Inside the day/night rear view mirror

[leftybass209]

I have had the problem that many have had with the repop mirrors, they tend to sag and never hold tight! Having my truck tore down I decided to investigate the inside of both an original, and a repop. Here is what I found.
This is an original, USA made mirror from a 71 cab

Here is a repop, unknown manufacture or vendor


Here is a picture of the repop mirror back. The grey surround is also the mirror backing, and that just glues to the metal lip of the base. The original piece is also of similar design, with a slightly different shape.

The repop picture is a little darker, but around the ball and socket joint, the stamping process has caused stress fractures. It is also an out of round shape, causing loose spots and tighter spots You can also see the biggest difference, being the repop has screws, and the original uses rivets.
I assume the screws are the culprit of most peoples sagging mirror woes. While I could simply tighten the nuts, maybe put some loc-tite, or some locknuts on, I will be replacing the old, delaminated mirror face with the newer, pristine face.
The mirror face is not an exact match for the shape of the original backing. It does however, fit VERY well, and both the original AND the repop mirror faces were glued to their backings. I will epoxy them together, and have a fully functioning mirror.
I am also sure the grey plastic adjuster on the bottom would swap over, if one were so inclined to pry the tabs loose and wish to swap them. Mine is in good condition and doesn't feel brittle, so I'll leave mine alone.
Hopefully this will help some of you who were curious as to what exactly was wrong with your repop mirrors.