How to shop when it comes time to put a new ‘brow’ on your custom rig

By Kyle Halls,  12ga Customs

Special to Custom Rigs

A sun visor is one of the first things you notice on a rig, and, depending on your taste and style, it could be the one special accessory that separates you from everyone else.

A sun visor is such a simple part, yet it can be far from easy when it comes to buying one.

To make your custom upgrade as smooth as possible, here’re some helpful suggestions to both identify the one perfect sun visor for your custom rig and the conditions in which it’s used.

First you have to narrow down the ‘look” you want to convey. A couple ways to narrow down the options is to look at rigs in the magazines, on the Internet, at truck shows, and while rollin’ down the highway. Take your time and pick the style that fits your look.

It’s also really important to recognize limitations you may be facing for your particular rig; checking out DOT regulations and company limitations are a must before you even begin to think about placing an order for a custom visor.

Other questions you want to ask yourself are:

• How do I want the new visor to be mounted? Do I want to use the factory mounting holes, or use alternative methods such as utilizing threaded inserts instead of rivets?
• Are you able to change mounting methods to cab?  Slammed visors tend to mount on the door pillars, and a single bracket in the center of the windshield.
• Does the truck have the structure to support the visor without additional support?  For example, Western Star has a thin roof cap, and without proper brackets, an custom visor could cause stress cracks to the cab structure.

ABOUT THOSE OPTIONS

Making the decisions on what options you need before ordering a new visor will help keep the stress low after you receive your purchase.

For instance, you might have the option to have mounting holes pre-drilled instead of having to drill your own holes in the new visor after the fact, thus helping eliminate the chance of costly mistakes. (Those mistakes happen all too often.)

Custom visors can be ordered in many ways—or at least your variety of choices of both design and material is broad. Here are just a few different options you should sort out before making an order:

• Lights 
  • Lights located in the top lip of the visor makes them less visible
  • Lights located in the face of the visor makes them highly visible

• Paint
  • Unpainted – If you are going to paint your visor, you need to select the appropriate material.  In this case it is not necessary to pay for stainless steel; aluminum or satin metal will do just fine.  Although stainless steel can be painted, the prep work for painting stainless is higher, which will incur more cost.
  • Color-Matched – Ask the visor supplier if they can color-match your new visor to your rig, again, saving you time and money

• Stainless Steel
  • 400 Series (Magnetic) – Contains zero nickel, just chromium (iron).  This grade of stainless is less resistant to de-icing agents, salt and coastal areas.  400 series stainless will fade and lose luster with time.
  • 300 Series (non-magnetic) – Contains nickel, but zero chromium.  Resistance towards corrosion from de-icing, salt and coastal areas is very high.  400 series has the ability to maintain luster and shine longer.
  • Finish
    • #6 Finish – This finish is produced with rotating cloth mops (muslin or linen) loaded with abrasive paste.  The result is a grainy finish.
    • #8 Finish – The final surface has a high degree of clarity, and is the true mirror-type finish.  The final operations being done with extremely fine buffing compound, which leaves a grain free finish.

(Note: Typically the price of a 400-Series visor with a #6 or #8 will cost less than an identical visor made of 300-Series stainless, but the life span will be much longer.)

• Style (The angle at which the visor sits, relative to your windshield).
  • Slammed Visor – This style sits very low on the roof cap and tight to the windshield (approx 15^o). This style tends to catch more wind. They mount on the side of your cab pillar, and use a bracket in the center of the windshield.  When ordering this style of visor, inquire if the visor has been designed to cover up factory holes that might be exposed after removing your old visor.The visor pictured is from Triple R Diesel/Texas Chrome Shop.When changing your windshield, your slammed visor will usually need to be removed.  Also, because of the steep angle this style of visor has, it does not need to be as large physically, yet has a large appearance.

• Bracket Mount Visors – This style tends to use factory holes for mounting, and sit higher on the roof cap.  You are able to go to a physically larger visor, and have better visibility due to the angle at which it sits (approx 35^o). In some cases (depending on size) windshields can be changed without the visor being removed.

• Custom Orders – Some visor manufactures allow their customers to special-order a visor, making changes to the size, aggressiveness of drop in the bowtie, and pitch of the visor. Be aware these are almost always “non-returnable” custom parts.The  visor to the right is a custom-design from Outlaw Customs.

When you are ordering a new visor everything hinges on you using proper terminology to relay your visor questions and or needs to the sales person. When both people are on the same page, custom parts orders typically go very smoothly.

It is crucial that all the information about your truck is conveyed when ordering to ensure the new visor you receive is exactly what you want the first time around. So, before ordering your new visor, jot down this important information so you can convey it to the sales person: