The external sun visor and glass area

[mik]

Just thought i would ask the question and maybe get some talk happening about the humble external sun visor and glass area's in cars.
Here are on our big island continent that has often been subject to big temperatures and big numbers of day light sun/heat hours comparable to most other countries on the planet.

if i can go further into this , in past years it did seem we actually did see sun visors on windscreens of cars , even on the rear window on occasional models,
i suppose we could also mention the tinted window weather deflector doover on the driver / passenger doors and the old sticker windscreen sunvisors that are now illegal.

I don't know what sparked me off on this train of thought (probably the heat), anyway.......... while cruising down the road today in pretty high temperatures.................. i don't know what it got up to today .....35 Celsius was the earlier forecast, but the thing that occurred to me with the air conditioner running about half speed in the falcon and doing a pretty good job was the heat that still came through the glass all around the car, but most in particular the windscreen...........

for the bigger question why don't we use sun visors in this hot bloody joint.

Anyway to continue while cruising past car yards, shopping centres etc, ............how many cars with sun visors did i see ?
Not even one, nada/nil/zip/zero ???

i can't speak from experience of having one of the windscreen visors.... not that i can remember anyway, possibly had one on a valiant(ahh dementia)??
although i have had a full length roof rack on an old 4wd years ago and there was most assuredly some benefit to having a bit of cover on the roof and shadow on the windscreen, especially as the old patrols version of aircon was 2 windows down .

if i can even go further into the glass area and internal car temperatures,

on some modern cars the absolutely huge windscreens that rake back on some vehicles that actually are so big they end above towards the back of the drivers head, one small car i saw today the glass size blew my mind, and this is not uncommon when we look around.

i remember the stinking hot black Saturday Victoria and the previous hot days some years ago, i had just had the aircon serviced in the falcon a few days before black saturday 46.7 Celsius and hot wind to boot.............i thought oh well i'll take the Henry out and test the ac.......... holy bloody wow,

even with a good ac going hell for leather, the heat coming off the glass and mostly the raked windscreen was like a huge radiator throwing out heat.
Ok so there lies the question, in this day of moon roofs, huge glass area's, raked back windscreens in modern cars, why don't we use more external visors/etc ??

[2011G6E]

We literally searched up and down the coast when on holidays looking for an alloy mesh sunvisor for the XC Fairmont when we owned it. Finally found one in a wrecking yard outside Nambour.

My '82 Celica, the problem is really at the rear. That big expanse of sloping glass, even with really dark tint, really bakes the rear of the interior. The Supra of that model had a sunshade/spoiler at the top of the rear window, but they're found in the same aisle of the auto parts store as rocking horse crap and hens teeth. There's a place in England that does repro ones, but I'm not really going to go to that extent to buy one...

I'm looking around for another alloy mesh one now for our V8 WB ute...they're a great idea! Not exactly sure how they'd suit modern cars, but no real reason for them not to be at least an option.

[mik]

Yes, that is what i was thinking also, for some time i have though about getting the cars fitted with them ..... i don't care how uncool it looks, just a matter of finding them..

[71cop]

Dad had a colour coded steel sun visor fitted to his XY from new & about ten years ago I had one on my XY ute, they are great. I am now considering putting one on my PX Ranger. I know a lot of people don't like the look of them but they are a practical bit of gear especially in our harsh climate.

Here you go 2011 G6E, brand new visor for you,

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HQ-HJ-HZ-...item5af98d70ea

I bought one of these a couple of years ago for a mate with a cruiser & he swears by it.

Dave.

[mik]

Good find dave, i would kill for the old aunger moulded rear louvre as well, not only for the heat reduction but to save the interior a bit too.

[Jastel]

I guess its down to aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.

Had a rear louvre on an old car once, looked cool but rear window got so dirty you couldn't see out of it.

Always had front sunvisors on the taxis, up until the AU2 when Ford stopped making them, the AU versions were absolute rubbish, went through about 8 visors and 2 windscreens under warranty.

Still have weathershields on the cabs, paint the top half black for more sun protection.

[mik]

Jastel, that might explain a bit why the ford visors didn't sell , i just had a look at Daves post showing the mesh visor and for the wb on ebay and searched mesh visor and found one for au/ba
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AU-Sedan-...d37ccb4&_uhb=1

i have to say looking at the pics of that visor on car, i wouldn't even mind a few more inches...... come to think of it i think i have heard that before somewhere... ,
i digress, the visor looks pretty good size but in the pics the glass area is still pretty huge, i still wouldn't mind one though.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Jastel

I guess its down to aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.

Had a rear louvre on an old car once, looked cool but rear window got so dirty you couldn't see out of it.

Always had front sunvisors on the taxis, up until the AU2 when Ford stopped making them, the AU versions were absolute rubbish, went through about 8 visors and 2 windscreens under warranty.

Still have weathershields on the cabs, paint the top half black for more sun protection.

The alloy mesh one we had on the Fairmont (can't seem to find any photos of it with it fitted) was great. The angled mesh meant it let the air flow through pretty freely, but it also kept the sun out when it was during the harshest time of the day.
I remember when Aunger first came out with those removeable kits for their rear window louvres...by god you'd think they were the best thing since sliced bread the way we all raved about them at the time. They allowed you, with the twist of a phillips head screwdriver, to remove the thing and clean your rear window in minutes. They were a godsend, and meant you no longer had to force the old style metal plate under your window rubber around the edges.

Ah, the good old days...

