Side mirrors, Application questions Options

[Txbentleyboy]

I have a 1976 that came with a driver's side mirror only. I would love to have one on both sides.

Somewhere along this journey I recall someone saying that the passenger door came with the receivers for a mirror, you just need to pop the holes through the door skin.

Is this true?
Are there other Porsche OEM mirrors that the same screw spacing?
Regardless, if you have 2 mirrors, what are you running?

Thanks,
Mike

[Shivers]

Yup it is true. Just drill through the sheet metal. I got a mirror from George, loosened the nut on the bottom and flipped the mirror around. Don’t forget the fasteners.

[mepstein]

I have a 1976 that came with a driver's side mirror only. I would love to have one on both sides.

Somewhere along this journey I recall someone saying that the passenger door came with the receivers for a mirror, you just need to pop the holes through the door skin.

Is this true?
Are there other Porsche OEM mirrors that the same screw spacing?
Regardless, if you have 2 mirrors, what are you running?

Thanks,
Mike

“the passenger door came with the receivers for a mirror, you just need to pop the holes through the door skin.”
Yes. Pop off the inner door card and you will see it’s the same as the driver side, except you need to drill two holes through the door skin. Most people will just reverse a drivers side mirror to use as a passenger side.

[Txbentleyboy]

I have a 1976 that came with a driver's side mirror only. I would love to have one on both sides.

Somewhere along this journey I recall someone saying that the passenger door came with the receivers for a mirror, you just need to pop the holes through the door skin.

Is this true?
Are there other Porsche OEM mirrors that the same screw spacing?
Regardless, if you have 2 mirrors, what are you running?

Thanks,
Mike

“the passenger door came with the receivers for a mirror, you just need to pop the holes through the door skin.”
Yes. Pop off the inner door card and you will see it’s the same as the driver side, except you need to drill two holes through the door skin. Most people will just reverse a drivers side mirror to use as a passenger side.

Thanks!

[bkrantz]

You can be safe, and locate the holes from inside or bold and work from the outside. Locations are the same on left and right doors. Either way, remember to prime and paint any bare metal exposed with new holes.

[mepstein]

You can be safe, and locate the holes from inside or bold and work from the outside. Locations are the same on left and right doors. Either way, remember to prime and paint any bare metal exposed with new holes.

Yes, you can make a template in the driver side and mirror it to the passenger side.

[Dave_Darling]

Don't use a template, it's too easy to get it just a little bit off.... And then you can't use the weld-nuts on the door!

The right way: Take the door card off. Locate the two weld-nuts. Center punch through them from inside the door. Go to the outside of the door and punch the other way. Carefully drill undersize, then slowly go up in drill sizes until just below the size of the screws. (M6, I believe.) Then go very very carefully and just open up the sheet-metal of the door skin to the final diameter.

AFAIK, only 914 door mirrors have the correct bolt spacing to fit.

--DD

[930cabman]

You can be safe, and locate the holes from inside or bold and work from the outside. Locations are the same on left and right doors. Either way, remember to prime and paint any bare metal exposed with new holes.

Over last winter I added a mirror to the passenger door. It's a '75 model with original paint on the doors. I ended up going for it from the outside and worked well, but working from the inside of the door with a transfer punch is a safe bet.

[930cabman]

dp

[technicalninja]

Don't use a template, it's too easy to get it just a little bit off.... And then you can't use the weld-nuts on the door!

The right way: Take the door card off. Locate the two weld-nuts. Center punch through them from inside the door. Go to the outside of the door and punch the other way. Carefully drill undersize, then slowly go up in drill sizes until just below the size of the screws. (M6, I believe.) Then go very very carefully and just open up the sheet-metal of the door skin to the final diameter.

AFAIK, only 914 door mirrors have the correct bolt spacing to fit.

--DD

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

I have a tool tip for this as well.

Unless you are stupid lucky the hole you start to drill is never really centered and you have to "walk" the hole with increasingly larger bits.
With practice you will get better at this.

Here's a way that will give nearly perfectly centered holes for a beginner with a couple of extra tools.

Get a Dremel and a real carbide bit for it. These bits NEVER come in the assortments and have to be purchased separately. They are some of the more expensive Dremel bits. I expect $10 per bit.

With the real carbide bits you can write in cursive in sheet metal!
They have so much control they can correct the hole you made to the point it looks factory.

I'd follow Dave's instructions up to the point I drilled the first undersized hole and finish them with the Dremel. I suggest a "practice" hole or two in a bit of sheet metal BEFORE you employ this method on a door skin. Old license plates would be a good material for this practice.

For softer material you can use the drywall bits in the same fashion. Aluminum sheet and softer respond well with the drywall bits.

I'm really good with the old school "walk the drill" process and I will never do it that way again as long as I have my Dremel...

[burton73]

To show you guys some ideas. My 1970 914-6 has 2 the way I bought it and was put on the car back in the 70s, I sold a 75 car that was super clean a couple of years ago and it had 2 x 1970 911 Mirrors. They are pricy now, but I think they look great. I have seen and like the 911, 928, and such factory flag mirrors from 1978-for 10 years or so. You can see that is factory on my 86.5 928 with 46,000 miles original paint car.

Good mirror hunting my brothers,

Best Bob B

[Ishley]

Like others said… remove the door card. I used a centering bit often called a Vix bit and drilled up from the inside. This is better, in my opinion, than a punch which can cause a paint chip. Once you come from inside use a dremel tool to carefully open up the hole from the outside. Keep testing it with a screw until you have it opened up all the way.

[Txbentleyboy]

To show you guys some ideas. My 1970 914-6 has 2 the way I bought it and was put on the car back in the 70s, I sold a 75 car that was super clean a couple of years ago and it had 2 x 1970 911 Mirrors. They are pricy now, but I think they look great. I have seen and like the 911, 928, and such factory flag mirrors from 1978-for 10 years or so. You can see that is factory on my 86.5 928 with 46,000 miles original paint car.

Good mirror hunting my brothers,

Best Bob B

Do you know if the 1970 911 mirror has the same bolt spacing as the 914 mirror?
I really like the look of those.
Thanks,
Mike

[burton73]

Mike, @Txbentleyboy

I am not sure, but my guess is that they are the same. The base gasket is a different shape and there may be some mark off on the paint but it would make sense that the factory would make the screw to screw the same distance. The ones on my 75 where done at the time of its full paint job 18 years before I owned it

I think you could just call the distributor shown here and ask them to get a measurement or call George at AA and ask them.

Bob B

[Ishley]

I did my passenger side earlier this year.

My door was off… but you can do it without removing the door.

Remove the door panel. Roll the window up. You should be able to reach in and feel the welded nuts on the door. Use a mirror to help. Get a Vix bit… one smaller then the final screw size. This will drill a perfectly centered hole right up through the door skin and not damage the threads in the nut. You do this by reaching the drill up from the inside. I would tape the outside first to avoid damaging the paint.

Once both holes are drilled, thread a screw up from the inside. Leave it just short of the door skin. You’ll need to use a dremel with a metal cutting bit and carefully open the hole from the outside. Use a screw to keep testing until you get it just opened up enough to get a screw to thread in.

Go slow and be careful not to damage the treads. Use lots of masking tape on the outside to protect the paint.

Good luck!