Mirror Bolt Assembly with Spring and Hardware Used To Mount
By Keith Foster -
Porsche Club of America - Lone Star Region - Rennlist Web Forum (icat)
Copyright 2002 - All Rights Reserved
This procedure outlines the steps required to install
the 968 aero mirrors package on a 944. The installation shown herein was performed
on a 1986 944 Turbo with electric mirrors, however the procedure will work for
any 924 or 944.
Before you begin, please note that there are two ways
to obtain the aero mirrors. The first is to procure a set from a donor 968. The
second is to purchase Porsche part number 944-731-901-00 from a Porsche dealer.
This
kit includes all of the main hardware required for the conversion. Detailed information is included in this procedure for
either method.
In addition to the aero mirrors, you will also need to purchase the following items:
Electrical
Part Supply House:
Two sets of .093" 6 Circuit Plugs and Receptors with Pins
Hardware
Store (Home Depot):
One
3/8” x 3” Bolt (threaded portion is 3”minimum not including head – bolt
can be longer)
Two 3/8” Nuts to fit Bolt
Three 3/8” Washers to fit Bolt (width of 1” – no more, no less)
One #0 Screw Eye
The following terminology will be used when
describing the mirrors.
Mirror
Mount:
The metal mounting base which attaches to the door.
Mirror Housing:
The
‘tear’ shaped aero which houses the motor transmission.
Reinforcement Plate: The inside 'frame' the adjusting motor
attaches to.
Adjusting Motor: The mirror
motor.
Mirror Glass:
The glass face.
Mirror Assembly:
A complete
unit of base, aero, mirror, and motor.
Mirror
Bolt:
The metal core which connects the mirror mount to the mirror housing.
Table
of Contents
Tools
Required to Disassembly 968 Aero Mirrors for Painting
Disassembly
of Pre-Owned Aero Mirrors
Assembly
Removal
of Original 944 Flag Mirrors from Car
Wiring
the 968 Aero Mirrors
Final
Assembly
Tools
Required to Disassembly 968 Aero Mirrors for Painting
968
Aero Mirrors can be purchased from part dismantlers or from individuals who are
parting out their cars. Additional sources include your local Porsche dealer,
Oklahoma Foreign, 986.net, and E-Bay. There are several Porsche Dealers who
offer deep discounts when purchasing out of state or over the Internet. Even your local dealer may offer you a discount if asked.
In order to prepare donor 968 Aero Mirrors for painting you will need to disassemble the mirror assembly. If you have purchased the aero mirror kit, then you do not need to disassemble the mirrors – they come disassembled. However, you eventually will need to reassemble the units and the procedure is the same.
The
removal of the mirror mount from the mirror housing is by far the most difficult step in this
procedure. However, if you follow the instructions closely, you will save
yourself a great deal of time and trouble. There may be other ways to accomplish
the task, but this one works.
If
you have not already done so, purchase
the following items at your local hardware store (all items are available at
Home Depot):
One
3/8” x 3” Bolt (threaded portion is 3”minimum not including head – bolt
can be longer)
Two 3/8” Nuts to fit Bolt
Three 3/8” Washers to fit Bolt (width of 1” – no more, no less)
One #0 Screw Eye
Test
place the above listed hardware in this order:
Thread
one nut all the way onto the bolt until it contacts the bolt head.
Place two washers on bolt.
Place screw eye on bolt.
Place final washer on bolt.
Place final nut on bolt.
Mirror Bolt Assembly with Spring and Hardware Used To Mount
The
assembly you have created will be used to compress the spring which allows the
mirror to “snap” open and closed. Once compressed, you will be able to
unseat the mirror bolt that holds the mirror mount to the mirror housing.
Disassembly
of Pre-Owned Aero Mirrors
Remove
the glass from the aero mirror by inserting a small flat blade screw driver
into the long hole located on the bottom of the mirror housing.
Use the flat blade to push the geared lock toward the car body to release
the glass. Once the gear is unlocked, gently pry the mirror away from the mirror
housing
using your fingers. DON’T FORCE THE MIRROR GLASS. It is easily broken and very
expensive to replace. If you are having to use force to pry the mirror glass off, then
you have not unlocked the mirror gear properly. Failing to unlock the gear
before prying the mirror glass off will result in a broken mirror glass and will most likely
break the adjusting motor as well. Trust me, I’m qualified to tell you
this.
Once
the mirror glass has been removed, pull the adjusting motor wires free of the
plastic connector device (located inside the mirror bolt assembly which holds the
mirror mount to the mirror housing). You can now unscrew the three Philips head screws and remove the
adjusting motor.
Turn
the mirror assembly over and look inside the mirror mount. You will see the plastic
connector, located inside the mirror bolt assembly, which holds the pins from the cars wiring harness. You will need to
remove this plastic connector. Fortunately,
we will not be reusing the plastic connector, so do not be afraid to
break it. It must be removed, so use what ever is handy to remove it. I used a
pair of needle nose pliers and a flat blade screw driver.
Once the plastic connector is removed you will be able to see through the mirror bolt assembly. Now comes the fun part. Remove the last bolt, the last washer, and the #0 Screw Eye from the hardware device you created. Wrap the threads on the Screw Eye with tape to prevent scratching the paint on your mirrors.
# 0 Screw Eye With Tape Wrap For Protection
Place
the #0 Screw Eye into the mirror housing's reinforcement plate and get it as close to the top of the
mirror bolt assembly as possible. It will fit snugly into the reinforcement
plate and will create a
raised ring over the top of the mirror bolt assembly. Look up into the mirror
bolt assembly from the bottom of the mirror mount and center the screw eye’s position.
# 0 Screw Eye Mounted In Reinforcement Plate Over
Top Of Mirror Bolt Assembly
Take
the hardware assembly with the second nut and the two remaining washers still
attached, and insert the device into the mirror bolt assembly from the bottom of the
mirror mount. Place the remaining washer
over the screw eye and then attach the last nut. You may need to slightly
compress the mirror bolt assembly spring to get enough treads to attach the nut. I found that it is
easiest to do if you hold the nut and turn the hardware bolt from the bottom. Turn the
“aero portion” nut until the threads of the hardware bolt are flush with the top of
the nut.
Hardware Bolt, Center Nut, and Washers Inserted Into
Mirror Mount
Here’s
what we are going to do. The mirror bolt assembly is locked to the reinforcement
plate by small arms and held tight by the spring. You need to “lift” the
mirror bolt assembly to raise the arms out of the reinforcement plate and unlock
the mirror mount from the mirror assembly. This is accomplished by lifting and then turning the
mirror bolt assembly. However, the spring which surrounds the mirror bolt assembly is VERY
strong and will not allow you to easily do this. We will use the hardware device
to compress the spring and then turn the mirror bolt assembly. The screw eye allows the
mirror bolt assembly to "lift" as the hardware bolts and nuts compress the spring.
To
begin the compression, place a wrench on the hardware bolt head and hold it in place. DO
NOT allow the bolt to turn. Using a second wrench, turn the nut that is against
the bolt head so that the nut travels toward the mirror bolt assembly and begins to
compress the spring. This nut will be referred to as the “center nut”.
Continue turning the center nut until the spring is fully compressed. This is
very important – make sure you have fully compressed the spring. You will find
that the two washers will fit inside the mirror mount opening for the mirror
bolt and
will be just below the surface of the opening when the spring is fully
compressed.
Tighten Center Bolt To Compress Mirror Bolt
Spring
Look
inside the mirror housing and see if you can see the mirror bolt assembly raised to the bottom of
the washer that covers the screw eye. There is a small opening where the screw
eye comes into contact with itself that you can look through. It’s small, but
it is there. The mirror bolt assembly must be all the way up to the screw eye washer in
order to continue.
Once
the spring is fully compressed, it’s time to turn the mirror bolt assembly. Use one
wrench to hold the center nut. Place the second wrench onto the hardware bolt head. You
will turn the bolt head and the center nut at the same time – in the same
direction. The goal is to turn the mirror bolt assembly. If you don’t keep pressure
on the center nut, then you will not turn the mirror bolt. Turn the two hardware
bolts one half turn. Then release the center nut to remove the pressure on the
spring and take out the hardware bolt.
If you have done the procedure correctly, the mirror bolt assembly will either come out
of the mirror mount or it will be resting on top of the reinforcement plate -
but no longer in the locked position. If the mirror bolt assembly locking arms are resting on the
reinforcement plate, insert a large flat blade screw
driver into one of the slots on the bottom of the mirror bolt assembly and turn the
fitting until it releases. The
process works well, but may take one or two tries to get the feel for the spring
and the distance you need to turn the assembly. Trust me, it gets easier every
time you do it.
Turning Hardware Bolt and Center Nut To Move Mirror Bolt Assembly
Once
the mirror housing has been separated from the mirror mount, remove the screw on bottom of the
mirror housing that holds the plastic gasket. You will also find a small round ring washer
under the larger plastic gasket. Place these items in a safe place. I recommend
placing all removed items in a small “baggie” and marking which mirror they
go to. The final item to remove is the reinforcement plate. Your mirrors are now
ready for the paint shop.
Mirror Housing Small Round Ring Washer
Assembly
of the 968 Mirrors is identical for both used and new units. Install the
reinforcement plate first. Then place the small ring washer over the mirror
housing screw
hole. Place the large plastic gasket onto the mirror housing and screw it down. Make
sure the screw goes all the way in and that the gasket is tight. On new aero
mirrors the screw tip will need to “break” through the reinforcement plate (it’s
slightly longer than the hole is deep). This is important. If the screw is not
fully inserted, then the head of the screw will scratch the mirror mount when they are connected.
End Of Screw Tip "Breaking" Into
Reinforcement Plate
Before
creating the mirror bolt and spring assembly, take the two mirror halves and combine them
for a “test fit”. Insert the mirror bolt, without the spring, to get
a feel for how the assembly “locks” into place. It is much easier to
connected the two halves if you understand what it is you need to do to
“lock” the assembly together. You will note that you must “rotate” the
mirror bolt to insert it fully into the lock position.
The
mirror bolt assembly is now ready to be assembled. There are two black washers, a
spring, and the mirror bolt. Place the large washer over the top of the mirror
bolt (hint – it will not fit over the bottom). The washer is “shaped” and
the tapered side goes up. Next
install the spring over the mirror bolt, followed by the final black washer.
Place the two mirror halves (housing and mount) together. Place the completed
mirror bolt assembly into the bottom of the mirror mount. Rotate the mirror bolt
assembly until it is compressible into the mirror mount.
Once
again, remove the last bolt, the last washer, and the #0 Screw Eye from the
hardware device you created. Place the #0 Screw Eye into the mirror housing's
reinforcement plate and get
it as close to the top of the mirror bolt as possible. It will fit snugly into
the reinforcement plate and will create a raised ring over the top of the mirror
bolt assembly. Look up into the mirror bolt from the bottom of the mirror mount and center
the screw eye’s position over the top of the mirror bolt assembly. Take the
hardware bolt
assembly with the second nut and the two remaining washers still attached, and
insert the device into the mirror bolt assembly from the bottom of the mirror
mount. Place the remaining washer over the screw eye and then attach
the last nut. You may need to slightly compress the spring to get enough treads
to attach the nut. I found that it is easiest to do if you hold the nut and turn
the hardware bolt from the bottom. Turn the “aero portion” nut until the threads of
the hardware bolt are flush with the top of the nut.
To
begin the compression, place a wrench on the hardware bolt head and hold it in place. DO
NOT allow the hardware bolt to turn. Using a second wrench, turn the nut that is against
the bolt head so that the nut travels toward the mirror bolt assembly and begins to
compress the spring. This nut will be referred to as the “center nut”.
