Notice anything different about this Argosy motorhome...

[bkahler]

I didn't have a chance to stop for a closer look. I hope to do that in two or three weeks. It looks to be either a 26 or 28 for 77 or 78 Argosy.



I didn't notice the oddity until I got home and pulled the picture up on the computer.

Brad

[overlander63]

All I see is the pickup truck tow mirrors. Is there something else?

[Snedwid]

Is this a quiz or are you seeking enlightenment?

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by overlander63

All I see is the pickup truck tow mirrors. Is there something else?

You got it!

I need to get a side view picture next time I head that way to see just how he mounted them. From everything I've heard the Ford mirrors are bound to be better than the factory mirrors

Brad

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Snedwid

Is this a quiz or are you seeking enlightenment?

I may be seeking enlightenment, but not about this

I just found it humorous that someone had installed on their Argosy the same mirrors I have on my 2000 F250 Super Duty pickup.

Brad

[flatouf]

I'd like to get the phone number and call since it's for sale. I'm actually looking for a 250 or a 270 airstream.

Frank

[bkahler]

Frank,

It will be a couple of weeks before I can get the phone #. It's out in the sticks and I'm heading out of town on a two week trip. I'll go look at it closer when I get back.

Brad

[WineStream]

Originally Posted by bkahler

You got it!

I need to get a side view picture next time I head that way to see just how he mounted them. From everything I've heard the Ford mirrors are bound to be better than the factory mirrors

Brad

I shudder to think what kind of "engineering" was used to get those mirrors on there. Something tells me it involves missing glass, exposed blocks of wood, lots of caulk, and likely some duct tape.

There's better (and cheaper!) options out there than replacing the mirrors with Ford mirrors. I'd wager a bet that those mirrors from Fords as an aftermarket equivalent are about $200 a piece. You can get Ramco mirrors for $200/pair and they mount to your classic moho quite well. I did it on mine but didn't post the process because it's already been well documented here on the forums.

I've attached a picture showing the Ramco mirrors that I installed on mine.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by WineStream

I shudder to think what kind of "engineering" was used to get those mirrors on there. Something tells me it involves missing glass, exposed blocks of wood, lots of caulk, and likely some duct tape.

There's better (and cheaper!) options out there than replacing the mirrors with Ford mirrors. I'd wager a bet that those mirrors from Fords as an aftermarket equivalent are about $200 a piece. You can get Ramco mirrors for $200/pair and they mount to your classic moho quite well. I did it on mine but didn't post the process because it's already been well documented here on the forums.

I've attached a picture showing the Ramco mirrors that I installed on mine.

Jason, It looks like you've mounted the Ramco mirrors where the original mirrors were mounted. I tested my Ramco's in that location and couldn't see much of anything from the passenger side mirror.

I haven't mounted the mirrors yet because I'm not quite at the point where I'm ready too.

Do you have any vibration issues with the Ramco's? And, could you post some more pictures of your installation? There are several of us at the point where we're ready to do something about installing new mirrors.

Thanks!

Brad

[WineStream]

I can't post pictures of the install process, because, quite honestly, I didn't take any. There's a couple of good threads here on the forums where people have shown their process of installing the Ramco's in place of OE. I literally followed their lead.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f159...ors-14418.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f311...zes-87907.html

I did place mine in the same place the the OE mirrors. I had to drill 3 new holes for each mirror. The interior skin has to be pulled back a bit and the stock aluminum support block must be removed. It doesn't have enough "meat" to drill new holes through in the new positions for the Ramco's. I substituted the alum. block with a large piece of hardwood (oak). Similar to the OE alum. block, I glued the wood block in place so that if the mirrors are for whatever reason removed later, the block doesn't fall into the wall and require someone to remove the interior skin to retrieve it.

The mirrors do indeed vibrate at road speeds. It's nothing that prevents me from using them for their intended purpose, though. At idle speeds when maneuvering into a camping spot, there is no vib.

You are correct about the passenger side mirror being partially blocked. Yes, this kinda sucks, but the lower wide-angle mirror is in full view and the lower half of the normal view mirror is in view. A little leaning in the driver seat allows enough view of the full-view mirror. I really only use that when I'm doing low-speed maneuvering, anyway. In any case, given the increased sight with them vs. the OE, one can complain very little.

I bought mine here...cheapest price I could find: Rear View Class A Motorhome Mirrors for Sale - PPL Motor Homes. I even called Ramco directly. They wanted over $300 for the same set. I told them the price that I could get them for and they said to go ahead because they couldn't sell them that cheap.

[bkahler]

Jason, thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by WineStream

I can't post pictures of the install process, because, quite honestly, I didn't take any. There's a couple of good threads here on the forums where people have shown their process of installing the Ramco's in place of OE. I literally followed their lead.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f159...ors-14418.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f311...zes-87907.html

I didn't use to take pictures of what I was doing but as I've gotten older I'm finding it's the only way I know how to put it back together again!

I've seen those two threads before. Good information.

