Red Convertible Visor Clip Wanted

[Guest]

I'm looking for a red visor clip for a 90 convertible. I could also try dying a couple of them in flame red. It seems they are now gone from the Buick parts system. Anyone parting out a convertible with a red interior?<P>John<P>jfriese@mindspring.com

[Barney Eaton]

As you probably already know, GM discontinued the red (burgundy) clip in early 1991.<BR>The Flame red number is 3634881, or try the grey (3635188) which could be painted any color.<P><P>------------------<BR>Barney Eaton Reatta technical advisor for BCA and keeper of the Reatta database.

[Guest]

Hi Barney,<BR>The guy at gmpartsdirect.com said that the flame red visor clip was no longer available and, of course, the red one is gone too. He gave me a couple of dealers to try for the tan ones, which he said were also discontinued, but the "locator" info was bad. I'll check with him about the numbers that you gave me on Monday.<BR>Thanks,<BR>John<BR>

[Guest Dolores]

If you find one, please post where. Or if you have one painted, what is the cost? I need one for red flame also. Thanks They break so easily. <P>I just noticed this morning that both clips are broken. The last time they were replaced, I had the dealer screw in both top and bottom screws. When I find a new pair, I'll take your advise Bernie and reduce the pressure of the hold. Thanks. <p>[This message has been edited by Dolores (edited 02-06-2001).]

[Guest]

One of the reasons they break so easily is that they screw in from the top and the bottom and if only the bottom is screwed in the clip levers and breaks

[Barney Eaton]

I always custom fit the sun visor to the clip before mounting. With a sharp exacto knife or file, work on the opening to reduce the stress when the visor is "plugged" into the clip. This may or may not solve the problem but you feel like you are less likely to break the clip when moving the visor.<P>------------------<BR>Barney Eaton Reatta technical advisor for BCA and keeper of the Reatta database.

[Guest]

I called again Flow Chevrolet (they also own gmpartsdirect.com). The first guy I talked to said the flame red clips were not available. I called again and talked to someone else. He said though the flame red clips show no location in inventory, I should try to order them anyway, through gmpartsdirect.com, and see what happens. I tried and they claim to have shipped two of them last week. They should arrive in a couple of days. We'll see what happens and I'll let you know.<p>[This message has been edited by jfriese (edited 02-11-2001).]

[Guest]

The visor clip in my wifes 90 convertible works fine but the lower mounting screw appears to have been turned too tightly and has shattered the plastic around it. This bothers my wife enough (strange since she usually doesn't notice anything is wrong until the wheels fall off) that she's put me on a crusade to replace the offending part. Her interior color is red but the red clips have been gone for years. One could paint any of the other colored clips but I'm going to try to dye some flame red clips to get a correct match to the rest of the interior. I 've found that even white nylon type plastic, that is hardly touched by dyes at room temperature, easily accepts dye color when the dye is boiled. Since the flame red colored plastic is only slightly too bright a red, I'm hopeful that just a bit of maroon dye will do the trick and dye won't wear off or get chipped.<BR>The bother with changing these clips though isn't the lower screw that's visible from the car, but a small allen head screw that comes into it from the back side of the trim strip at the top of the windshield. The antenna for the keyless entry is also in that strip and care must be taken not to damage the connecting wire or the strip when getting around to the back side.

[Guest]

Good news. The order for the flame red visor clips (gm part # 3634881) came through from gmpartsdirect.com. The total cost for two of them was $22.68. I only needed one of them but ordered two since I knew I was going to have to dye or paint them to get the dark red that I needed. Getting two worked out particularly well since the design of the clip was changed slightly since my wife's 90 was built, so both clips will match. Here's another tip for those of you needing the standard red colored clips. Buy a box of Rit dye (color "Wine")and dump the whole package into half a 1 pound coffee can of water with some salt added. Boil the water and dye combination for a minute and turn off the heat. Put the flame red pieces in for about 3-5 minutes and then rinse in clear water and wipe them off. They will be dyed to a perfect match for the original red colored pieces. It's a good idea to wear rubber gloves and be careful with this dye mixture. It is dye you know and will make a mess if you spill it around.

[Barney Eaton]

Thanks, John Now those people with burgundy interior convertibles can solve the parts shortage problem.<BR>If you own a convertible... better get some spare visor clips NOW, you never know when GM will discontinue a part.<P>------------------<BR>Barney Eaton Reatta technical advisor for BCA and keeper of the Reatta database.