[DeTomaso]   Viagra for sun visors? (An actual fix)

MikeLDrew at aol.com MikeLDrew at aol.com
Sun Aug 5 17:35:15 EDT 2007


Hi guys,

I decided to tackle this problem this morning.   As you may recall, the 
visors each have a pair of brackets screwed to the inside of the car.   The 
brackets each have a steel pin, over which the visor slides.   Tensioning screws 
create friction between the visor and the pin.

The problem is that over time, the pins become loose within the plastic 
brackets, and spin freely, meaning that all the tension in the world between the 
visor and the pin won't do anything.

I took the system apart today, and removed the loose pins from the brackets.  
 This was not as easy as you'd expect--they would spin, but couldn't be 
removed.   I wound up chucking the pins into a drill, putting the brackets in a 
padded vice, spinning and pulling on the pins until they pulled out.

Here's what they look like:

http://members.aol.com/mikeldrew/VisorBrackets.jpg

I actually have two full sets of brackets; one set is my originals (mid-'72) 
and the second set from a '74.   Although they look the same externally, I was 
fascinated to see that the pins themselves differ slightly.

http://members.aol.com/mikeldrew/VisorPins.jpg

The one on the left is from a later bracket, I believe.   Note that the other 
two have a groove machined into them, with a plastic ring pressed in; I guess 
the theory is that plastic-on-plastic contact would help keep them secure?   

The theory is wrong. :<(

When I went to put them back together, I mixed some two-part epoxy and put 
some into each cavity.   In retrospect, I should have ground a longitudinal 
groove in each pin to enable excess epoxy to escape from the cavity more easily.   
I figured it would spooge out naturally, but when tapping one of them back 
together (put a block of wood on the back side to support the plastic, and 
gently tapped the end of the pin to press it into the cavity), one of them 
hydro-locked and the plastic split. :<(

Fortunately, it was already filled with epoxy, so it was instantly fixing 
itself. :>)

As it turns out, the other three brackets I pulled from the low-mileage '74 
were all secure (no spinning) so I elected to just install those instead.

The epoxy is still drying on the fourth one, but I'm confident that they are 
fixed for good. :>)

Mike


**************************************
 Get a sneak peek of the all-new 
AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour



More information about the DeTomaso mailing list