Clearview mirrors

[JoshWA]

Evening all,

Is there anyone out there that has the Clearview Mirrors on a a GU and has the indicators on the front/side of mirror wired up to work ?

If so, is it an easy enough job to do ?

Cheers

[jff45]

I have a set of Chevy Silverado mirrors that I adapted to my 2001 GUII. I have the indicators on the front side and also a blinking arrow in the glass that can be seen by anyone overtaking.
I also have the LED reverse lights working in mine.

I had to find the exact pins (right side has different pins and different plug) to add to the plugs on the body side. To the best of my knowledge, the GU didn't have indicators as options but it had heated & electric fold-in and those wires are in the doors. I used them for my installation.

Easy? That depends on how competent you are with wiring and how much patience/resolve you have :)

The indicator wire for left side is also hard to find. It comes right around the engine bay from the right hand side. I took it from the loom inside the engine bay where it feeds the side blinker.

Clearview didn't have mirrors for GU with indicators at the time and their price was outrageous anyway - $795. I bought mine in the US for $173US from Amazon.

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[JoshWA]

Thanks John

[macca]

jff45, what did you need to do to fit them to the door on your GU?

Been thinking about better mirrors but the price of Clearview's is ridiculous especially what you have found.

Might make it a bit easier on the pocket buying what you have. Also how are they like to drive with?

Cheers Macca

[GQtdauto]

I have a set of Chevy Silverado mirrors that I adapted to my 2001 GUII. I have the indicators on the front side and also a blinking arrow in the glass that can be seen by anyone overtaking.
I also have the LED reverse lights working in mine.

I had to find the exact pins (right side has different pins and different plug) to add to the plugs on the body side. To the best of my knowledge, the GU didn't have indicators as options but it had heated & electric fold-in and those wires are in the doors. I used them for my installation.

Easy? That depends on how competent you are with wiring and how much patience/resolve you have :)
Wonder if they would fit a GQ with electric mirrors , not sure I would need the blinkers but reckon it would go close to fitting .

The indicator wire for left side is also hard to find. It comes right around the engine bay from the right hand side. I took it from the loom inside the engine bay where it feeds the side blinker.

Clearview didn't have mirrors for GU with indicators at the time and their price was outrageous anyway - $795. I bought mine in the US for $173US from Amazon.

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I wonder if they could be adapted for a GQ with electric mirrors , not worried about blinkers though .

[GQtdauto]

Amazon says can't sell because I'm in Oz but will try local eBay , if you want something similar to clearview as little as $99 US money .

[macca]

Amazon says can't sell because I'm in Oz but will try local eBay , if you want something similar to clearview as little as $99 US money .

Saw the eBay ones, $750 for Clearview is another "Aussie Tax" in full operation?

[GQtdauto]

Cheapest price for same mirror on our eBay is vastly different , same as clearview and similar price .
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fit-System-62137-38G-GM-Silverado-Sierra-1500-Manual-Towing-Mirror-Pair-/201846959638?hash=item2eff042e16:g:qI0AAOSwsW9YwcX 6

[macca]

Try eBay USA, log in again to the American sellers.

I "watched" one and now its on my Au page I always use.

[GQtdauto]

Must have used an intermediary for an address in US who then forward on , just need to work out how to go about it .

[GQtdauto]

Try eBay USA, log in again to the American sellers.

I "watched" one and now its on my Au page I always use.
Yes tried that thanks but foiled again for other reasons .

[jff45]

I bought them when I was over there last August to see the grandkids. Elder son works in the World Bank so got postage very cheap - in fact, he hasn't asked me for the money yet :)

[GQtdauto]

I bought them when I was over there last August to see the grandkids. Elder son works in the World Bank so got postage very cheap - in fact, he hasn't asked me for the money yet :)
Ok well that explains a bit , lucky bugger .

[jff45]

jff45, what did you need to do to fit them to the door on your GU?

Been thinking about better mirrors but the price of Clearview's is ridiculous especially what you have found.

Might make it a bit easier on the pocket buying what you have. Also how are they like to drive with?

Cheers Macca

Fantastic to drive with, especially the convex lower 3rd which covers the blind spots.

Basically, the only part of the Chevy mirror that's needed is the mechanism that allows the folding. I cut this off the Chevy triangle and tigged it to a triangle of 5mm 5083 aluminium that I made to fit the GU.

The wiring for power adjust without blinkers is also easy because they both only use 3 wires but the up/down movement is reversed which isn't a big deal because you move it the other way instinctively when you see it's wrong.

