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MG MGB Technical - Floppy rear view mirror '67 BGT

The ball and socket thing at the back of my rear view mirror is so worn, that the mirror doesn't hold its position, and just flops down loosely and can't be adjusted. Moss & Vic British don't stock the correct fitting mirror, and I can't find a replacement on the Internet.

Does anyone have any brilliant idea how to stiffen up the ball and socket mechanism?

Bernie
B Lowe

I haven't taken apart the center mirror, but I have adjusted the tension in my side mirrors. If the center mirror is similar, you're in luck.

On the side mirrors, you can pull out the plastic bezel which holds the glass into the chrome holder. The mirror comes out in your hand, and then behind it there's a screw to adjust the tension. I had to slide an extra washer into one of mine to get more tension on the spring.

If you can get the glass out of the center mirror, I wonder if you'll find an adjusting screw there as well.
Matt Kulka

You gotta love this forum!

No bezel to pull out, but your one word "washer" got me thinking. So I worked the ball out of the socket and put in a tiny flat washer. Put the ball back in and presto - damn thing is tight as a drum.

We rear-view again!

Thanks for solving my problem Matt.

Bernie
B Lowe

Another idea would be to exchange the original but not very good mirror (the mounting is a joke) with a decent one. I used a mirror from an old BMW 3series (E30 typ) and it fits, looks the part and is very solid: it doesn´t vibrate and even can be dipped to compensate for blinding car headlights from the back! Cost me 5 euro at the scrap yard.
Joern-M.

Bernie,
I have the same problem. Did you put the washer in the socket so it rubs against the ball or just on the screw to add more tension?
Bill
Bill Boorse

Viagra?

I know, I know.... Someone had to!
TDHoward

Joern-M,
Do I understand you correctly in that the BMW mirrow fits where it mounts to the ceiling? My mirrow is cracked and I can't find a replacement either ('69 GT). Thought about taking it to a glass place to see if they could just replace the glass at a reasonable cost. Anyone had any experience doing that? Also, what was the approximate cost?
Paul
Paul S. Canup

Paul,

The BMW mirror has a base plate that is fixed with two screws. You have to drill 2 small holes into the metal surround that is covered with vinyl and fix the base with two screws. I can make a photo tomorrow if you want to see how it looks and fits.

Jörn
Joern-M.

As long as we're talking about non-MG mirrors in an MG, my '87 Cavalier has a nice mirror, with two small courtesy lights built in. I imagine it is a pretty standard GM item. I have no idea what one of these mirrors would cost from a dealer; probably a lot. You might be able to find one in a junkyard for a reasonable price. The mirror is a two-position mirror for day/night driving. The lights have two small rocker switches on the bottom edge and a wire bundle coming out the top. It fixes to the windshield with super-glue, as do most new cars.

I've been trying to figure out how to use one in my roadster, but two things stop me. The center support rod would force me to mount it off-center, and there's no good place to hide the wires to the light. In a GT, you don't have the center rod, and you could thread the wire above the headliner.
Paul Noble

Bill:

I put the little washer in the socket, which takes up just that extra bit of volume, making, in effect, a smaller area for the ball to move in, thus tighter.

Bernie
B Lowe

This thread was discussed between 11/09/2003 and 12/09/2003

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