Chevy van mirrors aren't all alike. Neither are many other auto parts exactly what they seem to be. Here's the story.

The family van in this household is a 1992 Chevy Van. It's a short wheelbase conversion van. These old vans were built on the 3/4 ton chassis and are tough as can be. Good thing.

My wife eased off the road at about 50 mph and the ride side mirror clipped a road sign. Then the right rear of the van kissed the sign post. Of course when the mirror hit the sign, it folded back toward the van and flew through the closed window, barely missing my little daughter in the passenger's seat. Whew!!!

My wife eased back on the road and brought it all on home. The small side-swipe was barely noticeable. The mirror was a total loss. No problem, I thought. This mirror design must have been used on millions of trucks and vans.

I ordered a replacement from a major mail order catalog. It was stainless steel, just like the original. When it arrived, I was a little puzzled. The mounting base for the mirror didn't match the radius of the van fender. It looked just about like the original, but it just really didn't fit. At least not without some serious bending of the mounting bracket. Send it back...

Just head for the local auto parts store. Yep, they are in stock. Bring it home. Uh oh... Same funny looking bracket that doesn't quite match. Well. Just bend the thing. Bent it to fit the fender and it looked OK. Well, the adjustment was a little different. Maybe it'll be OK.

Time passes.

A little rust starts to show up...

Then more. It's coming from inside the mirror. The old mirror on the driver's side is now 17 years old and not a speck of rust. Obviously the designers at GM specified either stainless fasteners or galvanized inside the mirror bracket. The aftermarket people made a mirror that looked like what came with the van, but the cheap fasteners turn the whole mirror into a rusty mess.

If I want the right mirror, looks like it's back to the dealer and pay up for quality.

A Vintage Chevy Van just goes on and on. They are cheap to buy and cheap to drive. Too bad they don't make 'em like they used to.