OT. Boy, I pulled a smart one, I put a rear view mirror on the windshield of my '63 Ford Galaxie, and glued the piece to the windshield upside down.
Any ideas on how to get it off. Thinner, heat or something else. HELP.
Heat should do it. Or Acetone.
Thanks Jack. I know heat caused it to come off. Thanks again.
My problem's the opposite. The geniuses at GM designed the suburban with the mirror glued to the windshield, and it keeps falling off. So far all the various glues I've tried have failed.
Steve
Have you used the mirror adhesives? Used this Locktite product on my Impala inside mirror when I changed the mirror to the fancy lighted style, this adhesive worked as advertised.
http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/mech_spec_mirror/directions/Loctite-Rear-View-M irror-Repair-Adhesive.htm
Steve, please forgive me if I'm out of line asking but what are the glues you've used? I've never had a mirror come off once after using the glue designed specifically for holding the mirrors onto the windshield. But also understand I live in a little cooler climate and it's rare we see such temperature extremes as to have the glue give up.
One of the several general use glues I tried was Loctite, but I was unaware of their mirror glue, which according to their website isn't sold here in Podunk. I'll see if the auto parts stores have something.
That mirror glue definitely works as advertised. I've used it in a couple of rigs with no problems whatsoever.
I lived in the deep South for a number of years and had issues with mirrors falling off due to the extreme heat. The loctite stuff is the only way to go.
Remember, cleanliness is next to godliness - clean that glass within an inch of its life then use the Loctite. Sold that stuff for years and the only complaints were from guys that didn't read the directions and remove the nicotine! Yes, I'm a lurker here, but sometimes I just can't keep my mouth shut. Grumpy
I know everyone on here is smart enough to know, but I have seen people trying to glue the mirror back on with out removing it from the little plate first and gluing the plate on.
"Sold that stuff for years and the only complaints were from guys that didn't read the directions and remove the nicotine!" LOL. The locktite product will work if you follow the instructions and a little bit beyond. Clean both surfaces with a good solvent. Then clean them again. Follow up by cleaning both surfaces. Then use a sharp razor blade and scrape the windshield where you want to stick the rear view mirror and follow up by cleaning both surfaces again. Follow up by cleaning them with a good solvent. Then be sure that you are about to apply the mirror to the right spot because you will not get a second chance. It will be stuck for good.
Here's a tip from my days at the dealership- some people try to cure a loose or vibrating mirror by over tightening the set screw. This causes a dimple on the back of the bracket glued to the glass. Using fine sandpaper on a flat surface sand the back of the bracket to see if it's distorted, and if so, sand until it's flat, then clean and install. We had very good luck with the Loctite adhesive, which you can get at a GM dealership if you can't find it anywhere else.
Dan;
How did YOU get the old one off. Today, I will try the ideas Jack suggested. Where can I get Acetone?
Try Ace for ace tone.
It's not as unfriendly to you or your environs as lacquer thinner, etc.
rdr
Ricks;
Would lacquer thinner work as well? I have some of that.
Ralf -
If you go to ACE and ask for "ACE Tone" you'll probably get some tunes for your IPod.
But if you give a mouse a cookie -
He'll ask for a glass of milk, etc.
Well, I got the mirror thingy off the windshield. Heated it with a hair dryer and jerked it off along with a small piece of glass. That thing wasn't going nowhere.
P.S. Steve, if you want your mirror to never come off, get a Permatex Extreme Mirror kit. $4.99.
Thanks for all the input.
Richard