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Zero $ mod - Flip that rear view mirror upside down

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TJWilly

TJWilly

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Perhaps he means the blind spot warning system, AKA Active Safety Group.
Probably. The only lane detection is in the ACC, and it's used to determine whether a car is in front of you in your lane. There's no user interaction with the lane detection in the ACC. There's a different option for a warning system that tells you when a car approaches from behind in the lanes next to you, and the same system also alerts when you are backing up and a car is crossing on a potential collision course.

ACC has a huge box on the windshield, which the mirror attaches to. It houses a camera and RADAR. The lane and reverse warning stuff is run by RADAR units in the tail lights, under the big black area on the side of it.
yes. But I did mis speak. I meant blind spot detection. Jeep does have a lane detection system lane-sense or something like that but it is on grands abs cherokees I think.
 

kevman65

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Okay, I'll admit I was skeptical. But today while waiting in a parking lot I flipped the rear view mirror.

It is amazing how opening up just a little real estate on the windshield improves your view.

Going to take a little bit to get used to looking higher, but thanks for the free mod.

No, I don't have the Adaptive crap, just a plain old rear view mirror. Push in on the plastic panel above and spin that bad boy around.
 

Viper501

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One of my major peeves with the JT has been the blind spot created by the mirror. I have the auto-dim but not the auto cruise control. I’ve used this thread and others to evaluate options. I figured there was value in taking the mirror off and evaluating the options.

The mirror assembly twisted off as with the manual mirror. There is a single cable concealed behind the back plastic cover. The cover has a small slot at the bottom to pop off the cover and reveal the connector. Unplugged the entire assembly can be removed.

The shaft is aluminum with the ball held in place by the spring loops. I used a small screwdriver to lift the spring end up and rotate it over the plastic tabs as I rotated it around. This allowed the ball to be removed from the surround. Examination of the ball reveals a detent shaped into the side that restricts the rotation of the assembly using a corresponding bump on the plastic surround.

I am now trying to figure out how to remove the surround from the mirror assembly without destruction of any of the plastic. I’d like to try to merely rotate the inner assembly to avoid grinding off the bump thereby allowing me to rotate the mirror and get a little bit more visibility through the windshield.

Another question is what other Jeeps, or other vehicles, have a similar arm with the same dimensions for the ball and the upper attachment point (though that could be fixed more easily) but with a shorter arm. That would allow one to replace the arm without the other work and be a more elegant solution. Wondering if there’s anyone on the board with more experience / information regarding the other arms that may be out there already?

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Gatorized

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I dremalled the plastic stub out of the mirror so the mirror could flip on the ball… the detent is not really necessary unless i suppose someone was to spin the mirror multiple times and end up damaging the internal wiring.
 

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Viper501

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I dremalled the plastic stub out of the mirror so the mirror could flip on the ball… the detent is not really necessary unless i suppose someone was to spin the mirror multiple times and end up damaging the internal wiring.
The Dremel is definitely on deck for that mod but I’m hoping someone might have a better, cleaner, solution to the issue. It would be great if someone with some better Mopar parts knowledge may be able to help find a drop in solution to the length of the arm.

As an aside, I went to dinner tonight with the mirror out and it was amazing how much better vision the front window has.
 

Viper501

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So Mr. Dremel was not cooperating so I used a dremel bit in my drill to grind off the nub. Went fairly well with no hiccups. Did not need to grind is smooth, just took the tops off.

To reassemble the mirror I placed it face down on a towel. I then pushed the spring into the receiver first and seated it around the socket. Once the spring was seated I was able to push down on the ball and seat it firmly in the socket. It took some force but popped in with pressure. I tested the movement to ensure it was still smooth but tight. Seemed fine in adjustment without being either too loose or too stiff.

I then took the mirror to the car and inserted the aluminum end into the windshield frame receiver at 90*. Took some fiddling to get the ears of the mount aligned correctly but then rotated back to face the driver and it set firmly behind the wings. Popped the electrical connectors back together and closed the plastic cover on the back of the mount.

It is definitely an improvement over the stock position but probably a half inch based on the offset of the joint on the mirror being moved from below the ball to above. I’d still like to see it another inch higher and hope I can find a shorter mount in another application. I’ve included an ‘after’ photo of the mounted location. Since this is / was a freebie I think it was worthwhile. But, there is still room for improvement in the forward vision.