I still need to make some kind of plastic or aluminium cover for them and make gaskets from sikaflex.
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[GQtdauto]

I'm impressed , will get them thru my son who seems to know how the amazon deal works but I'm only after the plain jane version .

[Seyko]

That looks cool! I like it a lot, didn't think of this as a mod but might have to put this one he maybe list! Always love a good home build.

[GQtdauto]

Just completed putting a set on the GQ , not as fancy plain black with blinkers only on the outer edge but they work well for under $200 all up .
Unlike jff45 I made the bracket completely out of steel which is quite a bit of mucking around but is going to be stronger , the alloy casting on mine were rubbish which is why I went steel .
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[jff45]

Well done, I also thought about making them from steel but I've welded 5mm ally plate inside the cast section so it's way stronger than original. It's not like we need to hang a spare wheel on there or anything like that :)
Now I'm towing the caravan, I'm really happy with how they work..
Still think the Oz price is a real ripoff

[GQtdauto]

Well done, I also thought about making them from steel but I've welded 5mm ally plate inside the cast section so it's way stronger than original. It's not like we need to hang a spare wheel on there or anything like that :)
Now I'm towing the caravan, I'm really happy with how they work..
Still think the Oz price is a real ripoff

Yeah upwards $800 for the same mirror , the blind spot mirror is fantastic as you said no more turning the head .
One advantage in doing them with steel is you can make the spring tension adjustable just by adding or taking away washers from the main coil spring , noticed mine have the slightest vibration but roads around here are rough as guts .
Have you worked out a cover for the outside yet ? Was looking at the original piece that covered mine and I reckon with a bit of work I could make them fit .

[macca]

Please keep the info coming guys, mine arrived yesterday and I'm at the head scratching stage.
Some close up pics would be handy if you have time.
Thanks guys.
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[macca]

Made a template from an old manual mirror that was in the shed. Then cut out 2 3mm steel plates.

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[macca]

Sorted out the wiring.
Blue/Black w stripe - indicator.
Black/Black - heater.
Red/Green - mirror up/down.
Yellow/Green - mirror left/right.

[gubigfish]

Macca where did you get yours from? eBay?

[GQtdauto]

Depends on whether or not you want to go steel or use the cast alloy main part of the existing bracket , mine is on a GQ and Jff has got his on a GU .
I have some bits and pieces and a template so will get some photos and try and splain which way I went about it if you like , yours maybe slightly easier wiring wise as I only had three wires in the door for the mirrors I believe some GU's have five .
Do you want the heated function to work ? For me it's just the blinkers and mirror movement to keep it simpler .
While your waiting work out if you want to do it in steel or aluminium but either way can I suggest getting a bit of scrap ply or acrylic sheet to make a template of your original mirror and how it fits to the door , my left and right sides were the same for my template just reversed so I only needed the one template .

[macca]

Macca where did you get yours from? eBay?
gubigfish, Yes mate, bloody price changed just as I ordered, cost AU$285 delivered and came from China. Didn't notice until I had paid... There were some on there that sold out and others that were out of stock. Time will tell how they perform.


Depends on whether or not you want to go steel or use the cast alloy main part of the existing bracket , mine is on a GQ and Jff has got his on a GU .
I have some bits and pieces and a template so will get some photos and try and splain which way I went about it if you like , yours maybe slightly easier wiring wise as I only had three wires in the door for the mirrors I believe some GU's have five .
Do you want the heated function to work ? For me it's just the blinkers and mirror movement to keep it simpler .
While your waiting work out if you want to do it in steel or aluminium but either way can I suggest getting a bit of scrap ply or acrylic sheet to make a template of your original mirror and how it fits to the door , my left and right sides were the same for my template just reversed so I only needed the one template .

GQtdauto I haven't pulled the mirrors off the car yet.
The plan was to mount the steel plate using the OEM locations lining it up level etc, then mount the new mirror to the plate leaving the fold back part as is. The hard part will be to hide it all, thinking at the moment to trim the original cover and fill gaps with Sikaflex then paint it. but that is a while away yet.

If you have a better idea I am all ears!

