Any tips on rear view mirror restoration?

All of the damage is between the back side of the glass and the mirror surface.
Yours is really bad. You are referring to the back side of the mirror's glass, not the cover glass? That is where I've always found the real damage; I think it is the actual "mirror" coating that has degraded causing the damage.

With your excellent photos I now better understand what some previous posts were talking about in their "cleaning" attempts. Definitely different than the mirror damage.
 
Yours is really bad. You are referring to the back side of the mirror's glass, not the cover glass? That is where I've always found the real damage; I think it is the actual "mirror" coating that has degraded causing the damage.

With your excellent photos I now better understand what some previous posts were talking about in their "cleaning" attempts. Definitely different than the mirror damage.
I would guess that corrosion got the best of the mirror surface after all that time. Everything else except the broken handle pivot looks pretty good. Even the plastic edging damage is not too bad and I've got some ideas on how to make it look good. I'm not sure how these mirrors evolved but I think you mentioned further up the thread that you had one with a plastic housing. Mine is stamped metal with a black crinkle finish so evidently there were changes.
 
I came up with this method to renovate the rear view mirror. On both my cars the glass and mirror had a dirt fog on them and the plastic bezel had split in the corners. If somebody more creative and intelligent than me comes up with a better method then I’m all ears!

Fog



Split plastic





The idea is to use some U section rubber edge strip like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00YW7J0ZS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

to replace the plastic bezel but retain the plastic holder for the mirror, Im sure you guys can find something more local to you.

Even if the plastic part holding the mirror is broken, some pics above showing how it's held, we still need retain it to keep the mirror in place.



We need to cut the plastic bezel away from the mirror holder using a sharp craft / hobby knife, leaving just the part that holds the mirror also it's important to be as accurate as possible and not to leave any bumps or ridges.



Next trial fit the rubber U section with the mirror and plastic holder in place, this will give you an idea of how much to trim off one leg of the U section so it fits flush to the mirror and the edge of the metal mirror housing. Fit the rubber all the way around to get the required length. Now carefully cut one leg of the U section down, I wasn’t very accurate at first and had to redo it.







When you are happy with the fitment install the mirror and remains of the plastic holder then the rubber U section placing the split/join at the top of the mirror.

Now comes the fun part, you have to install the glass under pressure so its held in by the friction of the rubber. Make sure you have polished the mirror and glass!!! Keep your sticky fingers of the insides.

The glass edge is sharp and roughly cut, it has a tendency to catch on the U section rubber folding the top over and in; so go slowly and take your time preventing the glass edge from catching the rubber as you keep pressure on the glass and work your way around using your fingers. The corners are the hardest especially the last one.



Here you may be able to just see how the glass catches the rubber



At some point the glass will fully push home, then you are done!
 
I repaired the broken pivot on the the dimmer handle using the following technique:

1. Reattach broken pivot with super glue and let set.
2. Drill a hole through the axis of the pivot so that it goes from the end of one pivot to the end of the other pivot.
3. Find a piece of steel that fits in the hole and cut to length. I used an 18 gauge steel brad.
4. Prepare a small amount of JB Weld and work it into the hole from both ends.
5. Coat the steel pin with JB Weld.
6. Insert the steel pin into the hole and remove excess JB Weld.

X19 Rear View Mirror Dimmer Handle with Repaired Pivot - Front.jpg


X19 Rear View Mirror Dimmer Handle with Repaired Pivot - Side.jpg


The hard part is going to be reassembling the spring loaded ball joint. I think that I will need to make a fixture to hold the mirror mount, and make a tool to compress the spring so that I can insert the pin that holds it in place. It take quite a bit of force to adequately compress the spring. My alternative idea is to see if I have a die to put some threads on the steel post that goes through the spring. That way I could just thread a nut on to compress the spring instead of trying to apply >50 lbs of force while trying to put a tiny pin in a tiny hole.

I'm still looking for a place to cut me a new mirror. It seems that many places masquerading as glass shops are really just replacement window installers. I found the same thing with "radiator shops". Most do AC, tune ups, etc, and will install a new radiator if needed, but have no equipment to actually repair a radiator. This actually makes sense since most radiators made over the last few decades are disposable items with aluminum cores and plastic tanks.
 
I made a fixture to hold the mirror mount so that the pin that holds the spring is vertical:

X19 Rear View Mirror Case on Fixture - Side View.jpg


I made a tool to compress the spring while still allowing room to put the pin in the post hole:

X19 Rear View Mirror Case on Fixture with Spring Compression Tool.jpg


I used a clamp between the underside of the bench and the top of the spring compression tool to force the spring down. You can see the pin mounted in the post hole holding the spring down.

Only thing left now is to get a new mirror cut.
 
Only thing left now is to get a new mirror cut.
I've really never given it any thought, but for a "day/night" mirror, I guess the mirror itself is not a regular mirror. Must have some sort of prism glass or similar?

Just Googled it and here is the Wikipedia explanation:

Anti-glare[edit]

Glare from a following vehicle's headlamps in a rear view mirrorPrismatic anti-glare

Day positionNight positionShow all
In the "day" position, the driver sees the road behind by reflection on the (rear) metal surface. In the "night" position, the driver sees the dimmer reflection on the (front) glass coating. The light is attenuated in the second mode, which partially compensates the pupillary response.
A prismatic rear-view mirror—sometimes called a "day/night mirror"—can be tilted to reduce the brightness and glare of lights, mostly for high-beam headlights of vehicles behind which would otherwise be reflected directly into the driver's eyes at night. This type of mirror is made of a piece of glass that is wedge-shaped in cross section—its front and rear surfaces are not parallel.

