How We Create Custom Sun Visors for Rare Semi Truck Models

14th Jan 2025

Ever wonder how custom sun visors are handcrafted to fit discontinued semi-truck models?

We'll give you an inside look into how 4 State Trucks' fabrication shop, Chrome Shop Mafia, crafts these truck sun visors.

Why Install Custom Semi Truck Sun Visors?

Lorry sun visors are designed to help reduce glare and block heat on the road.

Hand-crafted visor designs do the exact same job, but just manage to look a lot cooler.

A custom visor isn’t just another add-on—it changes your truck’s entire personality. It’s one of those parts that can really make your rig stand out.

Some drivers use rare, discontinued models which makes it difficult to find a sun visor that fits. In these cases, a custom visor is preferred.

Custom Semi Truck Sun Visor vs Traditional Visors

For common truck models, like those in the Kenworth, Freightliner, or Peterbilt lineup, any run-of-the-mill drop visor design will work just fine.

Drivers are often surprised at how different the visors look before and after they're installed onto a truck.

This is because the visor material is bent and flexed to fit onto the contour of the truck.

Nevertheless, standard visor designs are easy to find.

You can buy almost any style of aftermarket drop visors, bow-tie blind mount, or reverse bow-tie visors at almost any e-commerce truck parts shop.

We get so many clients that say:

“I want you to create a custom sun visor. What do you need from me?”

Here’s Why We Need to See Your Truck in the Shop

Custom visors aren’t a "one-size-fits-all" situation. There are plenty of angles and curves to consider, plus we often line up mounting brackets with pre-existing cab holes so we're not drilling new holes into your cab.

For most projects, we just need to see your truck in person.

If you own a common model and are okay with approving designs strictly based on photos, we might be able to work remotely—but that’s the only true exception.

Here's How We Build It

The Mock-Up: We start by shaping your visor from cardboard, right in front of you based on your instructions.
Material Choice: Want paint? We’ll use aluminum. Want that shiny look? Stainless steel is your go-to (the most popular choice). You can tell us which styles you prefer.
Fabrication: We cut, shape, and weld it into a one-piece, boltless visor—super clean and strong.
Brackets: We create custom brackets to ensure a perfect, stable fit that's appropriate for your existing visor setup.

The Biggest Challenges of Custom Visor Builds

Curved cabs with aerodynamic design features can be challenging to fabricate and fit.

Fitting the custom visor to the manufacturer's original bracketry and mounting locations can also be challenging.

The choice of material directly impacts the time and price. Stainless steel isn't very malleable, therefore, it takes lot more work to build a visor out of it.

Aluminum can also require a bit more preparation and a detailed paint job, which factors into the project's expense.

The Average Time & Cost of a Custom Semi Truck Visor

No pre-made templates or jigs here—this is true custom work.

Expect at least a couple of days for a stainless piece and up to a week for a painted version (prep, paint, and cure take time).

To have your own, personal custom sun visor created will typically run from several hundred dollars, up to and exceeding $2,000 for a truly "one-off" creation!

In need of a small post-installation adjustment? It's not too expensive (depending on the task).

Windshield Coverage Rules and Limitations

We can’t cover more than 7” of your windshield.

This limit sometimes confuses folks.

Just remember:

Wide visor doesn’t mean it covers more windshield.
We factor in roof cap coverage, mounting angle, and other details.
Even a wider visor might cover less glass than you think.

Simple Tweaks & Cheaper Aftermarket Options

If we already build a visor you like and you just want it tweaked (say, a few inches trimmed or a “bow tie” shape), that’s easier and cheaper than starting from scratch.

Don’t hesitate to ask!