1980s outside mirrors

[MotiveLensPhoto]

I was always under the impression the 80s era had outside mirrors in the same color as the rest of the body. This one has chrome. Was that an option or was it aftermarket?

 

https://www.hemmings.com/listing/1983-buick-riviera-647234

Edited June 5 by MotiveLensPhoto (see edit history)

[dship]

I believe they were an option.

[1965rivgs]

4 hours ago, MotiveLensPhoto said:

I was always under the impression the 80s era had outside mirrors in the same color as the rest of the body. This one has chrome. Was that an option or was it aftermarket?

 

https://www.hemmings.com/listing/1983-buick-riviera-647234

  Came standard depending on years and model, t-type, etc...I looked through consecutive year dealer books from '79 to '85 to try to determine a pattern and ended up more confused than when I started...

Tom Mooney

[JZRIV]

I contacted good friend and long time ROA member Barry Smith with this question. He is the resident expert on the 79-85 generation. Below is his reply: Thanks Barry!

 

Beginning in 1980, the Riviera removed the door rear-view mirrors mounted from the painted door skin of the upper door, and incorporated them along side the chrome window seal moulding. They were no longer chrome oval hang-on mirror with an arm attachment, or a bullet sport shaped painted housing mirror found on the Riviera S-Type.   A more rectangular mirror housing was used on both the electric motorized power, and the manual adjusting remote mirrors.  The standard feature was the manual non-electric powered remote mirror with chrome unpainted housing on all Riviera's 1980-1985 with a pivoting manual toggle for the driver's door armrest panel which moved the mirror by operating metal cables to move the mirror plate around inside the chrome housing.  The standard manual remote toggle control was not located on the passenger door panel. Instead it was placed in the dash center woodgrain plastic panel (left lower side) with a pop in glossy black insert that said right mirror.  The manual hand toggle control knob was also connected with a long metal cable that ran from the center of the dash into the passenger chrome metal housing.  This was so the driver could operate the manual remote mirror with the right hand to adjust the passenger side sight line.  I found the adjustment of the manual passenger side mirror in the housing to often be useless from the driver seat, or the direction of the mirror would change with closing vibration of door. Part of the problem was the cable was so long from the toggle to the passenger door mirror.

 

Fact 1:  Shiny chrome mirror housings were standard on 1980-1985 Riviera, and were visual cue that the car had manual operated toggle rear side mirrors. Housings stayed stationary, and it was the plastic mirror glass frame that did the movement by lines of metal cables pulling to the backside of the frame operated by two separate toggle locations.

 

Fact 2:  Painted mirror housings were only part of the electric motor controlled remote mirror option code DG2 ELEC MIRR L/R (80-82), or DG7 Electric, body-color outside rearview mirrors L/R" (83-85). I have seen a few 1980 Riviera's with a sort of satin non-glossy black painted mirror housings that were electrically controlled, and were not the exterior body color paint of the car. The 1980 Riviera S-Type models used a painted mirror for the power mirrors, but was a satin black paint. However, the majority of the optional 1980-1985 Riviera power (electric) controlled mirrors were equipped with metal mirror housings that were always painted the body exterior colors.  Passengers could not adjust the passenger side remote mirror as the the power operated control switch with a L/R flip sliding switch was incorporated into driver's the door armrest panel toggle control plate.  A shiny pop in black plastic plate was inserted at the factory in the woodgrain center dash plate on electric power operated remote mirrors.

 

Fact 3: Electric power mirrors were also indicated by the words "Power Control" in s cursive font on the upper mirror glass corner of the driver rear view mirror.

 

On my first '83 Riviera, I swapped out the power mirror mechanisms out of painted housing, and installed them in my cars manual remote mirror housings, and also carefully removed the wiring harness that trails under the dash cover assembly near the defroster outlets, and goes through the door boots with its power feed at the auxiliary power block assembly behind glove box.  Loved the chrome sparkle of the housings that were mint on my car vs. paint chips from road debris. Anything is possible if you want to be different by customizing with original parts.

 

[jj5794]

3 hours ago, JZRIV said:

I contacted good friend and long time ROA member Barry Smith with this question. He is the resident expert on the 79-85 generation. Below is his reply: Thanks Barry!

 

Beginning in 1980, the Riviera removed the door rear-view mirrors mounted from the painted door skin of the upper door, and incorporated them along side the chrome window seal moulding. They were no longer chrome oval hang-on mirror with an arm attachment, or a bullet sport shaped painted housing mirror found on the Riviera S-Type.   A more rectangular mirror housing was used on both the electric motorized power, and the manual adjusting remote mirrors.  The standard feature was the manual non-electric powered remote mirror with chrome unpainted housing on all Riviera's 1980-1985 with a pivoting manual toggle for the driver's door armrest panel which moved the mirror by operating metal cables to move the mirror plate around inside the chrome housing.  The standard manual remote toggle control was not located on the passenger door panel. Instead it was placed in the dash center woodgrain plastic panel (left lower side) with a pop in glossy black insert that said right mirror.  The manual hand toggle control knob was also connected with a long metal cable that ran from the center of the dash into the passenger chrome metal housing.  This was so the driver could operate the manual remote mirror with the right hand to adjust the passenger side sight line.  I found the adjustment of the manual passenger side mirror in the housing to often be useless from the driver seat, or the direction of the mirror would change with closing vibration of door. Part of the problem was the cable was so long from the toggle to the passenger door mirror.

 

Fact 1:  Shiny chrome mirror housings were standard on 1980-1985 Riviera, and were visual cue that the car had manual operated toggle rear side mirrors. Housings stayed stationary, and it was the plastic mirror glass frame that did the movement by lines of metal cables pulling to the backside of the frame operated by two separate toggle locations.

 

Fact 2:  Painted mirror housings were only part of the electric motor controlled remote mirror option code DG2 ELEC MIRR L/R (80-82), or DG7 Electric, body-color outside rearview mirrors L/R" (83-85). I have seen a few 1980 Riviera's with a sort of satin non-glossy black painted mirror housings that were electrically controlled, and were not the exterior body color paint of the car. The 1980 Riviera S-Type models used a painted mirror for the power mirrors, but was a satin black paint. However, the majority of the optional 1980-1985 Riviera power (electric) controlled mirrors were equipped with metal mirror housings that were always painted the body exterior colors.  Passengers could not adjust the passenger side remote mirror as the the power operated control switch with a L/R flip sliding switch was incorporated into driver's the door armrest panel toggle control plate.  A shiny pop in black plastic plate was inserted at the factory in the woodgrain center dash plate on electric power operated remote mirrors.

 

Fact 3: Electric power mirrors were also indicated by the words "Power Control" in s cursive font on the upper mirror glass corner of the driver rear view mirror.

 

On my first '83 Riviera, I swapped out the power mirror mechanisms out of painted housing, and installed them in my cars manual remote mirror housings, and also carefully removed the wiring harness that trails under the dash cover assembly near the defroster outlets, and goes through the door boots with its power feed at the auxiliary power block assembly behind glove box.  Loved the chrome sparkle of the housings that were mint on my car vs. paint chips from road debris. Anything is possible if you want to be different by customizing with original parts.

 

Wow.

 

Thank you Jason and Barry.

 

The above response defines the word "comprehensive"!

 

Jim Vesely ROA # 7437 BCA # 39477