Visors and sun visors

[Leif in Calif]

There's '49 Cadillac Coupe on the Not Mine forum.  It's such a beautiful design, but I think the visor spoils it. Certainly it's a big drag, aerodynamically speaking. Why were they popular?

Did it have the typical "flip down" interior visors we have today? When did they become common? I had a '46 Chevy pickup at one time, and you couldn't see traffic lights because the top of the windshield was just a little above your horizontal line of sight.  On the Caddy, you'd need to open the door and lean out to see it.

 

 

[arcticbuicks]

I am a little on the fence with this one.......perhaps if it had bull horns .....the look would be more suiting ?

[Andy J]

My '51 Pontiac Chieftain has one that came with it,so it stays.It has a traffic light viewer on the dash that eliminates the problem of not being able to see traffic lights.You can always take the visor off if it doesn't suit you.

[arcticbuicks]

i like a visor on some late 40s early 50s cars......a few cars look even better with one on than without .....i think

[TerryB]

3 hours ago, Andy J said:

My '51 Pontiac Chieftain has one that came with it,so it stays.It has a traffic light viewer on the dash that eliminates the problem of not being able to see traffic lights.You can always take the visor off if it doesn't suit you.

Same for my 1951 Pontiac.  The little prism on the dash would allow you to see the traffic light.

[zepher]

Cars have had outside sun visors since the 20's.

My Rickenbacker has one.

[wayne sheldon]

7 hours ago, Leif in Calif said:

Why were they popular?

 

They weren't all that popular back when the cars were new. Yes they were a factory option on many cars. And almost every auto parts store in the country sold after-market versions for anything (many of them had to be special ordered).

However, out in the real world, on the roads and in the parking lots? I doubt if more than about one car in a hundred actually had those things.

Many cars of the 1920s had a visor over the windshield. They mostly kept much of the rain off the windshield at low speeds. Wipers were not very good in those earlier years, and most driving was fairly slow. By 1930, most cars were eliminating exterior visors.

Interior sun visors had been around on a few expensive cars and as after-market accessories since the late 1910s, but were somewhat rare (there is that word!). They began showing up in common cars during the 1930s, and being standard on the driver's side (I remember cars that had only one!) about 1940.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

I started diving driving in 1952.  My first car, 1940 Chevrolet had a visor. No idea if factory. My second, a 1940 Buick, did also. They were sorta common. Certainly not "rare" in my memory. They just were.

 

  Ben

[Bloo]

So I've got a loaded question for you guys.....

 

How fast can you go before you damage something? Like denting the roof or bending the visor or breaking the windshield? I've been 70mph. That was with a factory visor on a 53 Belair. Those were mounted pretty solidly, and the windshield was one piece. Some less streamlined visors like Fultons seem to have pretty spindly mounts. I have even seen some visors mounted to the little chrome divider piece in a 2-piece windshield.

 

So, how fast can you go before all hell breaks loose? I have a feeling some of you know the answer.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Bloo (see edit history)

[arcticbuicks]

i dont think the cars with visors can go fast enough ,plus they have air flow out the top rear

[Bloo]

9 hours ago, Leif in Calif said:

Did it have the typical "flip down" interior visors we have today?

Yes. As @wayne sheldon mentioned, maybe just one.

 

9 hours ago, Leif in Calif said:

I had a '46 Chevy pickup at one time, and you couldn't see traffic lights because the top of the windshield was just a little above your horizontal line of sight.  On the Caddy, you'd need to open the door and lean out to see it.

To expand on what @Andy J said, it's a glass or more likely polycarbonate prism that mounts low on the dash or windshield rim. There were 2 common styles, and the late GM one, which is clear, is reproduced for sure. I believe the earlier GM one that does not have a smooth surface is also reproduced, but I am less sure of that. Fulton had one for use with their visors. The Fulton ones are not reproduced as far as I know, but there are mini-replicas of it that stick on with a suction cup. Not for restoration obviously, but as you noted there are some vehicles with the top of the windshield too low even though there is no visor.

 

[zepher]

2 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

 

They weren't all that popular back when the cars were new. Yes they were a factory option on many cars. And almost every auto parts store in the country sold after-market versions for anything (many of them had to be special ordered).

However, out in the real world, on the roads and in the parking lots? I doubt if more than about one car in a hundred actually had those things.

Many cars of the 1920s had a visor over the windshield. They mostly kept much of the rain off the windshield at low speeds. Wipers were not very good in those earlier years, and most driving was fairly slow. By 1930, most cars were eliminating exterior visors.

