I just have to brag a little about my new invention. I decided
some months ago to replace the tattered original visors on my
Spit when they started leaking the dry remains of their foam
filling. But when I saw the sticker price on even the cheapest
replacements I was put off. I kept thinking that there wasn't
much to these visors and that surely I could come up with something
better. Well today I drove in to work with my new mahogany visors
installed. They are a perfect match for my almost new mahogany
steering wheel. They do look a little different, but I like em.
Now we'll have to see how they hold up.
I made them from solid mahogany, but the difficulty was that the
smallest thickness I could find was 1 inch. I was able to resaw
the thickness down to just a little greater than .25 inch and then
use a band saw to cut to the right shape (after tracing one of the
old ones). I had to fiddle a little to find just the right color
stain to use; mahogany stain was actually a little too dark and no
stain too light. Then 5 coats of polyurethane gave it the same
sheen as the steering wheel. The metal brackets inside the old
visors served nicely as attachments for the new ones. I did have
to remove the wires which protrude from the brackets (used a file)
and then sand and scrape down to bare metal. I drilled four mounting
holes through the flat part of the brackets and then primed them
and painted them flat black. I screwed the brackets to the bottom
of the mahogany visors after routing a slot and an indentation to
improve the fit. The bracket shows at the bottom, but it actually
looks pretty neat. Shiney screws and washers show at the top and
and nuts at the bottom of the visors, but they also look pretty good
(although black might look better).
I'll bet thinner mahogany could be found from some of these woodworker
supply catalogs. If you have the right tools, it is a pretty easy
project.
Tim Gaines
1980 Spitfire
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