Sympathies are extended to you.
Sunday I was looking over my GT and found to my dismay that the rubber for
the one vent window was splitting. Rubber on the other was like new. Both
pieces are two years old. Replacing this was not fun at the time and it's not
likely to be fun in the future, but if cracking continues so that water can
get into the door, it will be necessary to replace it, again.
The good news is that the windshield replacement project that I asked the
list about, several weeks ago, is complete.
Ed's advice, to give the project to professionals, was good advice unless
one's time is valueless. From start to completion, it was about 4.5 hours with
two guys at the project. Removal was easy. Installation of the new rubber was
easy. Putting the windshield into the rubber was easy.
Installation of the rubber filler piece was not easy. Workshop manual shows
a handy tool. We did not have that, but the rubber was so stiff that I doubt
it would have worked. We used RuGlide, the slick stuff for mounting tires onto
wheels, as it stays slippery far longer than soapy water.
The filler piece could be worked into place slowly, an eighth of an inch at
a time, into the straight windshield rubber, then back into the corners.
Corners seemed to be of different rubber from the straight lengths, glued into
place. They were much harder rubber. The seal has lips of two sizes. We found
that pressing the filler underneath the smaller lip, then under larger lip,
worked far better than under larger first. When it's in place, it is
definitely in place--flush and tight and it is visibly right.
The most difficult part of the task was installation of the metal trim
strips. It appears that it would be quick and easy. It's neither. Corners are
inserted first, into the hard rubber of the windshield corners. If they were
children, they would have been kicking & screaming. They go in, then pop out.
They go in again and come half-way out. Then the straight strips are
installed. These fit on top of corner pieces. I have not seen new trim metal,
but this that was cut out of the old rubber was surprisingly twisty. One did
not think that it would go into place. Surprisingly, although getting it under
the tiny lips of the windshield seal is a very slow process, once in place it
is locked in place and looks good.
It all worked out well, but it's not a job one would wish to undertake alone
and one should budget a day for the job. How nice it is to have the proper
glass installed, glass without 125,000 + miles of sand pitting.
Surely it didn't take nine man-hours at Abingdon. We assume that the rubber
was far more pliable, probably days old instead of months or years old.
Bob
---------- Original Message ----------
From: Aaron Whiteman <awhitema@panix.com>
To: MG Mailing List <mgs@autox.team.net>
Subject: [Mgs] windshield bits help needed
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:33:35 -0700
Yesterday, I washed my '75 B for the first time since I got it back from
paint. It's been about 5 months (I dusted the car regularly, but no soap).
While washing, I noticed that the new-at-the-time rubber bits that go between
the windshield posts and the body had cracked and were breaking apart (joy!).
I've ordered replacements already, though I do NOT look forward to the job.
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