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Does anyone have a template for windshield glass? I think my kit is a Fiberfab and the glass seems to be almost rectangular say 13 1/4″ x 40″ with a slight curve on the bottom side making the center width about 12 1/4″.
My local Safelite has had my car for 4 days and now say they can’t continue without a template as the current (cracked) glass actually doesn’t fit correctly.
Also does anyone know where you can get the outside glass seal/beading gasket stuff as they don’t seem to have that either.
Thx
DanThe rubber gasket between the glass and windshield frame should be the same as item 88 here:
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
dg grant: I have a new fiberfab windshield I can get a patern from if you would like. Would have to dig it out of parts and trace it and send it to you.
Hi George:
That would be great!!
The template would be perfect or are you looking to sell the whole windshield which would also be good.
Regs
DanNot interested in selling windshield as it belongs to kit car to be built in future. I will dig it out lated today after DR appointment will need your address to send it to you.
e-mail me I’m in Swissvale which safelight is your stuff at? if they are open Saturday or late tomorrow I’ll put mine in my trunk its already off the car.
dggrant: You might check with crash55 offer. I am on the left coast, He is near you. nothing else could see each others cars.
Would it be possible to get a tracing of your glass? After three cuttings over the years my glass doesn’t fit as it should. It would be nice to have the next one cut at the original size.
Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"Bill: If you want me to make a tracing of my glass Will do . Will trace on rosin paper and package it in a large envelope. I live in S.F. Bay area so will take some time to reach the East Coast. Will need your snail mail address.
Hi Crash55
Myself and Safelite are in Sewickley.
Is it a template you have or the whole glass to take a template from?
Right now I have the car back with the cracked windshield. I drove it tonight without a problem.’m going to order the rubber gasket from Moss Motors tomorrow (as Safelite don’t have that either).
No real rush as I’m off to the UK next week for a family reunion, so it can wait to I get back.
My phone is 412-302-3059 (cell). I’m around all weekend if you want to give me a call.
Cheers
DanHi George:
Thx, I’ve reached out to crash55. I’ll let you know if I still need a template.
Regs
DanNext exciting installment…
I’ve been working with Safelite over the past 6 weeks. Bill (crash55) even got me a template. Now after 4 broken windshield attempts, Safelite are telling me that they think the windshield frame is bent (hence cracking each new windshield). They suggest I use “Lexan” rather than glass. Any suggestions on bend windshield frames or where I go from here would be greatly appreciatedDan
There is an earlier thread about windshield fit. The glass fits into the frame and then the frame sides get pulled towards each other and secured with a screw on each leg. I don’t know if that’s your problem or not, but check that thread. I think it was titled Windshield Fit.newkitman2013-07-24 09:40:48
Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The ShackAlso…please check your states motor vehicle regulations.
I can’t claim to know all fifty states, but I don’t know of any state that will allow a Lexan windshield. This might even be a federal regulation.Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Not sure, but this may be the thread Allen referred to:
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Apparently, Lexan comes in two types. The more expensive (obviously) is used in Race cars and for windows of construction vehicles. I will check state regs just in case.
I wandered around a bunch of auto related forums.
It sure seems like only laminated safety glass is DOT approved for auto windshields in the US. And the glass must have the appropriate certificaiton stamp on it. I think the standard is “AS1.”Lexan scratches much more easily than glass.And if it breaks, it’s going to break into sharp shards, not at all like the way safety glass will crumble.PMOSSBERG2013-07-24 16:35:41
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Dan: Safelite guys ought to be able to say for sure that the frame is bent–or it’s not. There should not be any doubt either way. I can totally get that they’re not going to install it for you ’cause it’s not in the book. My guys wouldn’t install my glass either after they cut it to make way for the top-mount wiper motor. But that policy should not stop us from diagnosing the problem.
Why is the glass cracking? Or if you can’t say why, think about the how and when. What is happening when the glass cracks? That should give us some idea about why.
