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Help 1970 Challenger Door Mirrors

Heavy

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I need to have someone confirm that there are differences in the shape and size of door mirrors from drivers side (smaller) and passenger side (larger and more teardrop style). The base and hole spacing
are the same. I have had two sources tell me that they originally came from factory with this difference. Have I lost my mind or have I never noticed???? Thank you for any comments or recommendations.
 

70chall440

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I do not believe they are different from side to side in overall shape and definitely not hole spacing. The "differences" in the mirrors are 70 vs everything else; 70 mirrors are unique to that year (shape of the mirror and length of the stem where it meets the door), after that the mirror was standardized and used across many cars to include A and B bodies (some A and B bodies had different stems depending upon application).

All this said, I will walk out to my shop and measure the 3 or 4 sets I have (to include the 70 version on my Challenger), if there is a difference I will come back and tell you what that is, if I don't come back then see above).
 

70chall440

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So I just looked and here is what I found

On the 70, the drivers side mirror is 5.5 x 3.5", the passenger side is 6.5 x 3.5"
On both sets of 71+ both the drivers and passenger side mirrors measure 6 x 4"
 

Heavy

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So I just looked and here is what I found

On the 70, the drivers side mirror is 5.5 x 3.5", the passenger side is 6.5 x 3.5"
On both sets of 71+ both the drivers and passenger side mirrors measure 6 x 4"
I am with you on your size differences on 1970 mirrors. All future models I understand. But in my entire life (old fart) I have never
been aware of this slight difference in org. mirrors. Thank you for your confirmation on this. Have a good one.
 

fasjac

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The rh side is a bit larger than the lh side. Learning everyday. As I had to measure mine as well. I had no idea!
 

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Chryco Psycho

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The 70 is unique , drivers side is more oval passenger side more tear drop ,pointed to the outside 71-74 were both more oval shaped & the same in all years .
 

70chall440

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If I recall correctly, each side is shaped differently.

I believe this only applies to the 70 version, 71 up look to be the same design/shape from side to side (I looked at both sets of 71 up that I have and they look and measure the same). The 70 mirrors are different side to side for sure.
 

1972CudaV21

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I believe this only applies to the 70 version, 71 up look to be the same design/shape from side to side (I looked at both sets of 71 up that I have and they look and measure the same). The 70 mirrors are different side to side for sure.
Thanks for the clarification. It’s amazing how many “1970-Only“ parts were made. Chrysler seemed to be all-in on the ‘70 models & they starting pulling out quickly as the cars weren’t as successful as anticipated.
 

NoCar340

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The '70 mirrors are just 1970-'76 A-body sport mirrors with different pedestals (bases). The A-body mirrors mount atop the "flat" area of the door, so the contour and width of the base is different. Chrysler hardly went "all in"--it was typical of Mopar to share as much tooling as possible with an existing line. The base is the inexpensive part.
The '71-'74 mirrors are identical to the '71-'72 B-body mirrors; the '73-'74 B-body mirrors have a taller pedestal/base to improve rearward visibility over the Chargers' "hips" but the glass and housing itself are the same. The taller pedestal also has different screw spacing, with the screws closer to the ends.
In '75, the B-bodies lost their hips. As a result, those mirrors have the short (E-body) height pedestal with the '73-'74 screw spacing. I think (but can't swear to it) that it was 1977 when the B-body (and now F/M-body) mirrors changed bases again. Once again 'twas the short pedestal, however it has no exposed mounting hardware. There are studs screwed into the mirror bases which fit through holes in the door and an internal door bracket. The whole shebang got fastened with double-thick captive-washer nuts.
Through it all, the heads never changed. Later cars used convex glass ("OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE SLOWER THAN THEY APPEAR") on the RH mirror, which also gained a remote. The joystick was placed low in the dash not far from the ashtray but again, I'm not sure on which happened in what year. The mirrors were still available either chrome or painted through the bitter end in '81; the last cars to have them as an option were the '81 M-body coupes.
Because of the hidden fasteners, the '77-up mirrors are a subtle "smooth look" modification for E and the '71-'74 B-bodies that few notice (unless it's a restoration), especially if you hide the RH remote behind the dash. I probably don't need to tell anyone how nice that convex glass is if you actually plan to drive your car, and all these mirrors should've been dual remote from Day One.

I can't recall for sure if my '77 Cordoba had hidden fasteners or convex glass, but it was definitely a remote RH and they were chrome. My friend's '78 Magnum had chrome dual remotes with convex RH glass and stud mounts, same as my '81 LeBaron coupe; I had painted versions of those on my '79 300 and '80 Aspen. My '73 Charger had a '75-style mirror on the driver's door (chrome remote, short base & wide screw spacing) and the original tall-base '73 non-remote, non-convex RH mirror. The RH mirror being about an inch taller than the LH looked rather stupid when viewing from the front, which is when and why I really started paying attention to exterior mirrors. 😁
 

Heavy

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Thanks, everybody, it is amazing that cars that I have owned, and been around a lifetime have subtle differences
that one looks over until you actually get hands on and up close when rebuilding and repairing. Speaking only for myself (stupid).
I am impressed to be surrounded by people that are that detailed in their thinking and recall ability. Thanks a million
Heavy.
 

moparlee

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Thanks, everybody, it is amazing that cars that I have owned, and been around a lifetime have subtle differences
that one looks over until you actually get hands on and up close when rebuilding and repairing. Speaking only for myself (stupid).
I am impressed to be surrounded by people that are that detailed in their thinking and recall ability. Thanks a million
Heavy.
Heavy,
There is no stupid here, we are all here to learn. It's kinda fun to learn about some of the quirky things that MaMopar did.
 

