1994 "late manufacture" mirrors

[e30mpower]

I've got a 94 Explorer Eddie Bauer, manufactured 11/94, and have been doing without a driver side mirror for the past year due to an unfortunate parallel parking event. I ordered one pretty much right after it happened off of eBay, but couldn't get it to work. The mirror was similar, but at the same time completely different. My mirrors are more like the ones used on 95+ trucks, with larger glass and higher-quality casing. It bolted up fine, but there was a sizable gap between the door and where the mirror attaches, so I decided not to go that route. So what should I do?

Benjamin K. Earle
Charleston, SC

 

[mikeinri]

"unfortunate parallel parking event..." Now THAT's PC...

Another possibility is that during your aforementioned unmentionable incident, you bent the part of the truck that the mirror connects to, such that you now have that gap.

The other thing to try is to go to a junk yard (or again on ebay) and get a 95 mirror and see if that fits better. You can always resell the one you don't need on ebay.

Good luck, hopefully someone has a better answer that won't involve more blind part-swapping...

Mike

 

[walterd140]

Got a pic of the funky driver side one installed? Have you contacted the dealer? I know they are known for outragous prices, but sometimes they are actually cheap.

Mike has a good idea But I would add if you go to the bone yard, grab both sides.
Walter

 

[Minivek]

Can you post a pic of the driver's side?? I've broken the driver's side mirror as well when I laid the truck on its side. I know the forces are different between a rollover and when you park, but the thing is the mirror is VERY rigidly attached to the door, so it's very likely some part of the door frame bent before the mirror broke off. Pics would help...

 

[Jason94sport]

You can't get a 1st gen mirror from the dealer anymore. Only 2nd gens.

 

[briwayjones]

Sounds like you just need to get a 2nd gen mirror.

 

[e30mpower]

Thanks for the replies, here's a couple more pics. What happened was I was trying to "un-parallel" park and my mirror clipped a Grand Cherokee's mirror on the opposite side of the street and knocked my glass out. The door frame is fine.

 

[mikeinri]

Seems really odd, but it looks like you need to go with a 95 mirror.

Hope you got him worse than he got you...

Mike

 

[briwayjones]

You can't just get a replacement piece of glass and pop it in there?

 

[little x]

Or try cutting a piece of glass to fit and rigging it in, if you can't buy just the glass.