Continue turning the center nut until the spring is fully compressed. This is
very important – make sure you have fully compressed the spring. You will find
that the two washers will fit inside the mirror mount opening for the mirror
bolt assembly and
will be just below the surface of the opening when the spring is fully
compressed. Look inside the mirror housing and see if you can see the mirror
bolt assembly raised
to the bottom of the washer that covers the screw eye. There is a small opening
where the screw eye comes into contact with itself that you can look through.
It’s small, but it is there. The mirror bolt must be all the way up to the
screw eye washer in order to continue.
Once
the spring is fully compressed, it’s time to turn the mirror bolt assembly. Use one
wrench to hold the center nut. Place the second wrench onto the hardware bolt head. You
will turn the hardware bolt head and the center nut at the same time – in the same
direction. The goal is to turn the mirror bolt assembly. If you don’t keep pressure
on the center nut, then you will not turn the mirror bolt. Turn the two hardware
bolts one half turn. Then release the center nut to remove the pressure on the
spring and take out the hardware bolt.
If you have done the procedure correctly, the mirror bolt will either
“snap” into place or it will be resting on top of the reinforcement plate. If the
mirror bolt is resting on the reinforcement plate, insert a large flat blade screw
driver into one of the slots on the bottom of the mirror bolt assembly and turn the
fitting until it drops into the lock position. Set the mirrors aside for now –
do not install the adjusting motor at this time.
Removal
of Original 944 Flag Mirrors from Car
Place
the center of a large towel over the base of the mirror on your car. Allow the
ends of the towel to “drape” below the mirror. The towel will be used to
protect the finish on your car. Open your hood and disconnect the battery to
prevent electrical shorts when performing the wiring steps.
Remove
the mirror glass from the Flag Mirrors by gently pushing in at the top of the
mirror glass until you can see the locking gear at the bottom. Using a small
flat blade screw driver, push the gear toward the car to release the mirror
glass. Gently pry the mirror glass away from the mirror assembly and turn the
mirror glass over. Detach the two wires from the back of the mirror glass to
remove.
On
the inside corner of the Flag Mirror you will see the stock Porsche wiring
connector. The connector “connects” the wiring harness of the car to the
Flag Mirrors. The stock connector is not a common size in the United States. The
two common sizes of electrical connectors are .063 and .093. Tools are readily
available at any electrical supply store to install and remove the standard size
connectors. However the Porsche connectors are “in-between” in size, which
means that the .093 tool is too large and the .063 tool is too small. For this
reason, I recommend installing new .093 connectors and simply cutting off the
Porsche connector. However, before doing so, note that there are two “White
with Brown Stripe” wires in the cars wiring harness on the driver’s side.
Place a small piece of tape onto the “White with Brown Stripe” wire (from
the wiring harness) which is connected to the Black wire from the adjusting
motor. This wire will be connected to the Black lead of the new aero
mirror adjusting motor.
944 Flag Mirror Wiring Connector
Once
you have marked the “White with Brown Stripe” wire, unplug the connector.
Using wire cutters, cut the connector off of the cars wiring harness, being
careful to cut as close to the connector as possible. We will not be reusing the
connector and you can not remove the Flag Mirror from the car with the connector
still attached. Leave the adjusting motor connector intact as there is
no reason to remove it.
Push
the outside top of the mirror toward the front of the car to expose the mirror
mounting bolt. The mirror is attached to the car with a single 4mm hex bolt
which holds the base to the car body. Remove this bolt completely. You may find
a small plastic cap covering the head of the hex bolt. You will need to remove
the cap using a small sharp device such as a hobby knife.
4mm Hex Bolt and Small Plastic Cap
You’ll
find the hex bolt is much easier to turn if you have rolled down your window. DO NOT
“yank” the mirror free once you have removed the bolt. Gently work the
mirror free while pushing the cut wiring harness wires into the base from inside
the mirror. Be careful as the top of the base can and will “slice” the wire
insulation. Remove the mirror
completely from the car.
