermarket heating pad wires) to be able to route up through the center post.
I looked at using one of those threaded tubes used in ceiling fans, but the inside diameter was a bit small and the metal and threads seem cheap enough that I worry about them failing and being back at square one.
So I took a trip to Ace hardware and got a 3" long ¼" diameter steel pipe nipple and a couple of 9/16" nuts (18 thread per inch IIRC), ground down the top of the post about ¼" to ½", opened up the inside diameter just enough using a carbide burr, and then slid the nipple in with a washer on each side. I was able to compress the spring enough by hand that I did not need to make a special tool or use a c-clamp to get the nut on.
It seems pretty robust but I have no idea how well the pipe thread will hold.
Before I mount it back on the truck I wanted to see if anyone has tried this before with success or failure. Or has any warnings about the materials, since they are not designed for this.
The other alternative I was considering was drilling through a M14 bolt. I started this today and got about ⅔ of the way through but snapped a drill bit deep inside, which is now preventing me from continuing to drill it out. (I don't have a drill press, so have been drilling by hand with a ½" chuck Milwaukee.)
I decided to go the route of using a "bolt" to compress the spring, but really wanted the wires (both the OEM motor wires and my aftermarket heating pad wires) to be able to route up through the center post.
I looked at using one of those threaded tubes used in ceiling fans, but the inside diameter was a bit small and the metal and threads seem cheap enough that I worry about them failing and being back at square one.
So I took a trip to Ace hardware and got a 3" long ¼" diameter steel pipe nipple and a couple of 9/16" nuts (18 thread per inch IIRC), ground down the top of the post about ¼" to ½", opened up the inside diameter just enough using a carbide burr, and then slid the nipple in with a washer on each side. I was able to compress the spring enough by hand that I did not need to make a special tool or use a c-clamp to get the nut on.
It seems pretty robust but I have no idea how well the pipe thread will hold.
Before I mount it back on the truck I wanted to see if anyone has tried this before with success or failure. Or has any warnings about the materials, since they are not designed for this.
The other alternative I was considering was drilling through a M14 bolt. I started this today and got about ⅔ of the way through but snapped a drill bit deep inside, which is now preventing me from continuing to drill it out. (I don't have a drill press, so have been drilling by hand with a ½" chuck Milwaukee.)
