Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 05:03:31 -0600
Reply-To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Adapting visor clips to use late model visors in early
vanagons
In-Reply-To: <44BB6427-C110-44B8-822B-89A4A8DDD6A7@shaw.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
That's right. The early eighties vanagon visors get loose often, but they
have a screw on the (backside? topside?) that easily clamps the internal
rod to increase the friction. The later models with the semi-rigid case
filled with dense foam, do not have an adjustment that I know of, but I
don't very often see them needing adjustment.
Jim
On Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 12:19 AM, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
> you can tighten them :)
>
> but hold on, just checked, my '82 westy has visor's with phillips head
> screw on the back (upper/front) that adjusts the tightness, my '86 does not
> have the screw.
>
> alistair
>
>
>
>
> On 2012-01-31, at 3:24 PM, John C... wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> > Kind of a hijack but still concerning sun visors :o)
> > I've been wondering lately of the possibility of
> > Keeping the sun visors up and out of the way
> > ( where they were when new probably )
> > with a super magnet. (or two )
> > But then, it would probably have to be epoxy glued to the sheet metal
> > above the head liner.
> > Is there an easier way?
> > They dont stay up as tight as they should?
> > JC..
> > By His Own Design
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 6:30 AM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> And please excuse the casual reference to "early vanagons." The problem
> may
> >> be limited to early Westies, but since I do not have an early non-westy
> >> around to check, I"ll have to let you do that.
> >>
> >> The main problem is that by now, the early-80s era sunvisors (which
> weren't
> >> all that great to begin with) have become sagging bags of foam dust. I
> have
> >> tried everything I could think of to rebuild them. It's a lot of work
> with
> >> mixed success.
> >>
> >> Online parts vendors stock them, but they tend to be for one side or the
> >> other, not a set, don't have a mirror where they should, and are
> hideously
> >> expensive.
> >>
> >> The world is full of very nice, late model padded visors in great
> shape. So
> >> why can't we use them?
> >>
> >> The problem is easily noticed if you install them. The very end (near
> the
> >> mirror) of the visor beyond the point where it snaps into the the visor
> >> clip has just a little too much meat on it. Everything else lines up,
> >> screws all fit, no mods needed, everything is nice--until you operate
> the
> >> visor. When you do, you rotate the visor through almost 180 degrees,
> >> thereby smashing that "meaty" part against the hardboard ceiling, and
> >> levering off the top part of your clip in the process.
> >>
> >> If you are handy with a hobby saw, and sandpaper, and have access to a
> set
> >> of four clips that can be combined into two, you can have a very nice
> set
> >> of late-model visors in your early vanagon. Did I mention that you could
> >> have a lighted mirror on the passenger side?
> >>
> >> I have pictures to send to those interested, but basically you take a
> clip
> >> and an x-acto hobby saw and you saw the top (the part with the clip,
> sure,
> >> you can used a broken clip for this) so you have a base with a flat top
> and
> >> no clip. You take another one and saw off the clip as low as you can.
> You
> >> glue the two together into a unit that looks like the original only
> about
> >> 1/4 inch taller. You sand the sides so that no excess glue show, and
> >> install as usual.
> >>
> >> Some may comment that it would be easier just to make a base out of some
> >> plastic material that raises the unit, but if you get into it you will
> see
> >> that there is a molded plastic tang on the bottom that fits into a
> square
> >> locator hole where the clip goes. Unless you are prepared to recreate
> and
> >> attach this tiny tang, you are better off with the procedure described
> >> above.
> >>
> >> It just works great. Time will tell if the epoxy has trouble sticking to
> >> the plastic of the clip. I will report in due time.
> >>
> >> Jim
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > "Wait till the sun shines, Nellie,
> > When the clouds go drifting by,
> > We will be happy, Nellie,
> > Don't you sigh.
> > Down Lover's Lane we'll wander,
> > Sweethearts you and I.
> > Wait till the sun shines, Nellie,
> > Bye and bye."
>
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