Rear View Mirror retrofit

[modular93fox]

Im full of retrofits... the latest will be a BMW rear view mirror. Its got the alarm option, SOS and Service button built into the mirror, but the buttons are hidden under a plastic flap. I will wire my existing alarm led into the mirror led, and the button that is needed to program the button will be one of the 2 buttons depending if the circuitry in the button board is nothing more than a momentary button. The SOS, similar to Onstar has a led feature ... Its not going to have that feature, but just another button could use with LED..
The base that glues on to the window can be bought seperatly for cheap, but we have a windshield guy that comes by regularly and Im going to wait for a free one. The mirro bases are all the same, which is great. The mirror arm (thats between the mirror and the windshield) has a 2pc trim even...
I am going to call Benswanger glass tomarrow to see if they can duplicate the mirror glass part. These mirrors are prone to leaking fluid (autodarkening feature) Im sure I can find someone who can trace a mirror and cut it cheap. Theres another tech I work with thats got the same mirror with the Homelink option. That has a 3 button garage door remote built into it... Once I secure the one I have now in the truck, I'll upgrade later. When I get the mirror cut out and or sourced, I will post up a picture of the progress.
Clint

[454ss]

Sounds like a good mod.

I'm just going with an autodim mirror with compass myself. For anyone that decides on this mod, get a Gentex, not prone to leaking fluid like the Donnellys. I can do a write up on this some time, or you can follow the writeup on the one I did on my S10.

http://www.texassseries.com/forums/showthread.php?t=257

I am planning an overhead console from an Olds Silhouette - it's short and has pretty much the same lines as a squarebody, it will already have Homelink. One thing about this OHC is that if you've done an OBD2 swap, you can add a Driver Info Center.

I would do an autodim with temp/compass, but with the electronic climate control mod I plan, it already has an outside temp.

[Captkaos]

Just and FYI, I sell these from Dakota:  Temp, Compass and autodimming, with or without lights.
http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=403/category_id=406/home_id=-1/mode=prod/prd403.htm

$190 for the base one and $210 for the one with lights.

[modular93fox]

Well after heating up the mirror/glass in the oven, I was able to seperate the 2 halves and clean up the fluid inside and the edges. So I didnt need to purchase a replacement glass. I wire tested the 10 pin connector and found the 2 that power up the led, gonna run the wires this weekend to the alarm... still dont know about using the factory mirror buttons as the alarm buttons due to the 100 ohm ressitor built into the circuit board of the button... Im unsure if you can scrape off the micro resistor and somehow manage to wire in jumper ? dunno but im probally going to try it becuase Im sure the alarm will not like the 100 ohms of resistance when it expects a 0 or near 0 ohm resistance ground signal to program the brain. That being said, I was fortunate that one of the 2 windshield companies that work with us a lot gave me a windshield mirror button (mount) for free . Once i cleaned it up figured out where I think I want the mirror, I had the other dude (just happend to be there at the right time) glue it in for me.
He was like dude you need a new window.. ive got a 8" crack in the middle from a stupid rock chip. Within 1 minute of the rock chip, it turned into a 8" crack... gay. Anyway he was like yeah we trained on these windows first starting out.. I can get you a new one and I can lend you my tool and teach you. Im like no way.... how much for the window... hes like ultra cheap. 60 bucks my price. Needless to say Im probally going to buy a windshield for xmas . Then I will do a write up becuase I think it differs from the rear glass.
I ordered the mirror's base trim Friday ($4) and sometime this week I will glue the mirror and glass together and install it to the base and take a photo
Clint

[Captkaos]

The fronts are pretty simple to put in, putting one in with a new gasket is a bear.
I get the glass guys here to install mine, they break it I don't pay, I break it, I get to buy a new one.

[modular93fox]

man thats exactly what he said about the front windows and new gaskets... probably why he was adimat about letting me install the window... Just curious.... why/when would you want to install a new gasket (besides if yours is damaged).... any benifit in buying a new one when replacing the windshield?
clint

[Grim 82]

I would re-use your old one unless its destroyed. A tornado threw a calf hutch through my windshield, so I got the new glass, new seal, new lockstrip, and borrowed a plastic windshield knife and lockstrip tool from a friend. The glass came out in eleventy billion pieces and it was urethaned in to the old seal, but after messing with the new seal a bit I decided to return it and use the old seal. The new one seemed like it was about a foot too long in circumference, and the corners weren't contoured like the old one. I spent most of a day scraping shards of glass and urethane from the old seal but then it fit back in just like it should. I urethaned the seal to the cab, put a bead all the way around in the windshield channel, set the bottom of the glass in the channel, and then worked the edges in with the plastic tool. Putting the glass in took about 3 minutes and putting the lockstrip in took about 3 hours, and a gallon of soapy water.

[Captkaos]

If you current gasket is in good shape I wouldn't change it.  If it is leaking, dry rotted and just plain old, I replace them.