I have seen on here in the past talk about installing the power/heated tow mirrors off of a 3rd gen truck onto the 02 truck. Could someone please refresh my memory of what needs to be done to accomplish this? I have been driving a company truck with the big mirrors and now to get back into my personal rig with the "baby mirrors" is just plain wrong.

 

http://www.klenger.net/dodge/2nd-gen...g-mirrors.html



There is the instructions for you

 

Pretty easy did mine and worked great only I already hade power and heat small ones and just plugged together.

 

Just as a note from my personal experience. When you purchase the 3rd gen. mirrors, be sure they are from an 03-05. Do not get the mirrors from an 06. The 06 arms are a little different just before they mate up with the base and will not work for your conversion. I ordered a set of mirrors from a dealer and they sent me the 06 mirrors by mistake. I had to send them back.

 

OK, so while scanning the link above I've determined that to complete this conversion with my current heated/power mirrors requires a set of '03-'05 heated/power tow mirrors and a set of '02 manual tow mirrors (for the bases).

Is that correct? Pretty pricey conversion even with ebay units.

 

Wouldn't all the second gen power/heated bases work?

 

2nd gens didnt have power/heated bases for the tow mirrors. Just those little mirrors were power/heated. My truck had those mirrors. Is that what you were asking? Those little mirrors as one piece IIRC. Also the tow mirrors come with a plate to help hold the extra weight of the mirror sticking out.

 

I just installed a set today , they dont seem to fit as well as the old ones reguarding the lower trim

 

I love my tow mirrors and couldn't be without them with my camper. I sure do miss the power and heat though.

 

Yeah, The way I understand it the mirrors are swapped at the hinge and you need the power heated bases from the second gen to work on your second gen...........no? Do you replace the entire mirror including the bases?

 

Ah ok. You need the "head" (mirror part) from the 3rd gen and the non-power "base" (bolts to the door) from the 2nd gen non-power tow mirrors. You have to route the wires from the 3rd gen head throught the 2nd gen non-power base. The only "base" as I'm callin gthem, for 2nd gens are the little mirrors, which I believe are a 1 piece design. So you need 2 sets of tow mirrors, 1 from a 3rd gen and 1 from a 2nd gen. My truck had the little power mirrors, so I had to buy 2 sets of mirrors. Onlt good thing, was that my truck was already wired for the power/heated option. HTH

 

I just did this conversion/swap the other day... took me like 4+hrs w/ parts runs

I could do it in less than 2 if I had to do it again

 

Fairly straight job forward just BECAREFULL with the spring as it can launch pretty hard, mine actually hit the roof and put a dent in the drywall. The only gripe I have is the passenger mirror glass sucks I wish they would make the two mirrors with similar glass to make objects appear in the same distance. These mirrors have been the biggest noticeable difference to me at least from previous trucks and mirrors.

Note. couldn't imagine not having power I find myself adjusting them all the time.

J

 

Is there advantage in using these rather than the aftermarket ones that are available?

I did quick search on ebay and it looks like these would end up costing as much or more than the aftermarket ones.

 

I did the conversion after getting a good deal on new mirrors off of eBay from a dealer. (OEM P/N: 82207298) As said, the spring can be tricky but having going through the process, I think it is well worth it. Oh, and body parts do heal. Before, everytime I towed, I'd flip them out and of course, I'd have to readjust. The passinger side was a nightmare as it had gotten tight over the years and the wife couldn't budge it till I repaired them, but now, I just grab the joy stick. Well worth it and no arguing with the wife on how to move the mirror!
By the way, anyone with mechanical mirrors that get tight, you can carfully pry off the mirror glass and remove the retaining clip by screwing it off the plastic shaft. Once off, I used silicon plumbers grease on both inside and outside concaved portions where the mirror swivels. Reassemble by pressing on the retaining clip with pliers as tight as it will go. I used body trim double sided tape on the three locations on the back of the mirror and reattached. The mirror worked smoothly for months with just a couple of fingers and it never moved except when I wanted it to. This was before I decided to do the elec conversion. I dare say I will never go back to manual now.