Jeep Gladiator Zero $ mod - Flip that rear view mirror upside down 83FBA71D-327A-43D7-BCFA-737BD0A4C137


While thinking about this I believe the optimum solution would be either a way to keep the rear camera ‘on’ feeding a portion of the 8.4 display or a BT signal from either the current backup camera image or a separate camera mounted against the rear glass in cab. That signal could then be displayed either on a phone or a dedicated display mounted wherever one wanted. And it could have the added benefit of a wider field of view depending on the lense.
 

Medical_Bartender

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Did it to my Willlys sport last weekend. I love it. Did it to my JK years ago but wasn’t sure it it would work on the JT. I can confirm that a base no frills rear view mirror will flip 180* without any issues. Just a slight rub on the overhead console thing at 90* then boom no issues.
 

AHenry014

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...I’m hoping someone might have a better, cleaner, solution to the issue. It would be great if someone with some better Mopar parts knowledge may be able to help find a drop in solution to the length of the arm.
THIS!! One of the first things I noticed about the Jeep after having it for a couple day was how low the mirror was. Its very much in the way and I find myself ducking to see below it. Google searching yeilded the "flip" trick, but mainly for the standard mirror guys (and JK's), so I stared at the back of the mirror through the windshield. I realized that with the auto dim mirror, Id only gain maybe a 1/4"-3/8" of "lift" when flipping it, so I haven't bothered. Seems like the folks with the basic mirror get a lot more out of this than the auto dim people, which is a real shame. Being a "free mod", I think Ill get around to this when i find some free time, but I too was poking around for a shorter stalk. As far as I know, the JL and the JT use the same auto dim mirror, so thats no help. The mirror attaches to the ceiling, whereas the windsheild is involved to mount the mirror in "most" other vehicles. I attribute this to Jeep still allowing the glass to fold down. Sigh. I found a fella that measured the ball size and bought a link/ball kit meant for camera equipment. He said that his mirror was a lot higher and out of the way, but the new found vibrating glass had him remove his "mod".

I poked around for a replacement stalk alone with the intent of modifying/shortening it, but at 60-80 bucks for a used ebay unit (mirror included), it aint exactly a cheap gamble. The easiest and only real option at this point is to "downgrade" to a standard flipping mirror, then flip it. Ref:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1343127790...ID1IQ==|tkp:Bk9SR5iP7vWiYQ&LH_ItemCondition=4
 

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AHenry014

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Well, I did the flip. Again, I have the auto dim mirror, and due to its design, it doesn't provide a whole lot of benefit when flipping. I did immediately notice that it was about 1/4-3/8" higher, but that honker is still in the way. Still not a bad way to spend ~20min of your time since it is a free mod. I did mine on my lunchbreak at work, using a dremel/ball endmill to get the nub trimmed down.

All that said, the auto dim feature still works fine, so thats a bonus.
 

Viper501

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I went down a rabbit hole last night looking at rear view mirrors on eBay that might be convertible to the JT. I’ve got some good prospects but every one I found, even ones from FCA, all have a different breakaway mount than the JT. The JT’s spring clip is mounted to the windshield frame with the arm to the mirror having the fixed lugs cast into the end of the arm. Every one I looked at has it set up with the spring clip on the arm and, presumably, the lug on the mount attached to the windshield frame. I’m a bit befuddled as to why the JT is a one-off like that since I went over a number of manufacturers and backwards on year models.

However, I do have some interesting prospects I’m going to keep digging on. I really like the Mercedes mirrors since many of them include an ambient light from the mirror that puts a very subtle orange glow inside the cabin on the control surfaces. It is also a short arm that comes down vertically into the top of the mirror further reducing the mirror obstrucation.

The Tesla Model 3 and Model S mirrors also may work. Found what appears to be a very slim mirror for an older gen X5 (but hate the rudolph alarm light) that has some promise. It looks like I’m going to have to go to a pick and pull to get a better idea of what may work.

Another interesting side benefit may be the addition of extra remote buttons and under mirror map lights. I think some of our more digitally inclined members could make good use of the buttons for extra functionality beside opening garage doors.
 

Viper501

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So the Mercedes mirrors breakaway function is built into the sheetmetal of the roof so that is probably a dead end. Disappointing since the Mercedes mirrors have the ambient lighting built into them.
 

Jock_AZ

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So I’m 6’5 and this mirror is taking up half the windshield from where I sit. I have the giant ACC box so I can’t do the “pivot” method like I did with the JK.
Has anyone found a solution yet?
 
 



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