Interior sun visors had been around on a few expensive cars and as after-market accessories since the late 1910s, but were somewhat rare (there is that word!). They began showing up in common cars during the 1930s, and being standard on the driver's side (I remember cars that had only one!) about 1940.

My Rickenbacker has an outside sun visor but no interior sun visors.

My Pierce has no outside sun visor but has two interior sun visors.

[zepher]

3 minutes ago, Bloo said:

Yes. As @wayne sheldon mentioned, maybe just one.

 

To expand on what @Andy J said, it's a glass or more likely polycarbonate prism that mounts low on the dash or windshield rim. There were 2 common styles, and the late GM one, which is clear, is reproduced for sure. I believe the earlier GM one that does not have a smooth surface is also reproduced, but I am less sure of that. Fulton had one for use with their visors. The Fulton ones are not reproduced as far as I know, but there are mini-replicas of it that stick on with a suction cup. Not for restoration obviously, but as you noted there are some vehicles with the top of the windshield too low even though there is no visor.

 

I always heard them referred to as 'signal finders'.
Like this one on eBay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165943758352

[Bloo]

Yeah, that's the Fulton one. 👍

 

 

[Pfeil]

My dad's 40 Pontiac didn't have one. My dad's 50 Pontiac did have a factory one that he ordered with the car, and we would do 60-70 mph on the FWY, even with surfboard racks and surfboards. I've seen 55-56 Pontiac's with them and so 57 Pontiacs have the same canopy so would fit, also 55-57 Chevrolet also use the same "A" body canopy. In 1958 the shades are gone, so Pontiac (or GM) designed an internal or inside shade used only in 58. See below.

  

[Xander Wildeisen]

Visors, like the rest of the car. Need to have a design and style to them. They need to be designed to fit the shape and flow of the car. They need to look like they belong there, part of the car. Some visors look like a wide board turned sideways with industrial hinges on the side. They also need to follow the curve of the roof line, from a side profile. 

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

2 hours ago, Bloo said:

So I've got a loaded question for you guys.....

 

How fast can you go before you damage something? Like denting the roof or bending the visor or breaking the windshield? I've been 70mph. That was with a factory visor on a 53 Belair. Those were mounted pretty solidly, and the windshield was one piece. Some less streamlined visors like Fultons seem to have pretty spindly mounts. I have even seen some visors mounted to the little chrome divider piece in a 2-piece windshield.

 

So, how fast can you go before all hell breaks loose? I have a feeling some of you know the answer.

 

 

 

  90 MPH plus with my 1950.   Never came loose or broke anything.  

 

  Ben

[EmTee]

Lots of cars used a shaded band across the top of the windshield through the 1960s and into the '70s.  I assume this was to provide similar function without the external visor.

 

[Marty Roth]

From before I drove legally, and until well after I was married, I only had convertibles, and never had an external visor.

As I recall, the only convertible with the external visor I've ever really noticed was a "Step-Down" Hudson", and It seemed unusual, at least to me.

 

With regard to Internal "Flip-Down" visors, here's an unusual one:

My 1937 Buick Roadmaster Phaeton has the sun visors mounted to the convertible top's front header bow , and in a double-hinged arrangement.

It works fine when the top is closed,

but with the top down (in the open position) there is no option for glare protection at all, other than a hat or your hand blocking the sun's rays to see the traffic light.

 

[Hans1965]

Xander,  I totally agree, it is ruining the design in my point of view. Makes it look like a Chevy (sorry!). But you rarely see these 48/49 Caddies with outside visors. 

[Xander Wildeisen]

Any one know how many manufacturers produced a exterior visor for their cars? Hudson had a visor. And they look really nice on the cars, if you like visors. They fit the shape and flow of the cars. Only problem with them, you can not spin down the roof mounted antenna with the visor on. Antenna is ether up, or left resting folded down between the windshields.

[Leif in Calif]

10 hours ago, EmTee said:

Lots of cars used a shaded band across the top of the windshield through the 1960s and into the '70s.  I assume this was to provide similar function without the external visor.

 

No doubt they had a similar function. There was a lot of work put into auto glass design as aerodynamics came more into play when fuel economy became more important about 1980. As cars became more aerodynamic, the windshield was laid back and as a result became bigger. Bigger flatter glass is 1.) Heavier because glass is made of sand and sand is made of rocks and 2.) it increases the solar load so more A/C capability is required, which also effects mileage. Tinted glass became standard, and a number of other approaches have been (and continue to be) tried, but so far, no magic bullet.  

[maok]

Remember, most blokes wore a Fedora back then, ideal as a sun visor. 