I did place mine in the same place the the OE mirrors. I had to drill 3 new holes for each mirror. The interior skin has to be pulled back a bit and the stock aluminum support block must be removed. It doesn't have enough "meat" to drill new holes through in the new positions for the Ramco's. I substituted the alum. block with a large piece of hardwood (oak). Similar to the OE alum. block, I glued the wood block in place so that if the mirrors are for whatever reason removed later, the block doesn't fall into the wall and require someone to remove the interior skin to retrieve it.

The block of wood explains why you were able to mount in the same location. After removing the inner walls next to the driver and passenger seats I realized just how flimsy the mounting was for the original mirrors.

The mirrors do indeed vibrate at road speeds. It's nothing that prevents me from using them for their intended purpose, though. At idle speeds when maneuvering into a camping spot, there is no vib.

I'm one of those types where a vibrating mirror literally drives me nuts! I had issues with a replacement drivers side mirror on my F250 and when it finally broke due to poor quality I found an original mirror that was rock steady. I was much happier after that

I think I've come up with a way to add a rigid aluminum support block inside the wall cavity that will keep them from vibrating. Assuming I get the motorhome back on the road I'll know then whether it worked or not

You are correct about the passenger side mirror being partially blocked. Yes, this kinda sucks, but the lower wide-angle mirror is in full view and the lower half of the normal view mirror is in view. A little leaning in the driver seat allows enough view of the full-view mirror. I really only use that when I'm doing low-speed maneuvering, anyway. In any case, given the increased sight with them vs. the OE, one can complain very little.

The only leaning I can do in my Argosy is sideways. There is no leaning back due to the bathroom wall being right behind the drivers seat.

It's almost as if Airstream considered adding mirrors to the sides only as an afterthought with no real consideration in making them truly functional.

I bought mine here...cheapest price I could find: Rear View Class A Motorhome Mirrors for Sale - PPL Motor Homes. I even called Ramco directly. They wanted over $300 for the same set. I told them the price that I could get them for and they said to go ahead because they couldn't sell them that cheap.

Those are good prices. I managed to get a fully electric set off of ebay that I will be using. Since my dash is out the wiring will be easy to run for the passenger side.

Thanks for the feedback on the OE mounting location.

Brad

[WineStream]

I don't think it was in the threads that I quoted, but I'd swear that somewhere on the forums I've seen a picture where the later model Classic mohos had a "structure" in the wall to hold the mirror rather than just the block. I recall that it somehow connects the block upward and downward to the nearest support rails in the wall, thus drastically reducing your vibration. Or if you're a geek like me, not so much reducing the vibration but increasing the frequency and reducing the amplitude of any vibration to the point that it's not noticeable to the human eye.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by WineStream

I don't think it was in the threads that I quoted, but I'd swear that somewhere on the forums I've seen a picture where the later model Classic mohos had a "structure" in the wall to hold the mirror rather than just the block. I recall that it somehow connects the block upward and downward to the nearest support rails in the wall, thus drastically reducing your vibration. Or if you're a geek like me, not so much reducing the vibration but increasing the frequency and reducing the amplitude of any vibration to the point that it's not noticeable to the human eye.

Are you referring to this thread 86 345 mirror mount photos starting at post #19? If so, I'm somewhat familar with it

What I'm attempting to make for my Argosy is something similar to that used on the 345. The major difference will be the mounts on the 345 are welded in place where I'll have to bolt them in place. I've got the materials and when I get home in a week or so I hope to fab the parts and see if my idea is going to work. If it does I'll be posting to Airforums, if it doesn't I'll slink silently into the night

Brad

[WineStream]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Are you referring to this thread 86 345 mirror mount photos starting at post #19? If so, I'm somewhat familar with it

Brad

That would be the one

[woodja]

Hey guys, it's been 2 years since I installed the Ramco mirrors on our 310
& I don't remember if I was able to use one or more of the original backing supports. I didn't remove any interior panels but I did use a "thread setter" device to install aluminum threads from the outside. After 2 years it seems to be just fine & I've never had any vibration.
I didn't realize until afterward that the passenger mirror was too far forward
but you do mostly use the lower convex mirror so I'm pretty happy with the way it all turned out. Good luck, Pete

[bkahler]

Pete, I'm guessing you managed to use some of the original mounting holes for the Ramco mirrors. The original plate inside a 310 is about 1/2" thick and I think 4" wide.

I'm looking forward to getting the ramco's mounted. Just takes time...

Brad

[bkahler]

I finally got time to go back and get a better look at the Argosy. It's an Argosy 28 and the year is 77-79. The owner wasn't home and from what the neighbor told me she isn't around a whole lot. I was somewhat surprised in that it is in better condition that I expected. I didn't get a good luck at the inside but it has the twin chairs just to the right of the door. Couldn't tell much else.



The Ford mirrors are actually mounted better than I expected. They didn't do a hack job when they installed them. As near as I could tell they used the original mounting holes for the old mirrors. I've seen worse installations.



If anyone is interested I'll go back and try and get in touch with the owner. Location is between Winchester and Irvine Kentucky.

Brad