Porsche 914-4 Side Mirror Replacement/Addition

What has most likely happened.

I, being somewhat a pessimist when it comes to people, have full confidence that the stock mirrors on your porsche have been "replaced" with some new aftermarket piece of crap. It's not that these mirrors are paticuarly(sp?) bad (well, they probably are), it's just that they look tacky and ,undoubtedly, the ass that put them in stripped out the installation threads and scratched the paint AND drilled, without any reguard for symetry, some new holes on the other side to put in a right side mirror. This is what happened to me.

Now that we know what people are capable of, it's time to remedy their "good intentions."

How to fix the mirror "situation."

The first thing to do is to remove the old mirrors. Actually, the first thing to do is to buy the correct, stock mirrors. They are available at Pelican Parts (that is a direct link to the page). You should also get the gasket that goes with it and try to find some screws that will fit. I think I ended getting some screws at Yard-Birds. Unfortuneately, I can't recall the size and type of screws that I got. Anyway...yes, they are expensive. Yes, they look a hell of a lot better. No, you shouldn't think about keeping your aftermarket crap ones.

After you have the new mirrors you shoud take them out and admire them, afterall, they cost $150 a piece. Then, amass the tools needed to do this job. I needed some "non-standard for putting on mirrors" tools because the previous owner was a complete moron.

The first thing you want to do is to remove the old mirrors. My old mirrors (the black ones you see in the picture on the front page) required the use of a tiny flathead screwdriver to get off. Once the main portion was off, they had a long, skinny bracket underneath. You need to remove this.

HOPEFULLLY, the person that put the "new" mirrors on didn't use a wood screw and IGNORE the existing mounting holes and put a big ugly hole in the side of your car causing you MASSIVE frustration and annoyance. Did you figure out by now that this happened to me...on BOTH sides.

Anyway, check for damage. In my case, I ended up putting this epoxy filler stuff in the two extraneous holes, sanding them off and then repainting them. If there are paint chips, I suggest touching them up.

You can touch up paint chips by derusting the surface (if needed), then thoroughly cleaning the area with alcohol, priming with self-etching primer, cleaning again and then painting.

For the left side, installation of the stock mirror is easy. Make sure you have the left side mirror. You can buy a right-handed mirror or you can buy two "left" mirrors and twist the mirror until it is a "right" side mirror. Remember to put the gasket down (a hard plastic rectangle thing), then the mirror and some screws that fit. I suggest going to the hardware store and buying several different types of stainless steel screws of various thread sizes and head styles. I used a screw that's head was wide enough to cover the entire hole and short so it didn't protrude at all. I don't recall what size the screw was and I don't really want to remove my mirror to find out. Be sure to hand start the screws so you don't strip the mounting threads.

In the event that the mounting point is a) stripped or b) destroyed beyond reasonable serviceability, you'll have to remove the interior door pannel and re-weld some nuts for mounting points.

The right side is a pain in the ass compared to the left. I was lucky(?) enough to have the installer of my "new crappy black plastic mirrors" drill a new hole that smacked one of the mounting points and drilled out one quarter of the nut. The only reason I say that this was lucky becuase it "informed" me that the mounting points were welded into the right pannel but not used. Before I realized this I was contemplating where I would drill new holes to mount the mirror.

NOTE: I recently (7/30/01) took apart the side of my passenger door to fix my god damn window...a screw got stuck in the track! I don't know how that happened... Anyway..some ofthe next info is not quite correct and I have "better" techniques now.

In order to mount the mirrors correctly, the right door interior pannel must be removed. The pannel is held on by some plastic clips, the window crank and the armrest. There is a special tool to pop-off the pannel once the crank and armrest have been removed. I think I got my tool from Automotion. Not sure though. Anyway, a plastic scraper will work. A nylon scraper with a slot down the middle will work just fine. It won't work as well as the tool. To take off the crank, you'll need to pry off the pastic covering and then undo a screw. Be sure to note the position of the crank so it can be re-installed the same way. This isn't really critical but the cranks won't be symetrical (I am an perfectionist when it comes to symetry). The armrest is held on by screws at the top of the hand-hold and underneath. To get the handhold off, take off the plastic covering. The screws are "underneath" the armrest. The door handle is held on by a screw on the inside. Unscrew it to remove it.

Once the interior pannel has been removed and the window is in the upright and locked position, get a flashlight or a "trouble" light (god I hate those things...hot and never where you want them...) and look for two nuts (no, that's not supposed to be obscene). Once you've found them (they should be towards the "front" of the door, i.e. where the triangular piece of glass is). Take the center punch and put an indent in the sheet metal from the inside. This will put two, small nipples (again, not obscene...) where the centers of the mounting points are on the outside of the door.

Get out of the car and find the nipples. They shouldn't be too hard to find. Especially if it is cold...(yes, obscene). Then use the center punch and use it on the nipples to reverse their direction.

Once this has been done, get the dremel with the carbide drill/cutter attachment. (I'm sure a drill would work, but I prefer to have more control with the dremel). Also, the flexable extention is nice. Drill/cut away at the sheet metal using the nipples as guides for where to stick it. (obscene). At this point, you should have on the gloves and the eye protection. You may also want to use some sort of breathing apparatus. When drilling, some sort of "paint safe" oil put on the drilling spot will help to trap the filings and make for easier clean-up with less chance of the filings getting places you don't want and causing damage.

Now that you have two new holes...you need to stick something in them. And why not start with the mirror. The installation is the same as the left side at this point.

After the mirror has been installed, the interrior pannel needs to be re-attached. Make sure you keep the plastic sheet intact. Don't throw it away. It keeps all the water that flows inside the door outside. It's actually important. At this point, you may wish to inspect the door latch 'n stuff to see if it needs replacing/fixing.

First, re-attach the door pannel. If you need new plastic clips, buy them. They aren't expensive and they make the interior look better. Not that the spartan interior looked great to begin with....(I personally like the Porsche philosophy of "screw the driver's comfort, esp. the passenger's, make the car run damn well instead!") Then put on the door latch, armrest/handhold and window crank. Remember to put the crank on the same way it came off. I think it ends up being in the "down" position (at least on my '73).

How to enjoy the new mirrors.

After cleaning up, god I hate cleaning. If there was one thing I despise more than running it's cleaning. Anyway, sit in the Porsche. Feel the Porsche. Adjust the Porsche mirrors. See how, at least for me, the right mirror does nothing. Look at the shiny new mirrors that have finger prints all over them!?!?!?! WTF!

Get out of the car, get the alcohol and a rag. Clean (damnit) the mirrors. Leave the cleaning stuff on the floor because you're just going to use them again..right?

Get back in the Porsche. Feel the Porsche. Start the Porsche. DAMNIT! The air intake has leaks and the throttle positioner is crap and the clutch cable doesn't work because you're cleavis broke, and.....