You need to have the base's from an 2nd gen. tow mirror equipped truck. Then purchase a set of Power/heated tow mirrors from a 3rd gen truck, you can get them in a kit (which is both mirrors, you will still need to buy a switch, knob and nut)
Once you have all four mirrors, you must disassemble them. For that you'll need to tack them off the truck (3 nuts behind door panel). On the bottom of the base, you'll see a round plastic cover, remove this. Inside you'll see a nut/fastener, this must be removed. Take a small flat screwdriver and pry away the teeth that are in the groove, they are spring steel, so its not simple, but they will move.
Once all the teeth are out of the grove the retainer will "pop" out, there is a compressed spring under it. Then the base will separate from the head. Do this to all 4 mirrors.
Start assembly on the passeger side mirror (it does not require any
modifications to assemble)
Fish the power wires through the "new" base, then the spring, for the
spring to fit, it must be compressed, to do this insert the spring in a
vise, compress fully, apply mechanics wire to both sides of spring (to
hold it compressed when released), then remove spring from the vise.
Insert spring into the assembly, then the retainer (which you mangled, so you'll need to reposition the teeth at a 45 degree angle, via hammer and chisel) Install the retainer and tap (hammer/chisel) into the groove, then remove the wire from the spring by gently waken' it with the hammer/chisel combo.
Now the wires, you'll have to cut the socket off the wires, (as its different than the one in your truck, and wont fit through the base anywhooo) then fish the wires through the base (they will probably need to be extended) and out, so there will be enough to wire to the truck's harness.
Install the necessary foam (between all the mirrors you'll have enough) and install on the truck. Passenger side complete, on to the drivers side.
What I said above applies to the drivers side as well, except for some minor modifications. The first being, on the base of the drives mirror, you'll see an aluminum "tit", roughly 1.5"Lx1/8" thick, remove this with a pair of pliers (wiggle back-n-forth, till it breaks off clean) The second mod, on the head of the new mirror, flip upside down so you see where the base meets it, the round section of aluminum has a additional 1/4"x1.5" casting protruding from the side, this needs to be removed ,via file/grinder. Then assemble per the passenger side instructions.
Wiring, I was lucky and had the factory harness behind the door panel, If you don't you on your own form here, sorry. If you do have the harness behind the door, you'll need to clip the connector from the wires on the harness, then you'll have 5 wires from the mirror assembly (the 2 black ones are for the heat) and the same from the harness.
This is where I oooopsed, and didn't write down the which wire goes to which wire, however, it's not that hard to figure out. Connect the black wires, black/black and black/black, then the 3 other wires are for the power (you'll need to connect the switch at this time) you have to connect all 3 wires from the mirror to all 3 wires from the harness, in order to get any response from the switch. Then its trial and error, don't worry about blowing' fuses cause if they're connected wrong, the mirror will just operate backwards. Simply connect till the mirror operates correctly.
If you want the factory heat switch, you'll need to purchase the heat/AC assembly form DC, as you can't just buy THE switch (its $153 BTW) so I opted to go another route.
I bought a $2 lighted rocker switch, and installed it directly below the power mirror switch (in the door panel, on the horizontal surface) That's it, you are done now. If I missed anything, or you have anymore questions, please ask. Good Luck!!
PS, this is one of the best mods yet, I did on my truck, I love 'em.
Credit for these instructions goes to Rob Thomas, TDR member .
Fw: Wire to hold spring compressed
Hello
I'm forwarding some information that I exchanged with Rob Thomas when I was doing the towing mirror swap on my 01' truck. I couldn't get wire to work for the spring compression my fix in the e-mail below....he thought you'd like to have it.
Mike
quote:
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Rob Thomas wrote on 01-18-2004 07:24 AM:
Mike, that sounds great! Maybe you could PM klenger (he keeps the directions
on his site) and he can update the instructions, sounds like a better idea
than the wire, good work!
Rob
quote:
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RMecum wrote on 01-18-2004 01:47 AM:
Rob
I found a fix I'll probably post. I figured the mirror was put together
by a machine that pressed the clip onto the post so I measured the clip
and found it was about and inch and a half across so I took it to Home
Depot and found a one inch PVC coupling just about the same size (OD) as
the clip. I bought it (thirty cents out the door).
I have a vice that opens wide enough to accomadate mirror base. I taped the clip onto the end of the coupling, put the mirror base in the vice and pressed the clip back in to place, collapsing the spring and putting it all back together! I worked perfectly.
Thanks for your quick response.
Mike
quote:
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Rob Thomas wrote on 01-18-2004 05:36 AM:
Howdy Mike,
I don't have a name brand or anything specific, I used "mechanics"
wire, found at any hardware store, thats the best I can tell you, sorry.
Maybe your trying to compress the spring to much?
Good luck, Rob
[quote]
RMecum wrote on 01-17-2004 09:54 PM:
Rob
I'm using your instructions for my mirror swap and I'm having no luck
with wire holding the spring collapsed. The wire either breaks or untwists...even
tried hard steel wire and it just untwists...can you tell me exactly what
wire to use, name brand, part number and were I can get it. If I doulble
the wire it holds but there's no clearence for the spring in the housing.
Thanks in advance
Mike