MGA Windshield Frame creeping MGA

[ronzet]

LBC Fans..

After intalling a perfectly normal winsheield frame on my A about two weeks ago, the frame seems to be creeping out of alignment....

Before I tear it apart... anyone have a suggestion to the cause and, more importantly... a fix???

 

[Steve_S]

the screws must be either missing or stripped. There is an L-bracket which connects the corners of the frame. Two screws are in each bracket. With these in place, it should be impossible for the frame to move. I would suggest taking the top of the frame off and see what you find.

 

[ronzet]

Steve,

Thanks for your suggestion...

The screws are new and in place, the angle brackets are in place, everything seems to be as it should be... but... the darn thing is creeping....

Here is a picture of the passenger's side...

 

[ronzet]

Steve,

by the way... I will remove the windshield from the car and then remove the top frame and see what I have...

I had the windshield and frame assembled by a shop so I do not know right now what I have but it appears to have been assembled correctly...

 

[Steve_S]

I'd try taking the top frame off while the rest is still on the car. If the problem is there then you save the trouble of unbolting the entire assembly. If not then you're no worse off than before.

If those screws are in place then I just don't see how it can move like that. If the glass is too small then there will be room for the frame to move around, but there would have to be enough force to bend the L-brackets. I'd think this kind of force would have a fairly obvious cause.

The fix may be as simple as loosening all the screws, jiggling the frame around until it settles, and tightening everything up again. Just beware of disturbing the glazing if you move the frame very much over the glass.

If you find yourself up this way, I'd be happy to assist.

 

[tony barnhill]

I'm with Steve...just having rebuilt the frame on my TD, I'd take that top rail off to see why its creeping...something tells me your screws didn't grab the angle bracket in the corner for whatever reason.

 

[ronzet]

Steve and Tony,

Thanks gentlemen... With straightslot in hand I will let you know what I find... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif

And by the way... The glass, angle brackets, and the frame are a matched set and very original...

 

[ronzet]

I finally took to top rail off the windsheild frame and found everything as it should be. All of the screws were in place and secured.

The ONLY thing that I noted was that when I had the frame and windshield assembled by a shop, they used a very thin rubber glazing. Could it be that the original glazing strip provided some structural padding???

Any suggestions??

I will probably replace the glazing and write-off the $100 I paid the guy that did it the first time...

 

[tony barnhill]

I know the glazing strip I put in my TD windshield assembly provided structural padding...it actually made everything real tight (& it was hard to work with) but once finished & trimmed, it holds everything from moving around.

 

[ronzet]

Tony,

Thanks for the comment. Although I am not looking forward to fighting with a re-assembly, I suspect that this will be the only way to correct the problem. I think that the shop took the easy way out. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wall.gif

 

[tony barnhill]

Cutting the angle on the corners of the glazing strip is tricky - be careful there.

 

[ronzet]

Speaking of trimming...

Once the glazing strip is in place and the frame is assembled around it, I assume that I should trim the excess rubber so that it is flush with the frame??

 

[tony barnhill]

Yep.

 

[ronzet]

Tony,

Thought soooo...Thanks..... Now with lots-o-soapy water and my dictionary of obscene phases and jestures in hand..Here I go... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wall.gif

 

[Steve_S]

The glazing shouldn't be so tight that it requires extreme effort to install. I just replaced an MGA windshield a couple weeks ago with Triplex glass and the smaller of the two Moss seals. If was a perfect fit in every regard, and all parts went together without lubricants or more than hand effort.

There are a lot of little tricks to it but nothing you can't figure out as you go. The MGA windshield is not nearly as difficult as it appears, and it is MUCH easier than MGB.

I'm sending you a PM about this issue.

 

[ronzet]

Steve,

Good morning and thanks for the encouraging words.

The difficulty that I had before giving up and sending it out was the extreme effort that you described.

I have an original windshield and frame. I purchased a glazing strip from Moss but am unsure if it is the thin or the thick one. I did measure the thickness of the glass with my calipers and purchased the glazing rubber recommended in the catalog.... It MAY be the thicker of the two.

Well, just another item to put on my list of things to do...

 

[tdskip]

Ron - I'm just up the road from you in OC and will be installing my MGA windshield soon.

I'd be happy to lend a hand if you need an extra pair o hands or eyeballs on this.

 

[ronzet]

tdskip,

Thanks for the very kind offer. I have a stack of items to finish on the A in preparation for a Christams Parade in San Diego on December 1st in which the MG Club of San Diego is participating...

I will fix this but I have decided to put it off until after the parade. When I tore it apart this last weekend I re-aligned it and it looks OK for now.

You are, however, more than welcome to come down for a visit and/or to assist in the other projects on the list..Like the short in the lighting circuit that is blowing out the fuse.... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rolleyes.gif

 

[Steve_S]

The original windshield is 1/4" thick and uses the thin glazing. The thick glazing is for the cheap replacement glass which is 3/16".

 

[ronzet]

Steve,

I PM'd you re: The Fullerton Meet..