With
the Flag Mirror removed, you can now attach the .093 female connectors to the
car's wiring harness. Strip away a small amount of insulation and attach the
wires to the female connectors by clamping.
I don’t recommend soldering the connections as the wires are small and
tend to melt the wiring insulation when heat is applied. If you look, you’ll
find that the original pins were not soldered, but “clamped” onto the wires.
If your original mirrors lasted this long, then there is no reason to believe a
soldered joint is necessary. DO NOT place the female connectors into the
corresponding plastic connector half yet. You will need to install the Aero
Mirror before the female connectors are inserted into the plastic connector.
Female Crimp Connector
Note:
On the Drivers Side Wiring Harness,
a black jumper wire connects the two “White with Brown Stripe” wires. On the
Passenger side, the Black jumper wire connects a single “White with Brown
Stripe” wire with the “loose” end receiving it’s own pin. Make sure you
include the jumper wire when “clamping” down the “White with Brown
Stripe” wires into the female connectors.
Next,
fix the new male .093 pins to the aero mirror's adjusting motor wiring. The
stock male pins on the motor will fit nicely into the larger male .093 pins you
purchased, or you can cut the existing pins off and attach the new pins to the
bare wire. Once again, I don’t recommend soldering the pins as the wire is
quite small and tends to melt the wiring insulation when heat is applied. I
elected to retain the original pins and simply “clamped” them into the new
male .093 ends.
Once
all the pins are attached, install the adjusting motor into the reinforcement
plate.
Insert the car’s wiring harness wires into the aero's mirror mount, up
through the mirror bolt assembly, and attach the new Aero Mirrors to the car using the
4mm hex bolt.
Before
you insert the wires into the plastic connectors furnished with your new pins,
connect
the two halves of the connectors. Using a fine
tipped Sharpie marker, mark each pin/connector hole on one of the connector
halves with the numbers one through six. Next, mark the corresponding connector
half with matching numbers for each pin/connector hole. It makes no difference
which hole receives which number, only that the corresponding hole is given the
identical number. This step is done
to simplify the wiring and to decrease the likelihood of connecting the wires
incorrectly.
The
new aero mirror adjusting motor has a different wiring color scheme than the
original flag mirror. The corresponding colors are shown below. The two
“Brown” leads from the Aero Mirror adjusting motor are interchangeable
with either the “Brown” or “Brown with Yellow Stripe” wires from the
cars wiring harness.
Using
the chart listed below, place the female connectors and male pins into the
plastic connector halves in their corresponding numbered holes.
Aero
Mirror
Driver Side Wiring Harness
Passenger Side Wiring Harness
Male .093
Pins
Female .093
Connectors
Female .093 Connectors
1)
BLACK
1) WHITE / BROWN STRIPE
1) BLACK
2)
RED
2) BLACK / BROWN STRIPE
2) BLACK / BROWN STRIPE
3)
BLUE
3) WHITE / BROWN STRIPE
3) WHITE / BROWN STRIPE
4)
WHITE
4) WHITE
4) WHITE
5)
BROWN
5) BROWN
5) BROWN
6)
BROWN
6) BROWN / YELLOW STRIPE
6) BROWN / YELLOW STRIPE
Once
all pins and connectors have been installed, connect the two halves to establish
electrical operation of your mirrors. Confirm a snug fit and add tape if
necessary to ensure the two halves remain connected. Push connector into the
inside corner of the aero mirror housing to ensure that it will not affect
operation of the mirror adjusting motor.
Final
Assembly
Attach
the two brown leads to the rear of the mirror glass face. Connect the glass to
the aero mirror adjusting motor by holding it in place and engaging the mirror glass
attachment gear with a small flat blade screw driver. The attachment gear is
accessible through the oblong hole in the bottom of the aero mirror housing assembly.
Reconnect the leads to your battery and test mirror operation.
968 Mirrors Installed On 951
You’ll
find that the aero mirrors do not add any horsepower to your car, but it sure
seems faster! Congratulations on your new 968 Aero Mirrors!
