Informal Poll - exterior sun visors

[steveplym]

I really like mine. It is a plexi-glass type that has been on the car for quite a while. Keeps some of the sun out of my eyes and when it rains it keeps some of the water off the windshield. Looks pretty cool too I think. That is a biased opinion though.

[windsor8]

I like them myself, but not on everything. Maybe its familiarity, growing up in the southwest I remember seeing them on older cars more often that not. I wouldn't put one on the Terraplane. My D24 didn't have one when we got it (from the screw holes, it did have one sometime in the past). I wasn't actively looking for one, but found one on a west Texas desert junker (sadly, a P15) being used to help prevent erosion in an arroyo. The rancher said I could take what I wanted, as long as the major portion of the car (even sadder - there are actually @ 30 cars in that particular arroyo) stayed put. Tell ya what, its not just aesthetics (sp?), it really helps in that southwest sunshine. The inside visors block too much vision for me. Adjusted right, the outside one is just right, and it keeps the sun off the dash, steering wheel, and forearms, and helps keep the interior a tad cooler, too. The underside of a Fulton is supposed to be "sage green" - "scientifically determined to provide the best protection from glare". But you will need a traffic light finder, or else stop 1/2 block back from the light so you can see it

Where can you find the sage green/zinc chromate paint for the under side of the Fulton visor?

[greg g]

airplane paint store.

Not a real fan, take up a lot of windshield. Maybe if I lived in a hot sunny climate it would make more sense. Might try a plexi one if one was to be had.

[Dan Hiebert]

A hobby shop that specializes in military models may have that color, too. Or someplace that sells camoflage paint, I really haven't looked. The one I put on my car didn't have any paint at all on it by the time I got to it. I painted both sides the body color. I read about the sage green on a Fulton Sunshade reference site that was posted by someone on this forum a few years ago - after I had already painted it. Don't have quite the issues with glare anymore in western New York But if I happen to repaint the old girl in the near future I'll probably return the sunshade to its factory hue on the underside.

[Plymouthy Adams]

US Marine Corp and US Navy..both use this shade primer..flat, non reflective and though not use as a exterior coating..often times it is the only coating on surfaces not facing the weather..be aware..the solvent often associated with this paint will find you on the planet Pluto scratching your backside wondering how you got there..

[Eneto-55]

I really like mine. It is a plexi-glass type that has been on the car for quite a while. Keeps some of the sun out of my eyes and when it rains it keeps some of the water off the windshield. Looks pretty cool too I think. That is a biased opinion though.

Steve, Can you see the traffic lights OK through the tinted shade?

Neto

[1940plymouth]

I have posted three photos with various settings that I took thru the windsheild of my "Wayback Machine" I don't have any problems with visiability and living in the country, there are few if any traffic lights, so when I do go to either Liberty or Ellenville, I do stop at the lights before the white line, but in all reality, it isn't that hard to see the traffic lights.

Hope this helps somewhat,

Bob

[aero3113]

Where can you find the sage green/zinc chromate paint for the under side of the Fulton visor?

You can use flat black also. That is what is used on the back side of aluminum props on airplanes to prevent glare.

[randroid]

Gents,

I've been following this thread and haven't commented yet because I haven't been able to decide for myself. I think they're spiffy looking and I'd certainly enjoy having one for Pigiron but they don't make the car run better and probably cut into gas mileage at higher speeds. I think what it is, is that if I were to wear a double breasted pinstripe suit, sport a felt Fedora and grow a pencil-thin mustache then bring it on. For putting around town I think it wouldn't matter much to me in everyday life. Since I have a double breasted pinstripe suit I'm sure I'd go the whole route with add-ons except for a continental kit. I have never liked them except on the cars for which they were originally designed, like the Continental.

Maybe someday I'll make one and see if I install it.

-Randy

[Andydodge]

Re the green zinc chromate paint........when I painted the visor I decided to shoot the underneath with a little more grey primer than needed as the grey matched the interior upholstery colour so the visor has the body colour on top and when looking thru the windscreen from inside there is the same grey thats on the upholstery........looks good..andyd

[Mark D]

I have never liked them except on the cars for which they were originally designed, like the Continental.

Maybe someday I'll make one and see if I install it.

-Randy

Agreed!

[gdhoisington]

Go for it!!! I think they are a great addition to any classic car/truck. In my case, it is a life saver for my eyes as I live on the beach. Here's mine...

