Vintage Restoration Nearly Blocked by DMV Visor Demand

In 1991 Jeff’s father built a beautiful replica kit car. It was a custom Fiber Fab Car built on a 1971 VW Beetle frame. When finished he had a near-perfect replica of a vintage 1952 MG TD sports car.

 

The memories of summer drives in the countryside with the rag-top down, the warm sunshine, and hand-gliding in the wind are priceless. But 30+ years later his father had stopped driving and the car sat, un-driven, without regular care.

 

When Jeff’s father offered him the car to restore he jumped at the opportunity. The car needed some loving care to get back on the road so he transported it to New York and worked on returning the vehicle to its original splendor.

 

Once the body and engine work was completed he wanted to get out and enjoy the drive he remembered. He went to get the car inspected by the NY DMV and discovered a new challenge.

 

The MG passed Massachusetts inspection in its original condition. But New York regulations were different. Jeff discovered he had to replace the lights, pad the dashboard, and make several more “improvements”. NY also required that he have sun visors, but the car was never designed to have them.

 

Jeff started searching for replacement parts that would meet the DMV rules. He searched for months and got a few lucky finds. His wife pitched in to make the dashboard padding and Jeff had everything he needed, except for the sun visors.

 

The MG was a convertible where the roof rests directly on the chrome frame at the top of the windshield. The rag-top was held in place by snaps on the side of the frame. There was no structure and no place to connect car visors in the traditional way.

 

Searching for any way to solve this problem Jeff came across The ADDVISOR by SmartAdditions. He had never heard of this before and wasn’t sure it would work but it was the most promising lead he had found. Hoping to get more information he was pleased to find that even in this online only era the company had a phone number. Even better was that a real person answered the call!

 

Jeff spoke with Greg Tucker, the CEO of SmartAdditions, makers of The ADDVISOR. Jeff shared his challenge and Greg asked questions about the design of the windshield, frame, and convertible roof of the vehicle. After talking they agreed that The ADDVISOR was a good solution for Jeff’s MG, and likely the only thing that could fix his situation.

 

The ADDVISOR is the only product that adds a second, independent, sun visor to nearly any vehicle. It is separate from the car visor. Drivers use The ADDVISOR in front and the car visor on the side to block sun glare from both directions. Many people have heard of 'Sun visor extenders'. These are panes of tinted plastic that attach to the car's existing visor. The ADDVISOR is different. It has a fully opaque shade and an independent mount system that connects to the top of the windshield. It's a complete sun visor you can put virtually anywhere.

 

The next surprise came when Jeff shared where he was calling from. SmartAdditions is located in the Hudson Valley region of NY and it turned out that Greg was just half an hour from Jeff and the MG. Greg agreed to come to the house and help Jeff with the planning and installation. The ADDVISOR installation is simple and requires no tools but Greg understood Jeff’s desire to get things just right for this special vehicle.

 

Jeff ordered two of The ADDVISOR Shade in the Ivory color. Just two days later they arrived and the two arranged to meet.

 

Jeff was impressed that the Ivory blended so well with the MG interior, thanks to the ‘chameleon’ color of The ADDVISOR. These colors, called Ivory and Charcoal, are actually multi-pigment shades of light or dark gray that reflect the colors around them. They blend smoothly with a wide variety of interior colors in cars, trucks, and SUVs.

 

Greg and Jeff did the installation together, with careful placement so The ADDVISORs would look natural, provide good shade, and, most importantly, meet the DMV requirements. Jeff let Greg try out the MG, its amazing.

Jeff went for a new inspection and the MG passed with flying colors. Now he shows off the MG around town and even goes to visit his father to give him a ride in the family heirloom car.

 

Greg and Danny at SmartAdditions are so happy we could play a role in helping Jeff complete this wonderful project and bring his childhood memories back to life.

 

Enjoy the drive!

 

PS. Just a few days later someone contacted Greg about using The ADDVISOR on a Polaris Expedition UTV. Since that model Polaris has a windshield it was easy to use in that off-road vehicle too. For people wanting a sun visor to improve their daily commute, enjoy their Sunday drive in the country, or protect their eyes during off-road adventures the ADDVISOR is a great way to go.

 

SmartAdditions Inc. was founded in 2022, with a mission to provide high-quality automotive accessories that improve safety, comfort and convenience while driving. Our flagship product The ADDVISOR is the Original Independent Sun Visor offering Two-Direction Sun Protection™ that fits nearly all cars, trucks and SUVs. Our newest innovation is the LOUNGE-IT car phone holder, a better way to secure your phone while driving. SmartAdditions is an owner-operated small business, created by Danny and Greg, and proudly located in the Hudson Valley Region of New York state.