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Hot Rod Lincoln Sun Visors ---
Here are some sizes, measured from the mount pivot ---
83-86 LTD
6 ¼ x 17”
no end support.
80’s T-Bird 6 ¼ x
19” supported
4” from the end, often broken.
80’s Mustangs
6 x 15”
supported 2” from end, no lighted mirror.
80’s Lincoln LSC 6
x 15”
with overhead instrument group.
82-87 Lincoln Continental
7 ¼ x 16 ½ ”
with overhead instruments.
82-87 Lincoln Continental 7 ¼ x 19 ½ ” without instrument & with end support.
On a 83 Continental, I found an even bigger Visor, 8" x 19 1/2". Turns out that it had already been recovered & a 3/4" cardboard extension had been added. Good idea!
But there is some work & luck involved!
These
Continentals are hard to find in the junk yards, but not as hard as a LTD-LX to find.
(but I have found over a dozen LX’s,
sad to say, over 6 years)
Hard, because it is the cheap model you need to find. Most had the optional over-head instruments
(temperature & compass) that
left room for only a short Visor, but it is still an inch deeper.
Lucky,
because half the ones with the full Visor may already be taken!
Then it needs 2 little mods & a challenging mounting.
The Lincoln uses a thick, spongy headliner so there is a little
spacer-stop at each of the 3 mounting holes.
They need to be cut off flush so it looks like your original.
An easy job with a hacksaw.
Then the 2” long plastic rod with a rubber cap that mates with the
Support Clip needs to be cut off about one inch. Due to little differences in
the Visor lengths, you need to measure this from the pivot center &
without the rubber cap. Then to
make it a little bit more fun, the SC can be mounted in 2 different positions,
which almost require 2 different lengths. The shorter length is 21 ¾” which
works with the SC mounted behind the Window Molding (more on this below).
Mounting the SC on the Window Molding could use a length of
21 7/8”.
Another way to do this is to mount the new Visors uncut, determine
which position the SC will be in & mark where the new ends should
be (allowing for rubber cap).
Now
for the cutting, the best way to do this is to pull them out, file a new
detent grove over the amount of difference between the original & the new
length. Then cut the about 1”
excess off & push them back in. If they will not pull out, the Rivet holding the Visor’s
halves together must be drilled out (see next to last paragraph) & later
reriveted. Some Chrome rods
were used in the 70’s, which are better if not all rusty.
New metal ones could be made from Stainless Steel or Aluminum if you
are handy with a Lathe.
The rubber caps can become hard & fall apart over the years, but
they are still available, D1DZ-6204115A.
The last thing to do is finding & installing a center Support Clip, as the Lincoln’s has an odd shape.
70’s cars like the Granada’s, Torino’s, Ranchero’s, T-Bird’s & Lincoln’s have a SC that has a flat mounting surface. Haven’t found Gray or Black, but Dark Blue is available. This is placed just behind the window molding. The screws go through the Headliner into the same metal lip that the window molding does. Even tho there is 1 ¼” between the lip & the roof, put a “stop”, like a piece of tubing on your drill for piece of mind!
Other
70’s cars like Galaxie’s, Mustang’s
(up to 72) &
LTD’s have
SC’s that are curved to fit the Window Molding.
They do come in a Dark Gray. They
use 2 screws from the backside of the Molding & don’t use a center sheet
metal screw like the LTD. It’s
difficult trying to drill your LTD’s Molding for these 2 screws so
there is another simpler way. That
is to reuse the LTD’s center screw to hold the SC.
To do this you must “whittle” away part of the center divider on
the SC to allow for the screw head. Then
drill a hole the SC using the Molding for a guide.
In
either SC mounting position, the passenger Visor can hit the Rear View Mirror
when pushed past the full down position & forward towards the Window, but
this will hardly ever occur & can be lived with.
The same foam backed fabric that is used for the headliners is used on the Visors, so expect to need to have them recovered.
A very satisfying, useful upgrade!