[Dan Hiebert]

In 1995 we had the D24 on the theatrical list in El Paso when Hollywood came to town to do the remake of "Lolita" (with Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain). The movie company rented the D24 (and me and the B&C to drive it when we could) for 6 weeks. They had several "transportation" guys that were familiar with authenticating cars for particular eras. They noted that the outside sunshades were much more common in the southwest than other locations (they were out of Georgia). Our cars are from the era when practicality tended to rule over substance (but ostentatious was just starting to take hold) - so the expense of an outside sunvisor woulda been weighed against the benefits. OK, a bit of a rant, and remembering one heckuva good time, but goes to show that the shades can tend to be "regional". As they say, whatever floats your boat, I can appreciate just about every genre, but wouldn't have but a little of it. That movie car database has "Lolita" in it - and guess what - our D24 is nowhere to be seen. It was a background car, and I know which scenes it flashed by in, but it never played prominently. Goes to show why it costs 30+ bucks to go to a movie, we earned a good chunk of change (cha-ching!) but our car wound up on the cutting room floor. (Got to drive a quite a few neat old cars, tho. If you'uns get the chance, put your cars on the theatrical lists for your areas, you'd be surprised what happens - and no, they won't blow up your car unless they buy it first .) Sorry, way off on a tangent.

[1941Rick]

Each to his own.....I would not have one and would not buy a car with one......

[Plymouthy Adams]

so with the number of people weighing in on the issue..have you coughed up the coin, bit the big one, going for broke..shooting the wad..coming off the jingle..laying out the moola.. they out there and available.....inquiring minds want to know...

[Reg Evans]

I have three visors and no desire to install on any car at this time...I have had one in the past on the 49 and it was great but it was also the factory unit I had found on a parts car....not fond of the Fulton..that dog bone mount system just not my cup of tea..

Tim,

Do you want to sell me the one that came off of your 49? Here's a photo of my 49 Suburban with a visor and the original owner ,Elbert Meyer,proudly standing next to it.

[1950 Special Deluxe]

If 1 was readily available, I would get it, but too much else to do first. I do enjoy the look.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Reg..the original visor I had came off a parts car..the car was sold years later to a couple in Missouri..the visor, squirrel tail and fuzzy dice were requirements of the deal after the the 8 year old granddaughter saw them in the pictures I had sent..story behind that visor..it flew off a couple miles inside the SC border just before the Savannah river..I was towing the car to Georgia from my storage barn in SC..couple came by honking and waving and point..I pulled over..walked around the car and saw where the trunk lid had come open a couple inches..thinking this was the problem..shut the lid..travel to the house no further incident. Couple days later I noticed the visor was gone..light came on..well next week I was back in SC for reserve duty..on the way home I drove on the shoulder of the road as I neared the area I thought it would be..my hopes were not high mind you..the mowers had been busy and the grass was clean cropped..crosses a bridge over a small stream and saw that the grass was not mowed on this side of the bridge and about 10 feet in front of the bridge and about 15 feet off the shoulder lay the visor..not a dent or scratch anywhere..no missing hardware..just loose hardware..the Mopar gods were smiling that day for sure..

[Al B. Bach]

I went to sherwin williams today to see about matching the color on my car for the visor. On the way I stopped at a local hobby store and picked up a bottle of Testors Zinc Chromate model paint. I took it with me and the guy said it would be no problem to match it as well as the car.

You can pick up zinc chromate at West Marine. It etches into aluminum and my visor is fiberglass so I am looking at just getting the color matched in a durable primer.

[steveplym]

Steve, Can you see the traffic lights OK through the tinted shade?

Neto

Yeah you have to bend down a bit to see them during the day, but usually at night it works pretty well.

[Charlie Olson]

so with the number of people weighing in on the issue..have you coughed up the coin, bit the big one, going for broke..shooting the wad..coming off the jingle..laying out the moola.. they out there and available.....inquiring minds want to know...

Thanks for all of the opinions, here, about external sun visors. I have decided not to put an external visor on PLYWOOD for a few reasons. The car already has a lot added to it, namely the wood sides, the roof rack, the fog lamps, the extra stop lights on the trunk lid, three side mount rear view mirrors, a big clam shell SS exhaust deflector and a repop front license plate topper. I now think an external visor would be over accessorizing the car. Here, in AZ, the external sun visors are more in vogue with the low rider look and PLYWOOD is more the beach cruiser. Although, PLYWOOD was the only non-low rider car at today's low rider show, at the Fort MacDowell Casino. Most people at the low rider events like PLYWOOD because it is still a cool old ride, even if it isn't low. It also helps to have a child hood nick name, Guerro, which means 'light skin'. The picture with PLYWOOD next to Fred's P15 shows the look with being too over done. The visor on Fred's green P15 looks just right.

I think an external sun visor for RED RYDER would be a better choice.

[Don Coatney]

Have you ever thought about making a sunvisor out of wood?

[JIPJOBXX]

Think I will leave well enough alone and with the weather this year who needs a sun visor??:

[old stovebolt]

Nope, don't care for the look....

[55 Fargo]

Good thing not everyone dislikes Visors, Fulton would never have survived the distaste.

I like visors, but not on all cars, I also like spot lamps, fog lights, chrome exhaust tips, and fuzzy dice..........LOL

Edited April 17, 2011 by Rockwood