Hello Folks,

A couple of questions about fitting windshield/windscreen.

The windshield rubber from my Minx is in reasonably good shape so I am thinking of reusing it rather than buying one from Kipmotor which listmembers say are a bit small and very tight.

What sealant do any of you recommend and, especially for a used seal, do you recommend that sealant is put in the windshield channel as well as round the frame. [I've found that screens often leak from the bottom corners of the channel]

I'm always a bit nervous about fitting windshields, I usually use the method of putting a cord around the seal and pulling it out when the screen is in place.  Most older British cars had toughened glass rather than the laminated screens used for US export models which is less likely to crack.

Any advice appreciated !

Ed

This message forwarded by the Hillman List.

Hi again,
          I've put in more windscreens than I really ever wanted to have anything to do with on various vehicles, including Minx & Gazelle, plus Super Minx – I don't know if you have K & H brand Windscreen sealer where you're from, but we have consistently found it the best.
          We've found the best technique is to wrap mower pull-cord rope around the screen, once the rubber is on the screen & you have coated the groove for the screen with sealer (too much is better than not enough on this always).  Wrap the pull-cord so it overlaps about 1 foot at the top of the screen.  Sit the screen's rubber in place as best as possible on the lower aperture edge & gently push the screen back towards the upper edge of the aperture, until you have it almost against it.
          Now, if possible, get someone to put a gentle hand with gentle but firm pressure on either side of the screen, from the outside, more or less in position with where you'd look out at eye level.
          Now, with the pressure on the screen, start pulling the cord, evenly on both ends of the rope & the lip should start pulling into the interior of the car & you're away – no faster than an inch every 2 seconds & you shouldn't fail.
          If the interior lip of the seal is not at all flexible & you can't bend it at least halfway back on itself, don't waste your time with it – get a new one.  Good luck.
––

          Bye for now, Terry Allen

This message forwarded by the Hillman List. Hi again,           As promised to a couple of people off-list, please find attached an image of a small tool we have found useful for installing windscreens of the type of seal used in Hillmans & many other vehicles.           It's a total of 6 inches from top to bottom & can be fashioned out of 1/8" sheet steel.  The 'head' you see at the top of the tool is about 1 inch from the end of the handle & has a gentle fold-over at the end, which extends down once curled over about 1/2" inch.           The 'sides' which make up the handle of the tool are easily folded over with a decent pair of pliers & then wrap it in PVC or masking tape for a softer feel handle that's easy to grip onto.           As you can imagine, a tool of this shape gives you a really good edge when trying to pull a stubborn seal over the windscreen aperture & saves a lot of blisters too :)           If you decide to cut one out, once you've manufactured it to your satisfaction, use a coarse wire brish or fine file, or use a wire buffing wheel to take any sharp edges off so as not to tear your seal.  Hope this is useful info. ––           Bye for now, Terry Allen