Windshield help please please please!

kasbatts

kasbatts

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Hi guys, bit bummed down here in NZ, window guy came back today (second go at this) to put brand new screen in the car with new rubber and trim mouldings, but, no go! I have a problem somewhere so am going to need your help and advice please.

Here is what has happened to date

Car has been off the road for approx 6 years getting rebuilt, repaint etc.
The old screen was taken out of the car when this was started and put into storage.
The front fenders have been off the car during rebuild, rust under these repaired and then put back on, In my mind they could really only go back in the same place they came off within a few mm or so, No work was done on the A pillars, roof, or panel at the bottom of the screen other than that needed to put the fenders on.
1st attempt to get the original screen that was in the car (An aftermarket Aussie made screen) back in with new rubber and mouldings was a flop, so it was decided that a new genuine screen would be a good idea as we didn't like the look of the fit of the screen we had. New screen was obtained from BMW NZ (FYI it' says made in Turkey on it) and second attempt today with new screen, rubber and mouldings was also a flop, So it looks like I now have a nasty problem?

We placed the 2 screens we have over the top of each other today just checking things, and they are quite different, so I need to get some check measurements of someone to see where our problem is, also would like to get some measurements of the windscreen opening as well, I will post a picture ASAP with some dimension check lines on it, if anyone out there could please help me with these It would be very much appreciated

Will be back soon

Ps, my window guy is highly respected in the classic car world here in NZ with 30 years experience, so should know his stuff

Steve
 
I have a windscreen I can measure up. I'll hopefully have the numbers in a few hours when I visit where it is stored later today.
 
Currently looking at my windshield and scratching my head as to what to measure. The overall height when measured from the centre of the windshield is 27 and 3/16ths,

From the middle point of the curve in the upper corner I ran a piece of masking tape along the sides of the glass and made a mark at two inch intervals from this corner.





I measured the following spans across the inside of the glass

2 inch mark : 46 5/8th"
4 inch mark : 48 1/8th"
6 inch mark : 49 3/8th"
8 inch mark: 50 9/16th"
10 inch mark: 51 5/8th"
12inch mark: 52 5/8th"
14inch mark: 53 5/8th"
16inch mark: 54 5/8th"
18 inch mark: 54 5/8th"
20inch mark: 55 3/8th"


I noticed my spare windshield has a terminal crack that grew from one corner to the other, so I am glad it had some use before it gets thrown out.

I'll keep it around for now in case you need something else from it. I can mail you the pieces if you wish <G>
BTW, there are no BMW markings on this windshield, so I will assume it is aftermarket
 
Bob,

If you take a sheet of 4mil poly, mist the windshield you have with water and lay poly on it you can trace the outline or cut to shape and mail it to Steve.

Mt Revelstoke has 2.11m of snow and open at the end of November. Thought I would share that. Still going to Copper?

Doug
 
Why not try fitting the screen without the moulding to see if it actually does fit!
Obviously with the moulding it is a slightly different shape ,but at least you will see if the screen and rubber look right !
 
decoupe said:
Bob,

If you take a sheet of 4mil poly, mist the windshield you have with water and lay poly on it you can trace the outline or cut to shape and mail it to Steve.

Mt Revelstoke has 2.11m of snow and open at the end of November. Thought I would share that. Still going to Copper?

Doug
Click to expand...

Good idea Doug. I can do that if the OP has the patience to deal with Canada Post.

Wow, on that amount of snow. I just made my decision this morning to abandon the trip to Copper…..Revelstoke in early December however!!!

BTW, my daughter met Lindsay Vonn, Ted Ligety, Bode Miller, and Mikaela Schiffrin last week at Copper. (She is no longer a Lindsay fan but loves Ted!!)
 
Look at this thread. In the thread I posted some dimensions of an aftermarket and OEM windshield. I had similar problem. Hope this helps.

jjs2800cs
 
Hey guys, thanks for your help so far.
I spent a bit of time last night putting string line all over the screen opening and getting some measurements, will post as soon as I have a minute.

Nicad, thanks for those, just what I'm after, cheers.

We have tried fitting screen with out the moulding and still no good

I just seems the screen is too wide for the opening in places so ???
I think i will cut a rubber (i have a spare) into small bits about 1 inch long and try and get the screen into the opening with 6-8 of these and then determine the gap i need between the screen and body.

I have a sneaky suspicion that I may need to end up trimming the screen to fit, looking at the one that came out of the car it has pretty ragged edges which lets me to think it may have been trimmed a bit.

Still, this doesn't explain why we cant get this one back in either ?

Who knows what happened to the car in its past life, there is certainly no evidence of accident damage that I have ever seen, and I know the car very intimately now after having it down to the bones over the last few years, all the doors and gaps look nice, and its been on a chassis machine and is true and straight--- so ??

will be in touch,


Thanks guys
 
You've got me worried now. I have a new screen for my screenless bare shell project.
I think I saw somewhere that it is important to store screens in an upright position, not flat.
Is this because they distort lying flat?
How did you store yours Steve?
 
lying flat, was probably not best in hindsight, but I'm not convinced this is the problem
I recon its a combo of all things, screen not quite right, car a bit wobbly and maybe the way we are approaching the install, I get the felling these cars are a bit tricky?


It' probably a lot to do with the way we are holding our tongues
 
Ahh, there's your problem, not reading the obscure and difficult to obtain blue manual supplement on tongue positioning. Make sure you get the later supplement as the earlier translated version led to all sorts of embarrassing misapplications.
 
Relax Gary...........I stored the screen upright at all times, mainly because it took up less space!

Cheers,
Al
 
It's not that Al, it's the fitment issue in general. I'm not criticizing your screen or you or Simon or anyone else. The reference was to the possibility that Steve may have stored his screen flat possibly leading to the fitment problem, which is not meant as a predjuicial imputation as to Steve's competence as a screen storer. Jeez I feel like Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's phone.

Al from Oz said:
Relax Gary...........I stored the screen upright at all times, mainly because it took up less space!

Cheers,
Al
Click to expand...
 
Hmmmm, funny stuff glass, kind of a solid liquid. If you examine a 100 year old pane in a window frame it will be thinner at the top, thicker at the bottom, in fact it can even sag to the point that it will be clear of the frame.
There is indeed something in this 'correct storage' thing.

I normally leave screens and auto glass in general in all the wrong places, which means after a short time they fit in a bucket quite nicely.

Al
 
My spare one decided to split in half just sitting quietly in a corner with padding on it.
 
So got around to having a measure up this weekend,
The new screen measures up within mm of the sizes that people have posted.
So the next thing is to check the opening size in the body to see if that ok.
I have taken some measurements and done a sketch, the hight sizes I have given are from the point that the outer panel (roof at top and windscreen wiper scuttle at bottom) rolls / folds down into the windscreen opening, while there is a bit of difference here from side to side I am happy enough with these as there appears to be plenty of gap around the screen at these points.
The measurement I am really interested in getting from one of you is the widest point of the opening at the base of the screen,
I took mine from the pinch weld lip that the windscreen rubber hooks over, side to side. Looking vertically down at the car this should be directly over the front edge of the dash (the timber front part of the dash (not the part that has the speaker grill in it)
It's at this point that the gap between the screen and body for the rubber starts to get a bit tight, funnily enough it's this area on my old screen that appears to have been nibbled down a bit ( screen is quite rough on the edge in this area )

Hope all that makes sense?

Look forward to your answers

Thanks

Steve


Reposted better picture next post / page
 

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