Here are the beauties in all...
Here are the beauties in all their busted up glory.
Like many old trucks out there, my ’68 came with all the extra add-ons and “upgrades” that the previous owners deemed necessary at some time or another. Eyelet bolts installed along each bedside, “custom” mudflaps behind each tire, long-haul fuel tanks behind the cab, a 200-pound stepper bumper out back, and the two things we’re gonna get rid of this month, those bitchin’ oversized side mirrors. They’re not exactly svelte when it comes to style; the chrome and glass have seen better days, and they don’t match the style that we’re going for with the build.
The solution? Replace those big ugly monsters with a pair of round, stock mirrors from Brothers Trucks. Made from stainless steel and polished to a show finish, they look great right outta the box and will be way easier to maintain than a pair of chrome numbers.
But it’s a bit more involved than simply swapping out one for the other. Since the mounting bolt patterns are nowhere near the same, the existing holes in the doors will need to be filled and ground smooth before the new mirrors can be installed. The only bummer with doing this process is that if you didn’t plan on painting the truck anytime soon, you’re going to have to live with a couple off-colored sections on both doors, but hey, I didn’t say it would be easy!
I decided that I could live with a couple of multi-colored doors for a while in exchange for getting rid of those tacky mirrors, so off they came and into the garbage they went before I filled the holes and mounted the new mirrors. I think the end result speaks for itself and it makes me happy when I can bring things back to stock spec in an afternoon … as long as it looks good! CCT
Not only are there mounting...
Not only are there mounting holes on the doors from the existing mirrors, but it appears that they weren’t the only mirrors to have been mounted on the truck over the years. I’ve learned with old trucks over the years to simply expect the worst.
The first step in filling...
The first step in filling the existing holes is to sand the surrounding
area down to bare metal around every hole that is to be filled. This
allows for a clean weld without paint or body filler contaminating the
weld. I also found a few additional holes on the door that need to be
filled.
Using a Lincoln Power MIG...
Using a Lincoln Power MIG 140, I filled the smaller holes first. These are fairly easy as the wire quickly fills the void without getting the metal around the hole too hot.
When it comes to filling the...
When it comes to filling the larger holes however, things get a little bit tricky. That's where tools like a magnetic copper backer plate or curved copper Welder's Helper can come in handy by backing the weld so that the hole can be filled.
Here you can see the copper...
Here you can see the copper plate behind the panel to be welded. the plate works to support the backside of the weld, preventing it from falling out or burning through the sheetmetal.
With the smaller holes filled,...
With the smaller holes filled, you can see the progress being made on the larger holes. Notice that only a small portion of the top two holes have been welded up. By working slowly and alternating your position, it’s possible to fill a fairly large void by keeping the amount of heat down to a minimum.
There are a number of grinders
and...
There are a number of grinders
and sanders on the market that
work great for knocking down
welds. The different diameter
sanding discs make getting into
tight spots or working large
areas easy.
A light strike from a ball-peen...
A light strike from a ball-peen hammer will recess the hole slightly lower than the surface of the panel, if need be.
Once the holes are welded...
Once the holes are welded up, it's time to grind 'em flush with the surrounding sheetmetal.
Once the welds are ground...
Once the welds are ground down, a quick
coat of “almost as red as the rest of the
truck” paint will keep the area from rusting
until we get around to painting the
entire truck. It beats having grey primer
patches all over the doors!
I didn’t use any body filler...
I didn’t use any body filler over the welds, so the area is simply metal worked at this point.
To mount the stock mirrors,...
To mount the stock mirrors, a backing plate that was drilled and tapped from the factory was used on both sides. Since our truck didn’t come with stock mirrors, I decided to fabricate a pair of plates using 3⁄16-inch aluminum. I traced the pattern onto the aluminum, then cut it out, drilled and tapped the holes, and we’re ready to rock.
After doing some investigating...
After doing some investigating on the interweb, I found some quick dimensions for where to mount the mirrors on either door. First I measured the distance from the edge of the door and marked that. Then I transferred the bolt pattern to the door using the gasket as a template.
Once I drilled the holes,...
Once I drilled the holes, I removed the door panels to access the inner doors and inserted the aluminum backing plates. It was a little tricky holding everything in place with only two hands, but with a little patience, I was able to get both mirrors bolted in place and looking good.
My truck came with a funky...
My truck came with a funky glue-on rearview mirror when I bought it so I opted to install a stock ’67-68 mirror arm mated to a day/night mirror instead while I was on the mirror kick.