[GQtdauto]

Ok your going with steel then , I used 100x50x2.5 mm RHS for the main bracket but see how it fits on your template , ideal size would have been 90x50 .
The plastic bush that the mirror pivots on according to mine was close to 32 mm so that's what hole saw I used , you need to work out how far from the edge to put that hole and in my case each 100x50 needed to be 60mm long and distance to bottom edge of hole was about 14 mm ( in other words after you drill the 32mm hole you just need 14mm of the hole .
If that makes sense ,
Now you have your template mark the position of the holes that hold mirror onto the door , check and double check then drill a 6mm hole for each one , I reused the studs in the alloy bracket just put a nut on it to hold it to the plate later on you can weld the flat nut door side on and cut the bolt thread otherside off and plug weld it .
I welded a bolt cut off to about 40 mm to the plate where I thought the coil spring would sit .
The tang that sits on that spring and where it pivots from determines the angle the mirror sits at , 5mm out makes a big difference .
I will have to get what my measurements where for the pivot , I also packed the sides of the pivot to hold the tang central to the spring .
I'll have to do these photos in a few lots my maximum is five photos .
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[GQtdauto]

The saddle I made up first had no slots in it , the reason for the slots are to allow the mirror to flick forward or back if you hit something as I found out with my first effort .
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[GQtdauto]

Last lot , I used 25x2 flat with holes drilled and 6 mm nuts welded on the bottom side this is what the saddle bolts to and therefore your mirror , you don't get much room for this one side so if I had to do it again would have made the 32mm hole a bit further over .
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[GQtdauto]

gubigfish, Yes mate, bloody price changed just as I ordered, cost AU$285 delivered and came from China. Didn't notice until I had paid... There were some on there that sold out and others that were out of stock. Time will tell how they perform

GQtdauto I haven't pulled the mirrors off the car yet.
The plan was to mount the steel plate using the OEM locations lining it up level etc, then mount the new mirror to the plate leaving the fold back part as is. The hard part will be to hide it all, thinking at the moment to trim the original cover and fill gaps with Sikaflex then paint it. but that is a while away yet.

If you have a better idea I am all ears!


That could work ok , I just did one side at a time , I used the rubber inner from the original mirror , just trimmed the plate until it was a reasonable good fit , as for the rest you tell me I'm still working it out but if you line up the outer cover you removed from the mirror it almost fits it's just a matter of holding it there which I'm working on , will use black mastic or similar I think to fill the gaps haven't got that far busy doing other things now that the mirrors are in .7173371734

[macca]

Okay you discarded the OEM fixing.
I am using steel as I can work with that, not having access to ally welding or experience.
Also the heater is quite effective at about 2 amps it heated the glass quite quickly, be interesting to see how rain and condensation dissapear.
You have certainly given me some ideas to mull over. Thanks.

[GQtdauto]

Mine came from http://www.ebay.com/usr/carpartsinnovate?_trksid=p2047675.l2559
$99 us plus $23 us delivery about $160 odd our money.
Photos of what I did drivers side in working out the tang spacing , this did not work for left side I had to redrill the pivot hole 5mm further back .
At some stage you will need to remove door skin because there is a lot of checking involved , angle down you need on 100x50 you need to check it's not much on mine , I should have done the wiring and connected it up when I was testing for fit because although it all seemed ok when it was all welded up and painted I couldn't adjust the left mirror enough to see close to the car .
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Sorry for all the photos just trying to give you as much info as I can to make it easier to work out .

[GQtdauto]

Okay you discarded the OEM fixing.
I am using steel as I can work with that, not having access to ally welding or experience.
Also the heater is quite effective at about 2 amps it heated the glass quite quickly, be interesting to see how rain and condensation dissapear.
You have certainly given me some ideas to mull over. Thanks.

Can weld ally have a tig but no way would I use that crap casting , the mirrors are heavy .
Of the OEM bracket I used the metal studs x3 each and the nuts with captive washers for fixing on to the door .
The coil spring and the tang , the rest is useless apart from the mirror of course .
Not sure how my measurements etc will convert over to GU but it's a starting point for you .

[jff45]

I didn't bother connecting the heater element but I did connect the little reversing LEDS on the outer edges. I'm surprised how much light they give at night.

The trickiest part is getting the extra pins into the GU door loom plugs, especially on the RH side where access is limited.

I haven't revisited mine to make up a cover yet. I'm thinking maybe some kind of filler that can be sculpted and then covered with 3M vinyl.

[macca]

Got one done, nearly. Have to fit the cover then get some foam to fill the gaps.
What a difference to drive with. Have the other one half done.
They are huge, and were a challenge to mount and hold in place then hot wire the electrics to make sure they are angled within an acceptable range.
Tack it together then weld on the bench, the second is easier of course.
A plate is fixed to the original mirror location and another bolted to the new mirror then the two are joined with spacers to get the alignment right.
Honestly the effort to do this is not worth it unless you're a shed nut like me.
Also the indicators face back in the mirror and are red, is that an ADR problem here in Australia

[GQtdauto]

Not sure with the blinker in the mirror but it might be , mine are only on the outside of the mirror you can't see them from the drivers seat , you forgot some pics to see how you went about it .
Yeah a lot of stuffing around but for a GQ you can't buy Clearview but for the ridiculous money they want if your prepared for more than a few days in the shed and have the tools it's mostly your time the materials cost bugger all .
And the mirrors are fantastic I reckon .

