Fixed neutral detent on CIPA mirrors

[Cowboy Medic]

I got my new CIPA mirrors from Genos A little over a week ago 95% pleased with them. Only thing that bothered me was that the drivers side mirror's natural position was swung so far out that even with the power mirror adjusted all the way in I could not get a good view behind me. I have heard several people on here complaining about the same thing so I know this is not a fluke on just mine. So me being the curious person I am I pulled them apart to see just how this was all set up. By the way these things are built very solid, nicely put together as well. Seems odd to me they can design the rest so well and miss this important part. Anyway, here's the deal. It will take about an hour or so if you have all the right tools. It will take me a few posts to get all the graphics up with the right descriptions but I will do my best to make sure I detail it all for anyone wanting to do this.



First of all I am going to describe the mechanism they use and the principles I followed in making my decision to adjust it the way I did. Their is of course other ways to achive the same basic results and if you have time and a good ability with a welder there is an ever better option than mine. I just went the fast and efficient route that still gives me solid results.



Basically there is a u- shaped main bracket. The two arms that extend out to the mirror and a center post that is your min pivot point. on that point there are two small pieces welded on(shown below).



#ad




They work like this when in the base bracket.



#ad




I had at first been trying to figure out how to either cut the center rod out and reweld it with those two pieces rotated to the needed position or cut or grind of the two small pieces and weld a new one on in the correct position. then I had another idea. thinking about using a grinder why not just grind down the one to reduce the angle. See below... ...



#ad




#ad




After I had done this I started to worry I may have reduced the amount of distance the spring is compressed and therefore reduced the amount of tension holding the mirror from swinging in or out. Since I had already ground it down though I figured I might as well throw it together and see how it did. It works fine, plenty of tension to hold the mirror in place. No increased vibration driving down the gravel roads to the farm place. so i feel good about it. Easy enough to grind off and put on a new one if I needed to so I am not worried about future wear either.

 

[Cowboy Medic]

If you decide you want to try this it is actually very simple to do. First part is to remove the mirrors from the door. Once this is done you need to remove the foam padding that covers the inside part of the base bracket, mine just sat there and pulled off cleanly. Then you will need to remove the plastic housing around the base bracket. There are only two plastic tabs that hold the rounded outside cover part. you can access them by reaching in from the back side with a bigger flat head screwdriver. There is the straight side that faces towards the rear of the truck (when mounted) and then the angled side that faces the front. If you can pop the straight side's tab loose, just push it until it is clear of the base. then just work the other side loose. The straight side has an angled tab and is the one designed to be slid in last when assembling. the other side has a more squared off tab that will break if you try to pry that one loose first.



To remove the rest of the plastic housing remove the three torx style screws from the back of the bracket. This is necessary to allow the wiring to pass through to free the mirror. Once you have the rounded center section of the cover off you should see this... .



#ad




Remove the four torx screws you see and you will have the mirror free. Then it is a matter of how you want to adjust the angle. I explained my route in my first post on this. I did not grind so much down that I lost my inside stopping point either, so if the mirror is swung in towards the truck, for example if I were pulling in a narrow garage and was worried about it hitting. It will not swing in and hit the truck. There is about a 1/2 inch gap between the mirror and truck when swung all the way in.



Good luck if ya decide to finish making these mirros a perfect solution for towing mirrors on the 2nd gen trucks. I feel they are well worth the money.



Feel free to PM me if ya have any other questions. I didn't take very many pictures and I wish I would have, but it is all very easy, I had it off and back on in about an hour, so with this info already in hand to prep ya you should be able to do it even faster.



Jon

 

[Texas Diesel]

Great post!! I love your photos and graphics. This kind of stuff is what makes the TDR a must read site!!



Thanks for your time posting this fix

 

[Cowboy Medic]

No problem. I have had alot of similar help. It is nice when you get the opportunity to pay it back.



So far things are doing great. We had wind gusts up to 60 miles an hour yesterday when i was out running around and never had a problem with it moving or anything so I think it is gonna hold just fine.

 

[Chipstien]

I won't get the CIPA mirrors until I know that they have fixed the vibration of the mirror. Seems some people can't make out a Ford from a Chevy in their side mirrors because it moves so much.

 

[Cowboy Medic]

No problems here with vibration, even on bumpy gravel roads I can make out what is behind me. I have only a couple thousand miles in the last couple of weeks, but so far I like em. When I had it apart I noticed there are spring like bands that come from the back of the mirror and create tension against the housing. I am assuming these are the "fingers" others have posted about.



So for me no vibration. An excellent Mirror. Heck of a lot better than stock. I personally like them beter than the new factory towing mirrors, but they are good as well.

 

[Matt42]

I have had NO vibration problems with the CIPA mirrors on my 1996. The trick was to install them using a 1/4 inch drive torque wrench with a scale of 0 to 60 inch pounds. The Cipa mirrors wanted 18 inch pounds, which was much tighter than I thought that would feel.



YMMV, of course.