1998 fleetwood southwind mirror problem

[oran42348]

At the base of the mirror arm there are 4 phillips head screws that mount the mirror arm to the fiberglass side. at some point there must have been water damage to whatever the screws attach to inside the wall. the mirror shakes while driving and is rather distracting. i removed the mounting screw cover plugs only to discover rusted and frozen phillip head screws.my biggest concern is that the shaking of the mirror will eventually cause the fiberglass to crack causing further damage. Looking inside... the dash is covering the wall where the mirror is mounted. I am wondering if there is a fix to this problem...Is there a metal support of some sorts that has rusted and needs to be replaced ? Only the drivers side mirror is affected. appreciate any advise.....

PS I checked the allen screw that allows the mirror to swivel and it is secure...the base mount actually causes the fiberglass to bulge at the base of the mirror arm.

[Skelt]

Mine did this on the passenger side. I put large plastic wall anchors in the holes and new screws. Ace has new plastic plugs if yours are bad. Seems to be holding well.

[oran42348]

Originally Posted by Skelt

Mine did this on the passenger side. I put large plastic wall anchors in the holes and new screws. Ace has new plastic plugs if yours are bad. Seems to be holding well.

What if anything was inside the wall?..was yours caused by water damage? I am thinking the window leakage..I have since removed the window above the mirror and sealed it...

[beaverfever]

a lot of rv and truck mirrors are mounted will 1/4 20 well nuts .
Amazon.com: 25 1/4" - 20 Rubber Well Nuts For 1/2" Hole GM #528846: Automotive

just a sample above many hardware and truck parts houses carry them

[oran42348]

thanks for the replies...found wall to be too rotten to hold plastic inserts...drilled completely through the wall fastened with 1/4 by 3" bolts nuts and washers on the inside. rock solid now...

[Rambow]

I know this is an old thread, but I recently went through this same issue on my '99 Southwind 36Z. I have had this coach since it was new, so I can tell you both the source of the original damage and my ultimate solution.

The cause, as the author of the thread eventually learned, was wood rot. The backing plates for the Velvac mirrors are a couple layers of 1/2 inch plywood, as best I could tell after removing the mirror and probing around the holes. It was spongy and would no longer hold the large wood screws with which the heavy mirror was mounted.

In my case, the dry rot began from an unsuspected water leak around the TV antenna. Despite apparently intact caulking, water gradually worked its way into the roof structure and eventually down to the mirror mount. The roof repair is another long story, so I'll stay on subject to relate the solution to the mirror issue.

The remedy was a product I remembered from by boating days called Git-Rot. I got mine from Amazon and watched a YouTube video by a boat owner on its use. This is a penetrating two part resin that saturates the rotted wood and cures overnight, restoring its strength and integrity. I'll let the directions and videos explain the details. The only tip I'll add is to make sure the holes you drill through the fiberglass into the rotted wood to allow saturation are slanted downward so the resin does not run out and flow down the side of the coach.

The next morning, new, slightly longer and fatter stainless steel wood screws fastened the mirror solidly back on the coach. If the screws had refused to bite my fallback was going to be though bolts and fender washers on the inside of the wall, which is hidden up under the dash and out of sight. This might not be a good solution on the driver's side, but on the passenger side there was nothing to damage or interfere. Fortunately, this was not necessary because the Git-Rot did what its name implied.