INTERIOR MIRROR REPLACEMENT - ALL SORTED

[BIGRAB]

I have a good interior mirror with tarnished and cracked glass, also a broken mirror head/frame with good glass.

Has anyone removed/swopped over the mirror glass ???

If so how easy.

Regards

[StillGotMy1stCar]

When I’ve tackled similar jobs I’ve used hot water to soften the plastic, although I’ve used hot air in the past it is very easy to melt the plastic even with a hair drier, so if you take the hot air route take care not to get the plastic too hot.
Packing tape(the white stuff that cuts into your hands) or a strip cut from a 2 litre pop bottle slid up the side between glass and plastic and jiggled to a corner and pulled up may bring the glass with it. If you need some form of lever use plastic perhaps an old credit card, glass chips really easy with metal.
If you want to add lubricant furniture polish is your best bet, washing up liquid contains salts that will attack the mirror silver.
To save breaking the good mirror it is better to sacrifice the frame, cut around the rim edge, probably just one end will be enough.
I reckon the new glass will pop back in easily, start with a corner/end first, best done dry to avoid trapping moisture.
Just one thing, good luck and don't blame me for seven years bad luck.
Regards John

[BIGRAB]

John,

Thanks for the tips.

Knowing my luck I'm going to have 7 bad years !!!!!

Regards

[GavinL]

I have the same problem - mirror appears tinted because the silvering has failed, so I need to replace it. Unfortunately I don't have a spare, and I can't find a replacement mirror glass listed, unless anyone knows better? If I can't find one I was going to cut a piece of mirror to fit, anyone else done this before successfully?

[Fingolfin]

I had a piece of glass cut some years ago, and it worked fine for a few years, then the silvery backing pickled up due to sun/heat exposure. Probably worth applying a layer of plastic over the backing.

Now I'm playing with the rear view mirror out of a 60s Thunderbird, which is wide and stylish and uses a double-ended female ball socket arrangement, which works with the Minor's mirror mount (except the Minor's ball is larger).

[biomed32uk]

Yes it can be done carefully, I did mine. The plastic on my original mirror was rotten but the glass good. Found an immuclate mirror plastics wise on fleabay but with cracked glass.

It's not glued in or anything like that, just being held by the edge, so you can carefully tease it out, the glass is very thin and wont take any stick though. Once you get it going it will come out fairly easily, didn't take too long.