Reattaching the wing mirror .... how?

[ATG]

Some arse snapped the wingmirror on my passenger door. Must have hit the top of the thing hard. Hope they broke their fingers. The whole thing had broken away from the fibre glass and was dangling by the wiring.

I cleaned up the large (~30mm?) brass nut and bonded it back into the door using some epoxy resin type of stuff. This worked well, and gettig the alignment right was easy becasue there was enough of the original recess in the fibre glass left intact to act as a guide.

Now, how the hell are you supposed to reattach the mirror? There is an adapter that needs to screw into the brass nut, and then the mirror unit is attached to the adapter's ring by tightening up a grub screw. Seems to me there are two options:-

(1) first screw the adapter into the nut, position the mirror and then do up the grub screw.

(2) attach the adapter to the mirror with the grub screw, then screw the whold damn thing into the brass nut in the door

(2) seems like a crap option, but (1) seems utterly impossible because I can't get at the grub screw once the mirror is in place. There is no way a normal 3mmm allen key will get anywhere near the grubscrew. There is about 4mm clearance (absolute max) btwn the side of the recess in the door and the head of the grub screw. And the grub screw must be at least 10mm below the surface of the door.

Even if I cut down an allen key, I'm not sure the stump would be straight enough to insert given how close it would have to be cut to the right-angle bend.

I've managed to use option (2) but it is a nightmare (have to position the adapter on the mirror so that the adapter will be tight in the brass nut at just the right point so that the mirror is aligned to the door OK ... trial and error about 3 times, plus loads of cross-threading the soft alloy adapter). There must be a better way.

[tvrbob]

It's option 1) You must put the boss in the door first and you should use Locktight Threadlock on this. All that's needed then is to slip the mirror on and ease the black shroud up then tighten up the grub screw. Make sure the mirror is aligned before final tightening.

Good luck

Bob

[ATG]

Cheers Bob, that's what I suspected, but how the hell do you get the allen key into the grub screw? Do you have to take a hacksaw to the allen key 1st?

[tvrbob]

ATG said:

Cheers Bob, that's what I suspected, but how the hell do you get the allen key into the grub screw? Do you have to take a hacksaw to the allen key 1st?

Well that's what I did. Best to put some cloth around the recess too or you're certain to scratch your paint.

[shpub]

Some you can... some you can't. If you can't option two is the onbly one that works but use a bit of tape as a marker to work out how much to adjust and it can be pretty quick.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[ATG]

Ah, thanks gents. Put's my mind at rest. Thought I must be going mad.

[tvrbob]

shpub said:

Some you can... some you can't. If you can't option two is the onbly one that works but use a bit of tape as a marker to work out how much to adjust and it can be pretty quick. Steve www.tvrbooks.co.uk

If you screw it in don't forget to wind the wires the wrong way first so they are right when it's in.
Sorry Steve I know you're in charge when it comes to fixing these things. Just having me two peneth worth.

>> Edited by tvrbob on Wednesday 18th June 12:34

[ATG]

Good tip if the wires are still connected ... mine weren't so they could spin around merrily inside the door. That bit of the loom has been butchered around during a previous repair. When I was unplugging things half the crimp connectors fell apart ... they really are unbelieveable pieces of shit. An excuse to play with my new gas soldering iron toy, so not all bad.

[shpub]

tvrbob said:

[quote=shpub]Some you can... some you can't. If you can't option two is the onbly one that works but use a bit of tape as a marker to work out how much to adjust and it can be pretty quick. If you screw it in don't forget to wind the wires the wrong way first so they are right when it's in. >> Edited by tvrbob on Wednesday 18th June 12:34

Good idea. It's in the bible but it's some time since I last did one!

[sagalout]

By the way, fix your WING mirror to the DOOR.
Always tell how old someone is by their terminology. How long is it since we had WING mirrors.

Noises off "Shut up you old git, get back to work"

Thanks for the info actually, it's bound to happen to me sometime.

[Sarnian]

What are you talking about, how else would you call wing mirror now...? am I THAT old..?