[macca]

A couple of the drivers side. Will take some of the other today. I keep getting into the task and forget about you chappies. LOL

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[GQtdauto]

Aahhh I see now what you did , the GU leans in a bit at the door , more than the GQ which is almost straight , making what you did a bit easier , I also had to reroute the wires through the bottom arm .
You should be able to trim the original plastic trim up , looks bloody awesome mate , well done .

[macca]

The passenger side is being difficult to align mainly because its from a LHD vehicle.
The fit is a long way from the body compared to the other side.

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[jff45]

macca, it might be wise to take some measurements if you're mounting the complete Chevy triangle to another. ADR says they can't be more than 250mm outside the widest part of the vehicle if not towing.
My driver's side is about 5mm over that.
I tried to move the retaining lug that locks it in place to bring the mirror in a bit but the viewing adjustment was no longer correct.
I'll need to remove it and cut the cast alloy block down 5mm and reweld but it's moved down the priority list at the moment...

[GQtdauto]

Geez I'd better check mine for how much they stick out , but Clearview are the same mirror and stick out the same amount so how is it they comply .
I had more trouble with passenger side than drivers so that's what it was , I didn't even think of left hand drive .

[macca]

Right oh time for paint

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[macca]

macca, it might be wise to take some measurements if you're mounting the complete Chevy triangle to another. ADR says they can't be more than 250mm outside the widest part of the vehicle if not towing.
My driver's side is about 5mm over that.


Phew 220mm. That was from the box/pod body line.

[macca]

Coffee time
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[jff45]

The wagon doesn't have that advantage..

[gubigfish]

Does Clearview supply the correct brackets to mount to the GU if you buy their expensive mirrors or do you have to get that fabricated yourself?

[jff45]

Does Clearview supply the correct brackets to mount to the GU if you buy their expensive mirrors or do you have to get that fabricated yourself?

Yes, you can buy the Clearview mirrors for GU but they don't have the blinkers because there's no factory wiring for them.

[macca]

Does Clearview supply the correct brackets to mount to the GU if you buy their expensive mirrors or do you have to get that fabricated yourself?

gubigfish
My guess is they would replace the OEM mirror simply swapping one for the other and the wiring plug will match what's in the car too.

For the money that's what you would expect.

[GQtdauto]

Yes , Clearview are model specific and are just a simple bolt in and plug in job .
Checked my distance for the mirror and I'm under the 250 mm , GQ sticks out about in the rear side above the back wheel and if you take the flares as the widest part of the car I'm under easy .

[GQtdauto]

Coffee time
71792

When are you going to paint it ?

[macca]

When are you going to paint it ?

It was hanging up to dry mate.

Coat of cold gal grey and black the bits that are seen.

Its all on and usable now, have a 400klm drive this weekend so be interesting to see if I can see.

[macca]

All done. Except for the infill that next week's project.

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[GQtdauto]

Looks tops mate .

[macca]

Looks tops mate .

GQtdauto, Thanks for your help, advice, support doing this. It's your fault that I did this you know.
All good mate, enjoyed the "chat" and now to go for drive!

[GQtdauto]

You could have bought Clearview for your GU but it's a doable diy if your handy enough and they look great but best of all their the best mirrors on the market I reckon .
Think we both should be thanking Josh and Fjj45 for the idea ( hope I got that right ) .

[GQtdauto]

Don't try this for a cheap cover up , self adhesive black foam rubber .
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[macca]

Had a fiddle round with a bit of 25mm high density foam rubber.
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[Winnie]

Had a fiddle round with a bit of 25mm high density foam rubber.
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That looks great. I reckon you'd be replacing the foam fairly often though?
I would suggest to wrap the plastic & foam combo with a high quality vinyl wrap to keep it looking its best for years to come.

[macca]

The passenger side is done. The front corner is 25mm further out than the driver side.
Figured this is because the mirrors are for a LHD vehicle.

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[GQtdauto]

The passenger side is done. The front corner is 25mm further out than the driver side.
Figured this is because the mirrors are for a LHD vehicle.

71816

Looks ok Macca , yes I noticed a difference with the left as well , if your making the bracket from scratch you can copy most things from the right one except the pivot hole for tang that sits on the spring .

