The Break Down – ’88-’98 Chevy Truck Rearview Mirrors

One of the best things about ’88-’98 Chevy trucks is the wide range of options that were available not only in the aftermarket, but direct from the factory as well. In this case, we are specifically talking about the mirror options on our favorite body style truck, the GMT400 Chevrolet. 

There’s a look for everyone with these iconic Bow Ties, including big bulky mirrors for towing and toughness, standard medium-sized rearview reflectors that we see on most OBS trucks in the wild, and miniature sport-style designs that the hot rod guys in the ’80s and ’90s made popular. With a world of options for each and every individual, we decided to break down the best features on these extremely important accessories.

After checking out a few of the available options, we decided to swap out our sideview mirrors for a nice new set of sport mirrors. We’ve heard quite a few old-school guys say they don’t like these due to the size of the mirror, but in this case we are definitely going for style above functionality. Follow along and let us know which mirror you think is best for your build.

We instantly jumped online and checked out the options available from LMC Truck Parts starting with these GM-style reproduction door mirrors. They are for 1992-’98 trucks but can be used on 1988-’91 models as well. They retail for around $49 each and include mounting hardware.

These same GM-style reproduction door mirrors come in chrome as well and offer durable mirror heads that are manufactured from high-quality injection ABS thermoplastic with mirror bases that are cast metal with gloss black finish. They are OE style, direct bolt-on replacements include mounting hardware and rubber door gasket. They retail for $69.95.

Need tow mirrors for your OBS? These rugged telescoping tow mirror sets are designed to replace existing mirrors without any modifications. Each mirror head contains an 8×7-inch flat glass mirror and a 3½x7-inch convex glass mirror. Mirrors can be manually extended 4 inches outward. Mounting hardware is included, and it retail at $199.95.

Reproduction sport package door mirrors for 1988-’98 Chevy and GMC trucks look great but offer little help seeing behind you. That being said, we continue to install these on most OBS projects we are working on. They retail for $59.95.

Manual door mirrors were a bit different from the factory, and LMC offers these replacement pieces as well. They are less expensive at only $29.95 each and include all mounting hardware needed.

Now that we detailed the differences, it’s time to address this really clean 1991 GMC at OBS Headquarters. It was originally equipped with the “swing away below eye-line stainless steel mirror,” then at some point the larger 1995 to 2000 “elephant mirror.” In true sport truck fashion, OBS HQ with the help of LMC Truck switched the mirrors back to the original sport package 454SS version.

The first step for us is to remove the plastic cover hiding the side view mirror nuts. This simply pulls off, although you might break the plastic piece. It can be replaced at your local auto parts store.

Removing the sound deadening material will reveal the three nuts holding on the mirror.

The best part about this upgrade is that literally anyone can do it. You only need a basic ratchet kit that can be purchased locally for under $10.

With the bolts removed, the mirror easily slides out and usually reveals some caked up dirt and grime. Hopefully no rust!

Do not skip this step even if it doesn’t seem important. Clean the surface as best you can before installing the new mirror. This will help it sit tighter, the seals will last longer, and you can guarantee there will not be any whistling noises.

Before installing the new sport mirrors, we wanted to show you the size difference between the two. It’s pretty obvious the reflection size will be smaller, but the profile will look sportier.

Reinstall three nuts, replace the sound deadening material, and snap back the plastic cover. The job is complete, it took around 20 minutes, and looks a million times better. We recommend you head over to www.lmctruck.com and choose your next set of OBS truck mirrors.