[mik]

I've been threatening for years to have a go at making a rear louvre out of 3 or 2 ply and fiberglass , i will give it a go one day, hmm just that priority/motivation/old age thing :(.

[GCRXR6]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

The alloy mesh one we had on the Fairmont (can't seem to find any photos of it with it fitted) was great. The angled mesh meant it let the air flow through pretty freely, but it also kept the sun out when it was during the harshest time of the day.
I remember when Aunger first came out with those removeable kits for their rear window louvres...by god you'd think they were the best thing since sliced bread the way we all raved about them at the time. They allowed you, with the twist of a phillips head screwdriver, to remove the thing and clean your rear window in minutes. They were a godsend, and meant you no longer had to force the old style metal plate under your window rubber around the edges.

Ah, the good old days...

Yeah those Aunger lovers were popular. Prone to fading. Ya needed to carry a gallon of Armoural in the boot to keep the things lookin good.

[poppa smurf]

had them on all our vehicles years ago, including the cabs on the dozers, harvesters and truck's.

but now, in this day and age of "rip the stickers off" and take all the chrome off, commonly known as "debadging" these things have become "uncool".

I would quickly install a rear louvre, if one was available as well as a front one.........43 here today with a week of it yet to come.

don't know about the aerodynamics, probably not good, I remember some of the earlier mesh ones, like I had on my VC valiant and my EH were noisy as all get out, the wind whistling through at 70 MPH would drown out any radio that may have been turned on.

[mik]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

had them on all our vehicles years ago, including the cabs on the dozers, harvesters and truck's.

but now, in this day and age of "rip the stickers off" and take all the chrome off, commonly known as "debadging" these things have become "uncool".

I would quickly install a rear louvre, if one was available as well as a front one.........43 here today with a week of it yet to come.

don't know about the aerodynamics, probably not good, I remember some of the earlier mesh ones, like I had on my VC valiant and my EH were noisy as all get out, the wind whistling through at 70 MPH would drown out any radio that may have been turned on.

Add bigger radior turn volume up...... problem solved ; ).

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by mik

Add bigger radior turn volume up...... problem solved ; ).

we didn't have "volume" in those day's.........lucky to get any signal at all.

the radio's were one step up from the crystal set.......from memory, where we were, ABC ruled.

[brismike]

Originally Posted by GCRXR6

Yeah those Aunger lovers were popular. Prone to fading. Ya needed to carry a gallon of Armoural in the boot to keep the things lookin good.

Might be uncool but I've got one on my FG. It actually is a BA/BF Falcon one which I used to have on my old BA Fairmont Ghia. When I traded that in I had a go at fitting it to the FG. It is a different shape rear window and would not quite fit properly.

The FG rear window is slightly narrower at the lower part. Anyway I cut a small piece out of the louvre and taped it up. Fits ok and keeps the rear part of the car a lot cooler even if it might be considered uncool lookwise lol.

Not sure if I'm going to put it on my new GT which is on order though.

Cheers Mike

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by brismike

Might be uncool but I've got one on my FG. It actually is a BA/BF Falcon one which I used to have on my old BA Fairmont Ghia. When I traded that in I had a go at fitting it to the FG. It is a different shape rear window and would not quite fit properly.

The FG rear window is slightly narrower at the lower part. Anyway I cut a small piece out of the louvre and taped it up. Fits ok and keeps the rear part of the car a lot cooler even if it might be considered uncool lookwise lol.

Not sure if I'm going to put it on my new GT which is on order though.

Cheers Mike

With the fitting kits (the little stick on parts that go on the glass and the screw-head plastic bits that go in the edges of the louvre) you shouldn't have any troubles fitting something as long as it's "close enough" in shape and size.

[brismike]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

With the fitting kits (the little stick on parts that go on the glass and the screw-head plastic bits that go in the edges of the louvre) you shouldn't have any troubles fitting something as long as it's "close enough" in shape and size.

Yes you can still get the fitting kits I think but they are not cheap. I actually used the old plastic attachment bits that stick on the rear glass with some commercial sticking gell tape that plumbers use to stick things on mirrors etc. You just cut a bit off to suit the plastic and it is as good as the original stuff.

[brismike]

Originally Posted by brismike

Yes you can still get the fitting kits I think but they are not cheap. I actually used the old plastic attachment bits that stick on the rear glass with some commercial sticking gell tape that plumbers use to stick things on mirrors etc. You just cut a bit off to suit the plastic and it is as good as the original stuff.

Hopefully these pics will work .... Took them quite a while ago before I put the Blue King Mags on.

[XW WA]

I want a back louvre for the xw had one for ever on the xy didnt think to grab it when i sold it . dam I should of kept that car. Had a windscreen sun visor on it to for years untill I bought it off the old man when i was 19 . That was the first thing that got ripped off.

[mik]

you almost never see those louvres anymore, it looks the goods anyway ,well done.

[Franco Cozzo]

Remember those early E series Falcons with the grandpa spec black faded plastic rear sun visor thing?

Old man's EA had one of those things.

[Psi-Pop]

Front and back on my ED, makes a huge difference when parked outside. The rear is a pain as like someone else said, the back window gets filthy from the dirt and more so the Armourall needed to keep it black and not faded grey.

Tested these at rather high speeds too, no issues. Yet.

[Tonz]

I find having the air con blowing on the windscreen is better than blowing on ya face, esp for longer drives. Its not offensive where on your face can be....and blowing on windscreen dissapates the air flow better,

[The Yeti]

Best accessory every

[MercurySilver]

My xb has one of the old front sun visors.... If it came as an option I'll keep it on there when it comes time to restore it.