ZsTransAm

The drivers side power mirror on my Firebird cracked. On most newer cars the mirror can be removed from the mirror housing, is that the case with Firebirds?

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

Yes it can be removed from the plastic backing plate. You have two options depending on how involved you want to get in doing the repair.

Option 1: (this it the option I would take) Move the power mirror to the extreme limit of travel (all the way down, all the way in). You should be able to reach in with a long skinny screwdriver and pop the small metal cross-shaped piece from the back side of the black plastic backing plate. Once you have the backing plate free you can put it on a workbench or the ground and put a towel over it and bang on it with a hammer to smash the glass. It may help to spray it with WD40 now to help dissolve the adhesive. Now you can carefully pry and remove the glass pieces. Clean the backing plate with WD40, then with a solvent so it is ready to accept the new mirror glass. Now is the fun part, reinstalling the backing plate onto the cross shaped piece. Look on the back side of the backing plate for the molded channels that the cross-shaped piece snaps into. Carefully align the channel to the cross shaped pieces. Bump the backing plate to snap it back onto the cross-shaped piece. Once you have it reinstalled then install the new glass. The new mirror glass will have a double-sided tape on it. Peel the tape and carefully apply and press it to help the adhesive make good contact with the plastic backing plate.

Option 2: Skip the removal of the backing plate and just pry off the old mirror glass carefully using a putty knife. This is riskier because you don't know if the mirror glass will break or come off in nice big pieces. I would not bang the glass to break it because you might damage the mirror motor or the pot metal piece that mounts the motor to the mirror pod.

I should mention for others that may read this, there were two styles of power mirror. I don't know the transition date, but I would suspect somewhere around 85 or 86. The early style electric motor had a single screw that mounts the mirror backing plate to the motor. For this style of mirror you have no option but to break the mirror glass to remove the backing plate to do any repairs to the motor, pot metal bracket that mounts the motor or the wiring.

Good luck with the mirror replacement.

Lon

ZsTransAm

Worked like a charm, thanks Lonsal! Saved me from buying a whole new power mirror

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

Glad to hear it.

Lon