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fordxranger
New Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2008
- Messages
- 244
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Washington
- Vehicle Year
- 1989/1992
- Make / Model
- Fo Mo Co
- Engine Size
- 2.9L....for now/4.0L
- Transmission
- Manual
difficulty: 3 out of 10, kind of a pain to grind carefully in close quarters so you don't bite into the base.
Disclaimer: The Ranger Station.com, The Ranger Station.com Staff, nor the original poster are responsible for you doing this modification to your vehicle. By doing this modification and following this how-to you, the installer, take full responsibility if anything is damaged or messed up. If you have questions, feel free to PM the original poster or ask in the appropriate section of The Ranger Station.com forums.
time to modify: about an hour combined.
tools/supplies needed: T20 screwdriver, phillips screwdriver, angle grinder, vise, scotch brite, and duplicolor trim paint. everything cost less than $20 including the price of both trooper mirrors and the plastic junk mirror.
Despite what the post by Chris Grover in the tech library these are not bolt on. the troopers mounting base is way narrower than the rangers and wont match up to the factory holes. for a clean look you'll want to use the rangers bases. I have seen some models that have an adjustable bolt and spring style on the backside of the mounts, but my 89's mirrors have the ball and socket/rivet plate job rather than an adjustable bolt and spring. so if you have my style of mirror, than this guide is for you, if you have the spring style your lucky cause it actually is a bolt up affair. luckily it isn't terribly hard to modify your mirrors/brackets to accept the troopers mirror. I started by taking off my mirrors with a T20 head screwdriver and I pried the original ranger mirror apart with a flat blade screwdriver. the mirror separates into two pieces, you'll need to remove the screws holding the mirror to the lead cross looking thing that is pressed onto the ball in the base behind the riveted plate. throw away the two halves and screws and put the mirror bases in a vise. once the base was in the vise, I took an angle grinder with a regular grinding disc and took the rivets down and popped the plates off. after you toss the plate and the ball cup you will now see a steel ball with grease on it which keeps the mirror in place. I took a set of locking pliers and held onto the lead cross and I used my angle grinder with a cutoff disc and cut into the cross near the bottom closest to the mirror base where it was pressed onto the ball. after you cut it off the surrounding lead the small remaining piece just crumbles and you push the ball out and toss the pieces out. now you have only the ranger base. I chose to paint mine cause they were faded and in need of a coat. the trooper mirrors come apart much easier, I just backed the adjustable spring and bolt all the way out and tossed the trooper base and a black plastic piece that held a white bushing, adjusting spring and bolt. you take the white bushing, spring and bolt and put it all back together with the rangers bases and your all done.
a side profile of my truck with the factory mirror. it stays put when the truck is still, but anything over 15 mph and they start dancing.
backside of base, up close pic of the rivets and plate you'll be grinding off.
after all the prying, grinding, cutting, and painting you'll be left with this metal base.
a side by side of the ranger style mirror(right) and the trooper mirror(left).
the ranger mirror in the picture is a cheap parts store replacement with a brittle plastic base which I borrowed for this picture. the mounting bases are not spaced the same and the trooper mirror is a bit bigger than the rangers.
an exploded view of the trooper mirror, you throw away the black plastic piece next to the base and the base goes in the trash with it.
exploded view of how it all comes together with the rangers base and the troopers mirror and spring adjustment.
finished product. it didn't take all night, I just had some errands to run before it got dark and I took this picture when I got back home.
Note: I worked by myself and could not take pictures of the grinding and prying. I can get some pictures of a pried apart mirror if needed cause there are a set on a ranger in my local pull a part and i'd like to make another set for spares.
Disclaimer: The Ranger Station.com, The Ranger Station.com Staff, nor the original poster are responsible for you doing this modification to your vehicle. By doing this modification and following this how-to you, the installer, take full responsibility if anything is damaged or messed up. If you have questions, feel free to PM the original poster or ask in the appropriate section of The Ranger Station.com forums.
time to modify: about an hour combined.
tools/supplies needed: T20 screwdriver, phillips screwdriver, angle grinder, vise, scotch brite, and duplicolor trim paint. everything cost less than $20 including the price of both trooper mirrors and the plastic junk mirror.
Despite what the post by Chris Grover in the tech library these are not bolt on. the troopers mounting base is way narrower than the rangers and wont match up to the factory holes. for a clean look you'll want to use the rangers bases. I have seen some models that have an adjustable bolt and spring style on the backside of the mounts, but my 89's mirrors have the ball and socket/rivet plate job rather than an adjustable bolt and spring. so if you have my style of mirror, than this guide is for you, if you have the spring style your lucky cause it actually is a bolt up affair. luckily it isn't terribly hard to modify your mirrors/brackets to accept the troopers mirror. I started by taking off my mirrors with a T20 head screwdriver and I pried the original ranger mirror apart with a flat blade screwdriver. the mirror separates into two pieces, you'll need to remove the screws holding the mirror to the lead cross looking thing that is pressed onto the ball in the base behind the riveted plate. throw away the two halves and screws and put the mirror bases in a vise. once the base was in the vise, I took an angle grinder with a regular grinding disc and took the rivets down and popped the plates off. after you toss the plate and the ball cup you will now see a steel ball with grease on it which keeps the mirror in place. I took a set of locking pliers and held onto the lead cross and I used my angle grinder with a cutoff disc and cut into the cross near the bottom closest to the mirror base where it was pressed onto the ball. after you cut it off the surrounding lead the small remaining piece just crumbles and you push the ball out and toss the pieces out. now you have only the ranger base. I chose to paint mine cause they were faded and in need of a coat. the trooper mirrors come apart much easier, I just backed the adjustable spring and bolt all the way out and tossed the trooper base and a black plastic piece that held a white bushing, adjusting spring and bolt. you take the white bushing, spring and bolt and put it all back together with the rangers bases and your all done.
a side profile of my truck with the factory mirror. it stays put when the truck is still, but anything over 15 mph and they start dancing.
backside of base, up close pic of the rivets and plate you'll be grinding off.
after all the prying, grinding, cutting, and painting you'll be left with this metal base.
a side by side of the ranger style mirror(right) and the trooper mirror(left).
the ranger mirror in the picture is a cheap parts store replacement with a brittle plastic base which I borrowed for this picture. the mounting bases are not spaced the same and the trooper mirror is a bit bigger than the rangers.
an exploded view of the trooper mirror, you throw away the black plastic piece next to the base and the base goes in the trash with it.
exploded view of how it all comes together with the rangers base and the troopers mirror and spring adjustment.
finished product. it didn't take all night, I just had some errands to run before it got dark and I took this picture when I got back home.
Note: I worked by myself and could not take pictures of the grinding and prying. I can get some pictures of a pried apart mirror if needed cause there are a set on a ranger in my local pull a part and i'd like to make another set for spares.
