The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors interior visors 51 3/4 ton

Is there a trick to locating the screw holes for the visors once the headliner is on? Looking back I should have made a template to reference where they were on the A pilar. The headliner did not fit properly so I am glad that I did not pre drill the holes.

Here is what worked for me:

- Get 6 cheap screws of the correct diameter (3 for each side).

- Grind the heads off the screws to obtain a tapered point at the top of each screw.

- Screw the screws into to the holes, leaving them out a little.

- Put the headliner into place and press the headliner onto the tapered screw-heads. Remove the headliner, drill-out the screw holes, and cut-out a hole between the three screws (so the pivot in the visor arm).

- Install the headliner and screw-in the visor arms.

- Have a beer or a cup of tea and admire your work.

Bob, I made a template of the holes on the driver side and just flipped it around to the passenger side, using an ice pick I picked up one of the holes then it was easy to find the other two.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/124610432
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Sounds like a logical and simple technique, Denny. I'll check the headliner sets that I got for my regular cabs and if they already have holes on the driver's side of the headliner, this will be easier than I described.

The headliner sets that I got for the Suburban had no holes on either side of the headliner (and, at that time, I had no new set for a regular cab). I guess that necessity was the mother of invention.

Tim, I get from you reply that you were transfering the holes "when you were installing your headliner".
I think Bob already has the headliner installed and he was trying to locat the pre-drilled holes in the pillar behind the blank cardboard. The holes should already be in the pillar, mine were in my '50.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

If Bob has a headliner that is already installed and the headliner is already pre-drilled on the driver's side, your technique is excellent, Denny. If Bob's cardboard headliner is not pre-drilled for the driver's side visor (my cardboard headliners came with no holes for visors on either side), he would have no pattern to transfer to the other side.

Every A-D and ND cab I have seen (regular cab and panel body) was pre-drilled for visors on both sides (in the sheet metal above the pillars).

My headliner is in, and my new visors are in a drawer because of this. If someone comes up with a solution, I'm all ears.

Nothing is fool-proof to a talented fool. Unfortunately I believe that you will have to take the headliner back out to make a successful installation template. Tim seems to have a good idea in my humble opinion.

Make a template from someone elses truck.There is plenty of trucks without headliners out there.Maybe a fellow stovebolter in your area could help you out?

Thanks for all of the tips. There is a long story behind the headliner installation...I'll spare you the long story but it just did't fit right...spaces gaps on the front, back and sides! For now I used Denny's suggestion with the ice pick and it worked great. New question for you now...when I put the new cardboard visor on the rod which is secure the visor just flops around. Is there a good way to crimp these or am i missing a part that would hold them snug to the rod? Thanks again for the help!

I believe there should be a long curved piece of spring steel in the visor that holds it tight to the rod.
DG

You are correct, but the there is no real pressure between the rod and the sleeve inside the visor. I almost want to try and crimp it a bit but that would probably score / crush the exterior of the visor. I'll keep at it and let you know what I figure out...should be on the road by mid June. All the body work and engine are done now. just a few things with the trans and differential which I am having a pro look at. Thanks!

I'm not sure, but I was told to give the rod a slight bend to tighten it up to the rod.
If this is not right I'll definitely be told so.