Just off the top of my head, here’s a patented, trademarked “Eddie Theory:*” Your frame is straight enough but the mount holes are skewed, so it gets twisted when you put the assembly on the car & then it breaks with the vibration of everyday driving.
Any chance of that?
Lexan. Geeze. This ain’t NASCAR!
(*Eddie Theory is what my old boss at the gas station dubbed my mechanical musings in high school, when I would regularly wander into the repair bay, ask a bunch of questions and then give my considered 16-year-old opinion.)
Hi Ed:
I’ll check that out. I’m no mechanic so this is fast getting out of my level of comfort. I think the Safelite guys just didn’t want to do it hence the “Bent frame” and Lexan solution offered. Thankfully, you guys in the forum have been much more supportive 🙂 . Bill (crash55) my local MG buddy is calling around some of his friends and my insurer (Hagerty) are doing the same. I still have the option of getting safety glass cut to template and trying myself.due to state inspection laws. lexan or tempered glass would be illegal for state inspection. I’m calling my hot rod buddies & get a shop that has done that style before
Thinking about this it could well be a crack due to stress and not because it was hit with a stone. I don’t remember any stone hitting it and there doesn’t seem to be any chip. So it could well fall under the “Eddie Theory”. Safelite say they went thru 4 windshields with each one cracking. On the other hand the windshield wasn’t cracked when I got the car and I must have put a few hundred miles on it before this happened.
Could the glass be just a tad too wide and with the frame pulled tight to the body is placing too much stress on the glass?
The frame could be easily checked with a straight edge.Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"Make sure that the frame is not twisted by laying it flat on a good and very flat surface. Try mounting it like they do boat windshields: Don’t use the rubber mounting strip. Place the windshield in the frame, loosely located with some pieces of the rubber strip or foam. I would use two per top, two per side, etc. 1/2 inch each. Or build up spacers using electrician tape. Then use masking tape to mask exactly on the edge of the aluminum frame and also to create a line on the windshield where the rubber strip would have been. Get some black silicone caulking. The ones they sell for boat windshields works best. Place an extra line of tape everywhere to make it double wide. Cut the tube tip wide enough to create a good size bead. Squirt the caulk, making sure to get it in the channel as deep as possible. Push the bead instead of pulling it. As soon as you run a line, wet your finger and run it along the line to get rid of excess and to create a clean line. Do the other side. As soon as you are done, carefully pull off the tape. As an alternative, wait until next day and use a razor blade to cut the line between tape and caulk. This ends up with the glass floating in the frame and under no tension.
Also make sure that when bolting the frame to the body, that you are not pulling the frame bottom in far enough to put the glass under tension. Use washers if necessary.
I know nothing about boats, so I trust Greg’s description of how boat glass is installed is accurate.
But…do boats use glass? The “floating in the frame” does not sound like something I would want with safety glass. No matter how well built, these cars vibrate a lot. Not having the glass fixed in place as originally designed sounds like an invite to trouble.I have some comments on “not pulling the frame in tight to the body” below.Dan, your car had a properly installed windshield and frame, correct? That means it can be done!Something to check before you try again – On my Duchess, I had to cut the studs on the female snaps that screw into the side of the windshield frame. The positioning of those studs aligns them with the channel the glass sits in. if left at original length, the studs intrude into the channel. Since the studs went on after the original glass was installed, it is possible one of the screws is jsut a bit too long and is stickignout into the channel. This could have caused the original crack. And if safelite’s replacement glass is even the slightest bit larger, it would definitely crack.Take a look inside the channel and make sure there are no screw tips intruding. If there are, remove ’em, shorten them a tad and reinstall them.Back to the “tight frame” issue. There is a bottom bar that goes into the frame after the glass is set in the top and sides. The frame pulls tight to that bar with a couple screws on each side. So the entire unit is fixed before you go to install it on the car. The lower legs of the frame should be the exact width of the cowl. You can’t pull the frame any tighter than it already is against the bottom bar. So I really do not think bolting the frame to the car is causing your problem.The answer is out there Dan. Keep at it!Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
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