 

I wear one now..:) 😁

[Pfeil]

23 hours ago, Xander Wildeisen said:

Visors, like the rest of the car. Need to have a design and style to them. They need to be designed to fit the shape and flow of the car. They need to look like they belong there, part of the car. Some visors look like a wide board turned sideways with industrial hinges on the side. They also need to follow the curve of the roof line, from a side profile. 

Do you mean like this?

[Pfeil]

10 hours ago, Hans1965 said:

Xander,  I totally agree, it is ruining the design in my point of view. Makes it look like a Chevy (sorry!). But you rarely see these 48/49 Caddies with outside visors. 

You must know 1949-1952 "A" bodies were styled like 1948-49 Cadillac and Olds 98 "C" bodies and 1950 Buick.

ALL of these cars have "Flow through fender styling".

Edited November 5, 2023 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[Hans1965]

4 hours ago, Pfeil said:

You must know 1949-1952 "A" bodies were styled like 1948-49 Cadillac and Olds 98 "C" bodies and 1950 Buick.

 

ALL of these cars have "Flow through fender styling".

 

I have a 52 Catalina and 49 Riviera. Even on these hardtops I am not a big fan of outside visors. On the fastbacks even less. But thats my personal opinion.  

[31 LaSalle]

On 11/3/2023 at 9:41 PM, zepher said:

Cars have had outside sun visors since the 20's.

My Rickenbacker has one.

I believe 1928 Chrysler model 72 conv coupe had external visor fitted as standard

[Den41Buick]

Does anyone have an idea when and for which vehicle this might have been used? Looks like a visor.
 

 

[John348]

My Grandfather said he had it to keep the snow and rain off the wind shield on his 49 Chevy, it was not for the sun. I believe in the factory literature it is refereed to just as a "visor" It would make more sense for inclement weather.  

[58L-Y8]

The visor generally does not enhance the look of those late 1940's- early 1950's cars though were so much "of the period" they're acceptable on family sedans.  There is one visor, made by The Canadian Vision Visor Company of Rodney, Ontario, Canada, which is color Plexiglas, would be great to have a car of complementing or matching color.

[dibarlaw]

On my 1925 Buick Standard there was an accessory "Sunshade" not a visor. I had one made up and it does help with the top down.

On the Master series touring and roadsters it was part of the windshield design.

 

[mrspeedyt]

my 40 LaSalle sedan had one on it and I left it on... The one that was on my 41 DeSoto sedan I removed but sold it with the car later. it was all stainless steel.  I think they were both Fulton's but I could be wrong.

Edited November 5, 2023 by mrspeedyt (see edit history)

[Pfeil]

I think there is a big difference between a visor you can buy for a car at an auto parts store and a visor designed by the maker of the car.

 

[Xander Wildeisen]

1 hour ago, 58L-Y8 said:

The visor generally does not enhance the look of those late 1940's- early 1950's cars though were so much "of the period" they're acceptable on family sedans.  There is one visor, made by The Canadian Vision Visor Company of Rodney, Ontario, Canada, which is color Plexiglas, would be great to have a car of complementing or matching color.

Not trying to be harsh, but those are the ugliest visors ever made. They look like a free door prize just for showing up. Looking through that blue visor at a stop light would turn the lights into turquoise, green and purple. Throw in a touch of alcohol, and you could tell the cop, “I swear the light was green officer “😵‍💫

[Model56s]

Not. A. Fan. They spoil the look.

[arcticbuicks]

I duno......on this one.....the visor really dosnt stand out too much........sure not the first thing that catches my eye first

[Xander Wildeisen]

There are those side brackets I was talking about.  

 

[arcticbuicks]

for some people if you want the car loaded .........wide white walls ,fender skirts,gas door chrome trim,yellow glass fog lights,optional hood ornament,spot light.....heck...dual spot lights ....even if they are dummie spots.....curb feelers,optional exhaust tip.....with the enamel logo of car make of course,fuzzy dice......maybe even some dingle balls above the side windows inside,blue dots in the tail lights.window ice cube air conditioner,window vent shades,accessory bumper guards,.........then why not a sun visor......and dont forget the headlight visors too...........its all about being period correct.....right eh ? ........hehe

[arcticbuicks]

I wonder....did the Fulton application list........have listing for Dietrich Packards,Duesenberg ,Auburn etc ?........if not.......maybe some are just jealous that they cant have a visor for their car too ?

[arcticbuicks]

@Pfeil what auto makers designed visors for all the cars that had them other than just a few models ? .......to buy other than the auto parts store visors

Edited November 8, 2023 by arcticbuicks (see edit history)