How Difficult? Mirror Swap

The black plastic mirrors you have shown there are what both me and my friends 1986 F-150's have. Both ran off the same assembly line in the same week.

TheScatch wrote

The black plastic mirrors you have shown there are what both me and my friends 1986 F-150's have. Both ran off the same assembly line in the same week.

Thanks for the reply Scatch! It's nice to finally confirm that they were actually used on the Bullnose trucks. I want to try a set myself. They seem to be pretty rare...and I guess only used on the '85-'86 trucks.

Rock Auto sells replacements for like $8each. They are OK mirrors, more like car mirrors, they are plastic and you can tell. I haven't used them much as I haven't had the truck long. It had after markets on it but originals in the tool box were trashed so I bought the replacements. My friend calls them car mirrors because they remind him of Ford car mirrors just shaped a bit different.

Both of ours were built in the Norfolk plant in August both with 300 six, c6 trans and 3.08 rear, vynil floor mats etc. Mine had AC his did not. Mine was Chestnut, his was blue. He only wanted $700 from me for it but I passed. His truck had a solid cab but the bed skins, fenders, valance, and hood were rotted so it would have been a lot of work + retrofitting AC. His interior was nice. He actually pulled it out of a field where it had sat for like 16 years put gas in it, hit it with ether and drove it onto the trailer.

I will edit this post with pictures of his and mine. It's good knowledge we narrowed these down to 85-86.

his sold that blue truck to a guy here at work. I am trying to get him to relay the message to join this forum.

Cool stuff. I like the look of them and might try a set myself. I hadn't seen them on enough Bullnoses to know if they were ever actually offered. The couple that I did see I assumed were swapped on from newer trucks.

My first vehicle was a 1988 Ford Bronco II, and it had those black plastic "paddle" mirrors.  I think those mirrors were originally designed for the compact Ford Ranger and Bronco II line, and to me, that's where they belong.

My personal opinion is that those mirrors look too small (even smaller than the Type 5 mirrors I have on my F150) and cheap-looking on the full-size Bullnose trucks.  


I agree with Gary in that the Type 9 mirrors look the most "truck like" and are the most functional.  But if you have a light-duty 2wd truck like mine with an emphasis on luxury or performance rather than traditional truck duties, I think the Type 5 mirrors look much better.

And I agree with Rembrandt in that the 1992 - 1996 mirrors look too "modern" to be on the 1980 - 1986 trucks.  It's a nice-looking mirror, but I don't think they would look good on a 1987 - 1991 model, either.  Yes, I know the doors look the same, but the rounded wheel arches and aero front end on the later models make a huge difference.  

On the flip side, I also think both the Type 5 and Type 9 mirrors look too "classic" to be on the 1992 - 1996 models.  


Of course, that is just my opinion.

I think the generally preferred mirror is the bubble backed / rounded version of the Type 9. If I google search for this generation of F-150 99% will have that mirror, it has become part of the iconic look of the bullnose as much as the front clip is.

I have just returned from the trek to OK, using the Type 5 mirrors, graciously supplied by Rembrant, attempting to reduce wind drag. I agree that they look good, but must report that the rear visibility is less.

Thanks, again, Cory, for the mirrors! I will attempt to report, later, if they contributed to enhanced fuel mileage.

1986F150Six wrote

I have just returned from the trek to OK, using the Type 5 mirrors, graciously supplied by Rembrant, attempting to reduce wind drag. I agree that they look good, but must report that the rear visibility is less.

Thanks, again, Cory, for the mirrors! I will attempt to report, later, if they contributed to enhanced fuel mileage.

This is is my complaint with the Type 14's. They sit lower and closer to the driver and are smaller.

1986F150Six wrote

I have just returned from the trek to OK, using the Type 5 mirrors, graciously supplied by Rembrant, attempting to reduce wind drag. I agree that they look good, but must report that the rear visibility is less.

LOL, I could have warned you about that.   The driver's side isn't terrible, but the passenger side is both small *and* flat glass, so the field of view is effectively zero.  

E5TZ-17682-D

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-OEM-Ford-Ranger-Bronco-II-Black-Mirror-1985-90-Left-Hand/274022334764?hash=item3fcd01012c:g:p-oAAOSwkLJdiUUc

That would be them. I don't know how the quality of the after market ones made by Dorman compares to genuine ford NOS, but these are the ones I have right now. OI figured at that price if I ended up hating them I wouldn't feel bad about it.

Preface: If this hijacks the thread, let me know and I'll start a new one.

Does anyone have the factory power mirrors with the lot, harness, switches, etc.?
I like what Steve83 did with later model mirrors on his Bronco, but I am partial to restoring to stock. You may recall about two years ago a NOS pair sold on Ebay; what a catch that would have been. Steve83 wrote somewhere he saw the original power mirrors a bit in JYs but I've never seen them (online). Does anyone know of where to find all the parts?

I've never seen pre-'92 F/Bronco power mirrors IRL - only pics online.  I had my hands on (and may STILL have, in my junkpile) a pre-'87 door wiring harness set with factory PM wiring in it.

I understand that you may want to keep the truck looking period-correct, but how long are you willing to do without PM before you accept that you'll never find them?  And remember that no one who sees your truck will know what "period-correct" really looks like.  The '92-96/7 PMs are so old now, and so common on trucks that can be mistaken for bullnoses by non-enthusiasts, that anyone who sees them on your truck will think they're the right mirror for the truck.  So it will still have the effect you want if you install the common, affordable, functional, reliable, repairable later mirrors, and you'll enjoy the truck more with that feature.

Another thing to note is that it's easier to swap the older mirrors (the ones you're hoping to find) onto a door with the later mirrors, than it was going the direction I did.  I had holes to hide or fill; you won't - you'll add the lower holes if you ever find those mirrors, so there's no risk using the newer ones until that day.