On manual tilt versions, a tab is used to adjust the mirror between "day" and "night" positions. In the day view position, the front surface is tilted and the reflective back side gives a strong reflection. When the mirror is moved to the night view position, its reflecting rear surface is tilted out of line with the driver's view. This view is actually a reflection off the low-reflection front surface; only a much-reduced amount of light is reflected into the driver's eyes.

"Manual tilt" day/night mirrors first began appearing in the 1930s and became standard equipment on most passenger cars and trucks by the early 1970s.

So it might not be so easy to get a new one made.
 
The front surface of the glass can act like a partial mirror because the dielectric constant of glass (~1.5) is higher than air (1.0). I don't think the Fiat mirror has anything fancy going on. I'm a bit curious as to why they use a cover glass. That is another two air-glass interfaces to deal with. I have not checked to see if they are using that for the "night" image or not. I'm sure the image would be better if I removed it.

Actually, I'm not sure I ever used that "Day/Night" lever much, but at least now it works.
 
I was wondering the same question, why two layers of glass? As you say it might be some method of creating the day/night function. Maybe the second layer is the prism? That would make sense. But are all X mirrors day/night? And do all have the double glass?

I agree that the image would be better without the second layer. I creates a "ghosting" effect. I've seen that on some other inside rear view mirrors. But never noticed if it was only ones with a day/night feature, which might explain that effect (the prism).

If you don't use the day/night function and just get a regular mirror to replace your old one, then I'd leave the second layer off. On the other hand if the second layer is still "clear" and it is a prism, then you could replace the mirror behind it and reinstall the second layer to retain the day/night function.

Now I'm curious, please see if you can tell if the second layer is a prism or not.
 
I just need to find a shop to cut me a new mirror and I should be set. My plastic trim piece is in pretty good shape, especially the visible part. The repaired day/night handle works as good as it ever did. However, somewhere floating around this place is one of those longer mirrors that clips over the factory mirror. It came off my wife's old pickup truck. If I can remember where I put it, I may give it a shot, at least until I can get some glass cut.
 
one of those longer mirrors that clips over the factory mirror
My "shop truck" is a late model Ford F150 that I fully customized. It is huge compared to everything else I like to drive, and the rear window seems like a giant 'picture window'. But the stock inside rearview mirror was rather small; when you looked through it you couldn't see any of the edges of the back glass frame. When I installed a sound system I included a DVD player and backup camera that displays in a replacement inside mirror. The new mirror is twice the size of the stock one to accommodate the display screen (which disappears when it is off), and the rear vision is remarkable compared to the small original mirror. I can see cars that are approaching my 'blind spots' at an angle. That made me realize how beneficial it can be to have a adequate size mirror. So when choosing new replacements for my X's I picked ones that are much bigger than stock.
 
So far, I've run into a bit of an issue getting a replacement mirror cut. The thinnest mirror glass they seem to carry around here is 1/8". The original is 0.09" (2.25mm). I got a sample piece from one shop and it is way to thick to fit in the plastic channels that hold it. I'm thinking about trying that thin plastic mirror film, or perhaps getting the original glass resilvered.
 
I bought some plastic mirror film on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Q-Bics-Fle...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

It came with enough material to do about 6 rear view mirrors. I cut out a rectangle large enough for the mirror to fit inside of. I then removed the backing paper from the adhesive side of the mirror film and stuck the mirror surface side of the mirror glass face down on the adhesive. I then took an X-acto knife and trimmed the excess mirror film from around the glass. I reassembled the mirror, and I'm not sure the mirror looked that good when it was new. I have not checked to see if the Day/Night function works but if the old mirror relied on the front surface glass to air interface to produce the night image, I think it may not work. No matter - I don't think I ever used it very much.
 
@Dan Sarandrea (Phila) has an excellent post on how to take the mirror apart using warm soapy water.

 
I restored mine by discarding it & replacing with a Volvo mirror :D . It's slightly wider field of vision too. Mine suffered the symptom Jeff describes - no way to fiz that.

5-FAFE181-6-C84-4-B15-A112-16-CA9-FA7-CE9-A.jpg
Regarding the Volvo mirror - were the mounting holes in roughly the same place, or did you have to drill new holes? Any idea what model Volvo it came from? Thanks
 
Regarding the Volvo mirror - were the mounting holes in roughly the same place, or did you have to drill new holes? Any idea what model Volvo it came from? Thanks
Hussein can respond, but since I'm familiar with his post here's what he's said back in 2015:

"Can't help with direct bolt on replacement. The Volvo 240 series mirror works in terms of width/drop from windshield frame. Slightly wider, so better rear vision coverage. Requires new holes to be drilled, not a big deal. A small amount has to be shaved to make it flush with the frame."
 
Regarding the Volvo mirror - were the mounting holes in roughly the same place, or did you have to drill new holes? Any idea what model Volvo it came from? Thanks

Michael covered it below - that was 240 - I think I also tried P80 (850, x70 -98) - I'll check in my attic & I can post pics of the original Volvo units - I don't recall which I have in there now
 
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Thanks - Volvo mirrors can be found for much less online than FIAT’s

Yeah - the one I have now is the 3512654 from 850/S70/V70 MY2000 or older - fits
PXL_20201201_201232068.jpg
PXL_20201201_201247943.jpg
PXL_20201201_201938831.jpg

Aluminum base gets screwed in place, then mirror snaps into that

PXL_20201201_201949582.jpg
better than the 240 base, same size glass area. If you can't find one locally, I have a couple.
 
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