[macca]

The real test is driving with them.
Visibility was increased unbelievably. The drivers side showed cars with no blind spots, but motor cycles being shorter disappeared, the bottom mirror was all the way "out" so I'll have to watch that.
The passenger side is a bit trickier as the bottom mirror is so clear I had to be careful to check the top mirror (a little obscured by the wind visor that is badly scratched) before moving left after passing someone.
They didn't seem to block the view as much as I had anticipated, so was all good there.
Vibration was evident but not too bad, on rough surfaces and corrugations its going to be a problem I'm thinking. Just have to wait and see.
A smart move will be to fit fender washers to the mount points even a one piece plate on the bottom two mount screws sooner rather than later.
Electrics worked good, heater is slow if the mirror is covered in early morning dew, about 3 minutes to really be effective. Mirror range was perfect and indicators even though a bit bling actually do a good job. Used the passenger side one to pull in left after passing, once the vehicle was in the indicator I was about 20 meters in front of them.
Noise, heard no wind noise at all.
Yes it is a mod well worth doing, a vast improvement over the ones on there before.
Only real down side is extra width when parking and the passenger side is higher that a parked car when reversing into a parking space. Using the lower mirror for parking takes some practice, that or lower the main mirror for that purpose.
Would I do it again? Yes definitely.

[GQtdauto]

If the mirrors don't sit in the exact right position there is a bit of fun with the mirrors , the Silverado Utes must have lower seats I suspect .
Overall the better vision you get is so much ahead of OEM plus a caravan mirror because of the blind spot mirror .
No trouble backing in tight car parks and can get to within 50mm of the trig hitch on the camper every time .
Because I've made my brackets completely out of steel I can pack out the tension spring with washers if vibrations become an issue , at the moment I think there about the same as the OEM mirrors as far as that goes .
Yes blind spot mirrors can be moved out as far as they go which leaves them sticking out but don't think it's a problem , passenger side won't fold back against the car if I hit something because of the snorkel and this could be an issue on tight tracks .

[jff45]

Finally got around to making the outer shape for these Silverado mirrors. Been raining a lot here so easy to justify the shed time.
I’m making it all from 3mm aluminium and so far it’s coming together as planned.

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[GQtdauto]

Finally got around to making the outer shape for these Silverado mirrors. Been raining a lot here so easy to justify the shed time.
I’m making it all from 3mm aluminium and so far it’s coming together as planned.

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Nice Tig job mate , seems you're almost there , mine performed better than expected on corrigations and vibration was not apparent on some of the worst tracks we went on .
Hope the ally doesn't develop stress cracks in use mate .

[GQtdauto]

Has taken you a while mate but it is worth it .

[jff45]

They’re only a decorative cover so there’s absolutely no stress on it. The mirrors barely rub against it when you fold them.
I have Tig welded parts on my engine and in my engine bay that are subjected to much more heat, stress and vibration with no issue at all.

[GQtdauto]

Ahhh ok so that outer is just a pretty up ,cosmetic .
The first person to do one out of alloy welded the bracket onto the plate but I notice your castings are better than mine , stress cracks mainly come from overheating during welding although ally can be annealed to reduce any stress .
As you've said though yours is cosmetic and your welds are good so no excess heat , if the rest of your welds are like that no you shouldn't have any problems .
Heard of a process in aircraft aly ,after welding the area gets a quick hit with a carbonising acetylene flame then gently heated till the carbon disappears.

[jff45]

The original cast alloy block is pretty thin and is probably the weakest part of the whole assembly. I welded 5mm walls inside the cast before welding it to the alu triangle. I've also drilled and tapped the 5mm bolt threads to 6 mm but I'm toying with the idea of drilling right through and passing countersunk 6 mm bolts from the rear of the triangle and using nuts for the bridge that holds the mirror against the cast.

[GQtdauto]

I think what you've done is probably good enough , bearing in mind those mirrors are very heavy and if you consider the weight that's pulling down then magnify that by going over corrigations etc it's quite a lot .
Your casting is better than mine like I said which is why I went steel instead .
I've checked my anchor points / fasteners and they're still tight and after the tracks I've been on earlier in the year I'm satisfied they're not going anywhere.

[jff45]

This is the final result with the covers made from 3mm aluminium. The rear round section is a length of 100mm ally tube cut down the middle for each side.
Still need to make the gaskets from sikaflex.

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[GQtdauto]

Well done and very neat so congrats you've saved probably $500 on what the clearview would cost .

[jff45]

Well done and very neat so congrats you've saved probably $500 on what the clearview would cost .

Not only saved compared to Clearview price but they don’t supply GU mirrors with blinkers and reverse lights in them because the GU has no blinkers in the door loom.

The money saved certainly helped offset a good chunk of my $798 AC/DC TIG..

I’m really happy with them but not sure I’d do it again :)