70chall440

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The '70 mirrors are just 1970-'76 A-body sport mirrors with different pedestals (bases). The A-body mirrors mount atop the "flat" area of the door, so the contour and width of the base is different. Chrysler hardly went "all in"--it was typical of Mopar to share as much tooling as possible with an existing line. The base is the inexpensive part.
The '71-'74 mirrors are identical to the '71-'72 B-body mirrors; the '73-'74 B-body mirrors have a taller pedestal/base to improve rearward visibility over the Chargers' "hips" but the glass and housing itself are the same. The taller pedestal also has different screw spacing, with the screws closer to the ends.
In '75, the B-bodies lost their hips. As a result, those mirrors have the short (E-body) height pedestal with the '73-'74 screw spacing. I think (but can't swear to it) that it was 1977 when the B-body (and now F/M-body) mirrors changed bases again. Once again 'twas the short pedestal, however it has no exposed mounting hardware. There are studs screwed into the mirror bases which fit through holes in the door and an internal door bracket. The whole shebang got fastened with double-thick captive-washer nuts.
Through it all, the heads never changed. Later cars used convex glass ("OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE SLOWER THAN THEY APPEAR") on the RH mirror, which also gained a remote. The joystick was placed low in the dash not far from the ashtray but again, I'm not sure on which happened in what year. The mirrors were still available either chrome or painted through the bitter end in '81; the last cars to have them as an option were the '81 M-body coupes.
Because of the hidden fasteners, the '77-up mirrors are a subtle "smooth look" modification for E and the '71-'74 B-bodies that few notice (unless it's a restoration), especially if you hide the RH remote behind the dash. I probably don't need to tell anyone how nice that convex glass is if you actually plan to drive your car, and all these mirrors should've been dual remote from Day One.

I can't recall for sure if my '77 Cordoba had hidden fasteners or convex glass, but it was definitely a remote RH and they were chrome. My friend's '78 Magnum had chrome dual remotes with convex RH glass and stud mounts, same as my '81 LeBaron coupe; I had painted versions of those on my '79 300 and '80 Aspen. My '73 Charger had a '75-style mirror on the driver's door (chrome remote, short base & wide screw spacing) and the original tall-base '73 non-remote, non-convex RH mirror. The RH mirror being about an inch taller than the LH looked rather stupid when viewing from the front, which is when and why I really started paying attention to exterior mirrors. 😁
I had to read this a few times and do so checking. I see that there seems to be different A body designs, some look the same as a 70 E body whereas some look like the 71-74 E body. I know the bases are different, so that is not in dispute at all. My question is whether or not the A bodies went to the more symmetrical design of the 71-74 vice the different versions for the 70 E body.
 

NoCar340

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I'm not sure what you found, but cars as late as the 1975 Dart Sport Hang 10 still had the "pointy" '70-style heads on the RH side if so equipped. The A-body RH chrome mirror was part #3586174 and the painted was #3586176 from 1970 through at least 1974, which is the last catalog I've got. The LH mirror number did change in '71 and again in '73, but that could be due to differences in the remote: shape/length of the remote knob, cable length, chrome nut design, etc. It seems strange that they'd change the LH mirror to a slightly-different shape than the RH, but it's entirely possible. "Close enough" was just that; these were mass-production appliances, not special-edition collector cars built with love and extra care. If Chrysler decided to save a few bucks using the '71-up B/E-body LH mirror head on A-bodies too, it wouldn't surprise me one bit. Few if any would notice; I'm embarrassed to say it took me months to notice the altitude mismatch between the mirrors on my '73 Charger. I know it wasn't built that way since the LH mirror on my car didn't exist in '73.

The 1970 A-body sport mirrors were the same as that year's B-bodies, bases and all. It would be interesting to know if they were designed specifically for the new Duster body style, to add a little extra to the last year of that generation of B-body, or both.
 

70chall440

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I'm not sure what you found, but cars as late as the 1975 Dart Sport Hang 10 still had the "pointy" '70-style heads on the RH side if so equipped. The A-body RH chrome mirror was part #3586174 and the painted was #3586176 from 1970 through at least 1974, which is the last catalog I've got. The LH mirror number did change in '71 and again in '73, but that could be due to differences in the remote: shape/length of the remote knob, cable length, chrome nut design, etc. It seems strange that they'd change the LH mirror to a slightly-different shape than the RH, but it's entirely possible. "Close enough" was just that; these were mass-production appliances, not special-edition collector cars built with love and extra care. If Chrysler decided to save a few bucks using the '71-up B/E-body LH mirror head on A-bodies too, it wouldn't surprise me one bit. Few if any would notice; I'm embarrassed to say it took me months to notice the altitude mismatch between the mirrors on my '73 Charger. I know it wasn't built that way since the LH mirror on my car didn't exist in '73.

The 1970 A-body sport mirrors were the same as that year's B-bodies, bases and all. It would be interesting to know if they were designed specifically for the new Duster body style, to add a little extra to the last year of that generation of B-body, or both.

Thats all great information and I appreciate you posting it because there seems to be a lot of confusion with the mirrors specifically. In reference to "what I found" the truth is that I didn't really find anything, I did a search and looked at pictures and it "seemed" like some mirrors were different on some of the A bodies but who knows where they came from. I guess my point is that I never really took notice until this thread came up. I always knew that 70 E bodies were different but don't really know much about the A and B body mirrors.

I have a 71 Charger that I will be building and someone told me that the 71-74 E body mirrors are the same (which I have) but I kind of "eyeballed" them on the car and I know that the threaded holes on the passenger side of the car do not match but who knows what someone put onto the car previously.
 
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