Sunvisor refresh

[Namerow]

Very nice result.  Your perseverance really paid off.  Whether we like it or not, stuff done on the underside of a restoration matters only to the faithful.  Come up short on the paint or the interior, though, and everybody notices it.

Edited June 6, 2020 by Namerow

[datnut]

I'm attempting to recover mine, but not sure how to remove the mirror assembly. Did you happen to notice how it is installed while your's was apart? Thanks,

[dmorales-bello]

I'm attempting to recover mine, but not sure how to remove the mirror assembly. Did you happen to notice how it is installed while your's was apart? Thanks,

I did not remove the mirror in my passenger side visor and simply worked around it. I'm pretty sure it's attached with some sort of rivets. It would have been cumbersome to take out and that's why I decided to work with it in place. Not a hard thing to do.

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[datnut]

15 hours ago, dmorales-bello said:

I did not remove the mirror in my passenger side visor and simply worked around it. I'm pretty sure it's attached with some sort of rivets. It would have been cumbersome to take out and that's why I decided to work with it in place. Not a hard thing to do.

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Thanks for the info.

[dutchzcarguy]

On 4/25/2020 at 11:32 PM, dmorales-bello said:

Gorilla tape on the inside of the top half and then bringing the bottom half of the vynil over the bottom half of the tape until the edges are precisely closed (start in the middle):

I ask myself if that "gorilla tape is good for this.. does it it's work after years? i would not bett on it!  Is it still closed that visor? now after 4 month's?  @dmorales-bello

[dmorales-bello]

I ask myself if that "gorilla tape is good for this.. does it it's work after years? i would not bett on it!  Is it still closed that visor? now after 4 month's?  [mention=30038]dmorales-bello[/mention]

Oh, yeah. It's still completely closed. I've used "Gorilla" tape to hold cables to an outside wall exposed to sun and rain. That 3 foot long strip is still holding after 12 years or so. Once the glue on this tape cures, it's a very strong bond although I'm sure it'll depend on the type of material it's bonding to. I'm quite sure it's strong enough to hold the visor material closed for a very long time.

BTW, "Gorilla" is a specific brand of tape (looks like duct tape). Here in America that company also manufactures several different types of glue and other tapes as well.

 

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[dutchzcarguy]

43 minutes ago, dmorales-bello said:

Gorilla" is a specific brand of tape (looks like duct tape).

I know duct tape and that would'nt be good enough..  Thanks.. but i don't think we have that gorilla tape over here in europe.

[Racer X]

On 8/29/2020 at 4:58 AM, dutchzcarguy said:

I know duct tape and that would'nt be good enough..  Thanks.. but i don't think we have that gorilla tape over here in europe.

Helicopter tape. Produced on military contracts to a government specification. Very much like Gorilla brand tape. The stuff is like duct tape on steroids. Extra sticky, extra durable.

You should have a suitable tape there.

 

[Racer X]

On 4/25/2020 at 2:32 PM, dmorales-bello said:

After looking at my original "saggy" sunvisors for a few years (and with lots of "sheltering at home" time) I decided to try a "fix". The vynil skins themselves are in great shape but it seemed as if the internal stuffing had deteriorated over 40 odd years and there were wrinkles here and there on the visors. I didn't want to change the original vynil for leather (visor repair kits on the market) so I decided to cut them open along the forwardmost seam with a fine scalpel blade, staying on one side of the seam so I could later close the seam almost invisibly.

To my surprise the foam layer inside was pretty intact and the cause of the wrinkles on the outside was just loose, saggy vynil. I cut out a filler panel for each side out of closed cell foam, 2.5mm thick and carefully fitted and glued it to the existing foam with 3M spray glue. Closing the seam again was tricky but all I could come up with was using a strip of Gorilla tape (that stuff really sticks). I placed half the strip along the inside of the top half of the vynil and slowly pulled the bottom half over the exposed tape until a precise closure was achieved. The result is a nice firm visor with an almost invisible seam. See pics below.

PS: I've only done the passenger side (which has the vanity mirror and is a little trickier) because I ran out of the foam. I will do the driver side once I get the foam and will post any details that I might change for improvement.

Original "saggy" visors (I know, they're way better than most!!)

New foam filler (white) fitted and glued to each side of the original green foam:

Trim the foam edges so approximating the vinyl edges can be achieved with just a little stretch:

Gorilla tape on the inside of the top half and then bringing the bottom half of the vynil over the bottom half of the tape until the edges are precisely closed (start in the middle):

Final result:

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing this innovative approach to frugal classic car ownership. Looks like an awesome job, with the skill of a cosmetic surgeon.

Oh, and a bamboo workbench. Nice.