As I go through my boxes of stored bits I am finding damage due to water ingress in my garage.
The sun visors are in a poor state but I think can be saved with the correct TLC. The fabric is marked badly but not damaged as such. First job is to dismantle them. Do I remove the trim edges and “open up” the visor?? Then remove the chrome (rusty) arm?
Any tips on cleaning the fabric. Will water based cleaner do more damage.
Many thanks
Fred,
You’ll face two problems: Water damage to the cardboard backing, and UV/rot in the cloth. WOE cloth is still available from places like Woolies Trim but even if you get the original colour, it won’t match the headliner. Don’t let that get you down, the colour won’t match after you’ve cleaned them either.
Can you say “Shipwright’s disease”?
I had to look that up… but absolutely correct. The fact this is a ground up rebuild using my own donor car means I want to avoid buying lots of new bits which will make the project uneconomic. If I can repair/revive then exact colour matching is not too important as it has been 30 years in the planning with numerous false starts!! Sadly a lot of stored parts have been damaged which knocks me back a little bit. I just want it on the road before I peg out.
It’s a nice little fabricating job to fit new cardboard and cloth. If you scan about fabric shops you may find a decent match for the cloth, and the rest is just foam, 1/8" cardboard and some glue.
Some stains will come out with a dry cleaning spray like K2R and a good brushing, mold sometimes comes off by swabbing with a cloth damped in vinegar. If it’s a rust stain then you can use oxalic acid or oxyclean type washing additives, but the wool is usually so shot that it falls apart if you throw too much chemistry or scrubbing at it.
So the edging is just glued on? I pull that off and see what state the cardboard is in. I have given them a brush which removed a lot of muck but rust stains will be difficult and I am happy to recover and rechrome as new one are not in the budget.
tbh I can’t remember if the was always metal or later on plastic. On my S the visors don’t have an edging, they are just heat welded at the edge (material is plastic).
I think I remember the metal just being crimped onto the edge, but I’m not certain anymore.
they can/need to be “remade” either by amateur or pro, finicky but anyone could do it.
otherwise everything will be warped and mangy
later vehicles have stitching, so a good woman with sewing machine is handy, I think earlier cars are/can have the fabric glued…autopsy the old one and take pics for your ref.
an automotive trimmer can advise on fabric source (or do the whole job)
Hi Fred, I just finished refurbishing my visors. On my Mk 2, the chrome edges just pulled off without too much difficulty, they may or may not have been glued. I removed and laundered the fabric, but wasn’t pleased with the result. I found a section of old headliner that looked acceptable and cut new covers.
My cardboard was warped and buckled, so I removed it, sprayed a little water, and IRONED it. Then between two boards under weights until it dried, leaving the folded edge protruding.
Then my seamstress sewed the edges together to hold them in place whilst I reinstalled the chrome edge.
I am pleased with the results, and it was relatively easy. (except the sewing) The fabric isn’t an exact match, but close enough.
Good luck
Mike
Thanks guys all good info. I have the headlining factory just up the road from me so hope they could supply material to do everything. I think re making them is going to be the solution.
I will be photographing everything.
Visors are in pieces. Inside one was a tightly folded piece of paper which was actually a tax disc from Sept 1975 (4 months £9.40). I bought the car in Aug 1975 so I have to assume it was me stuffing this in the end of the visor to stop it rattling or tighten it?? I can’t remember but it ended up in the middle of the visor.
I took the metal frame to local chroming place and we discovered the chromed rod is split in the middle which releases it from the galvanised wire support. The knob at the end I hope just can be knocked off so the arms can be re chromed.
Are we able to post images in our “album” now for others benefit?
Steve,
We’re still working on moving the old albums to a modern platform, but you can add photos here on the forum. Have a look in User Guides and How-Tos, there you will find this guide on adding pictures to a forum post.
Thanks Andrew
I found the hidden menu. May I suggest the “How to’s…” etc are separate from the models as when I look at categories I see a list of different models so think this is just that a menu to take you to your particular section but in fact other subjects and instructions are in the middle of the list of models. Once you know it is easier of course but maybe a separate tab for help articles and albums would be clearer to idiot users like me. I realise it is work in progress and a thankless task so keep up the good work.
Best regards
stephen crump