[DeTomaso] outside rearview mirror adhesive problem

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

FWIW Steve, as an ex-chemical engineer, getting stuff to stick reliably to 
glass ALWAYS required extreme cleaning. Glass always holds a thin layer of 
water tightly on its surface with all kinds of stuff dissolved in it, and 
that layer must be scrubbed off before any magic glues will work. In aerospace 
work, we used the water-break test to see if we had glass clean enough. 

After scrubbing muiltiple times with soap & water followed by several water 
rinses and an alcohol flush or two, the glass was tilted at a 45 degree 
angle and D.I (deionized or distilled) water was poured over its surface: if 
the water 'sheeted off' in substantially one piece rather than beading up into 
little rivers as it ran over the surface in question, the area was clean 
enough. A final wash & scrub with alcohol followed quickly by the adhesive 
gave maximum adhesion. There's an optimum adhesive thickness, too- sometimes 
little wires were put on the glass to embed in the adhesives to establish the 
'right' bond thickness. T'ain't easy nor quick to get it all right. Thats 
why I bolt my outside mirrors onto plexiglas quarter windows. Hard to beat 
metal as a fastener. 
Good luck- J Deryke