Sunvisor issue

[trey66]

I recently replaced the metal rod on the passenger sun visor and now it is drooping down while driving. What can be put on the metal rod to keep it from moving?

[wraithracing]

Did you replace the metal rod with a new one, or just swap one from another vehicle?

I am not at home to be able to double check, but IIRC the visors are held up and in place by the spring on the mounting end of the visor. The pressure it exerts on the rod is what does all the work. As time goes by the spring loses tension and the visors droop and swing out at inconvenient times.

I believe you might be able to shim your spring with a washer to add tension back to it, otherwise replacing them with the new reproductions might be the best options.

Here is an option for you. http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/...irrored-Visors

Good Luck!

Trey

[trey66]

I replaced the rod with a new one from NPD. The problem now is that the visor it self is loose on the rod. The original rod had some type of tacky substance to keep the visor from moving so freely.

[ToddMcF2002]

I just had this issue. For now I spiraled on some masking tape to create friction. They still droop a bit after a few minutes but it's a big improvement.

[Pestlnce]

Inside the visor should be round metal tubing of sorts that the rod slides through. Put some pressure with pliers or something non damaging to add compression onto the rod from the metal sleeve.

[ToddMcF2002]

Good advice. The stock visor rods might have a slightly larger diameter and they certainly didn't look polished. They were Ford units. I might see if I can fix the spring tensoner and reuse them. The aftermarket ones are pretty good but will require *something* ie. crimping like you suggest or maybe some 2 part epoxy spread as a thin coat on the bar to give it some texture to grab. For now the masking tape is helping but its not perfect. After driving around for 5 minutes they drooped an inch. Uncertain if they will droop further. If they don't I'm moving on but otherwise I'll need to try something else.

[homer302]

The best solution (if not driving a Concours Correct show car) is to get visors out of an '87 - 93 and the clips that mount them. Ford got smart and put a support/mount on the rear-view mirror end of the visors. I started doing that back in '87 on all my older Fox cars and still do. It's still a stock Ford part and Concours is the least of my worries.

[ToddMcF2002]

The ridiculous thing is that my 100% original factory visors in my 65 fastback connect at the center and work perfectly. So apparently Ford got dumb before they got smart again! My wife had a few things to say about that when we took the 65 out today

[PaceFever79]

Mine don't droop but they like to rotate towards the door. In a 79 if you're not banging gears, with the sun visors flapping, the wipers going, and the horn blaring, you're not really pushing it

[homer302]

The ridiculous thing is that my 100% original factory visors in my 65 fastback connect at the center and work perfectly. So apparently Ford got dumb before they got smart again! My wife had a few things to say about that when we took the 65 out today

HaHaHa. That is funny. It is too aggravating for me. That is why I resolve it. To your wife I am sure it is just some old junk you spend too much time and money on. That's okay. She probably has 100 pairs of shoes.

[mustangxtreme]

I used the visor rods from an 87 donor. Pulled off the 87's visors and installed the 83's. They work well even without the 3rd screw the 83 used.

[ToddMcF2002]

The masking tape mod isn't cutting it. I'm going to try sanding the bar and coating it with something more aggressive. Maybe a few layers of something that wont peel off like Rustbullet

[ev5oh]

Have you thought about using a rubber coating on rod to give it more bite? Something like Platikote Plastidip or even a rubber seal coating that is now on the market for general use. More friction?

I have the other issue with them swinging out to the door. When I used to launch the car, both of the would swing out. Huge distraction! So I made some S shaped clips out of sheet metal and one side hooked into the metal trim piece for the window and on the other end the rod/visor snapped into. Worked great, but now I want to replace the rod, well at least until I read this thread!

Good Luck

[ToddMcF2002]

The coating wouldn't survive being inserted. That's why I was thinking RustBullet. It has a subtle texture and its is hard as nails.

[vxr500]

I had the same problem in my 84 and bought new rods from LMR. They no longer swing out, but they still droop down an inch or 3..and that is annoying. I was going to get those clips that I think the 86-up have and get new visors with attachment for them, but that gets pricey. I think either the repro rods don't have enough tension or they're slightly thinner. I might try that spray adhesive route at some point,

[ToddMcF2002]

I would think spray adhesive would essentially melt when it got hot. That's what the masking tape does. Slowly and surely every bump adds another 1/8" of droop. Its maddening and right in your eyesight. Not something that can be ignored. What a stupid design. To make matters worse whoever mounted my visors at the factory mounted the passenger side one a hair off so the rod end sits a good 1/2" lower than the drivers side. So sagging and cockeyed. I'm also considering the 85+ second clip solution but the Predator is very original. Such a dumb problem to have. Maybe I'll fashion some easily reversible CNC block off plate "triangles" and be done with this stupidity.

[ToddMcF2002]

Found a solution for this finally. First I tried crushing the tube in a vice (thanks PestInce for that idea). That helped but they were still slipping. I then sanded the chrome to a dull texture and marred the surface with pliers to give some more texture. That worked like a charm. Hours of driving later and no droop. Hope that helps someone.

[dk5_cobra]

my driver side visor is doing the same thing. I'll have to pull it apart this weekend and do the same thing. thanks for the tip

[wraithracing]

The other option is to just leave the d#mn sunvsors out!

I have done that for a couple of my cars over the years for all the reasons posted here. Now I will add that I sit very tall in the seat and therefore never use the sunvisor as it block too much of my view of the road, so your experience may vary.

I have also done the later model sunviosr swap on several of my foxes and that is most likely what I will do with my 82 GT IF I put the sunvsiors back in at all.

[ToddMcF2002]

I'm upgrading my 82 as well. I just can't bring myself to do things I cannot undo in the Predator. So I have to live with the seriously crappy visors. At least for now they are working again!