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BJ8 windshield frame to scuttle gasket fun !

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Ed_K

Ed_K

Jedi Knight
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I now have four different versions of this gasket in my garage. The latest one from Cape International appears to be slightly more " soft/pliable " than the other ones that I tried from the usual US catalog parts sources. It does appear to be exactly the same dimensions as the US obtained parts. I tried sliding the gasket into the channel from the end after submerging both the gasket and the bottom windshield frame piece into hot soapy water in my bathtub, ( my wife was out doing some shopping ). I was able to get it to slide in about 6 inches before it became stuck. This was an improvement from the US part but it still wouldn't slide in as others have said it would. So I am back to starting from the middle and pushing it into the slot with an old rounded off screwdriver blade. I got most of the way done with one side when it started to get very hard to get it to " seat " into the
channel. I have used a couple of cable tie straps with pieces of wood to " hold " what I have accomplished but it is slow going to say the least. I must have substandard slot dimensions on my frame. I will continue using the screwdriver but there must be another way !! I guess I'll have to take it to a windshield shop if I can't get it to seat the rest of the way.
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Hello Ed, I've never done the Healey windscreen seal so I must just tell you of another experience I had. Some years ago I restored a 1932 Ford Sedan, I was very happy to get a 3rd place trophy with it at an AACA meet so I believe it was done pretty well, When I came to putting all of the door and front windscreen seals in place, none of them fit. And they came from a very respectable supplier. I looked the seals over very closely and decided that they were all dimensionally too large. On the door seals I used a new razor blade knife and literally sliced them in half taking the back bonding surface off about as much as a 1/4 inch. On the windshield seal i looked at the part that fit into the groove of the windshield frame and sliced it until it fit. It then slid in as it was suppose to. I remember at the show there were a few cars whose windshield did not close up properly and everyone was talking about the poor sizing of the aftermarket seals. All my doors closed with a satisfying click, and the windshield closed up smoothe and even. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Ed, Maybe silicone spray would help. Word of caution if you use it. Don't spray on or around any thing or anywhere you plan on painting or doing body work . Silicone + bodywork/paint = BAD experience. Bob
 
Forget even trying to slide it in place starting at one end. That is imposssible. Try using dish washing liquid soap in some water and pry it into place as you are doing. As you have discovered, it is a long process that almost is impossible when you get to the bends at each end. At the ends you might try a hair dryer to heat up the gasket as you bend it and pry it into place. Be careful though not to heat the windshield. It can easily crack when heated. Then it is back to square one. Try shielding the windshield and frame from the heat and heat only the gasket. I took mine to a windshield shop. They worked on it for an hour before giving up. Unfortunately, I didn't know about the heat system then and actually made a couple of small cuts in the gasket at the bend. I finally got mine in that way, but it is not what I would recommend. Good luck. By the way, from experience, swearing at it repeatedly only raised my blood pressure, but did little to accomplish the task. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/pukeface.gif
 
Clean the channel with some steel wool pushed by wooden stir stick or equiv. to make sure the channel is clean, slick and has no burrs. Start in the middle and use some vegetable oil to lube the seal as you go. You might want to used sharpened hardwood sticks or plastic bicycle tire levers to push the seal in so you don't scratch the chrome or damage the seal.

Cheers,
John
 
Hi Guys,
This has been on before but maybe it will help, different model but similar:

Getting a perfect BN1 & BN2 windshield to shroud seal fit

Over the years I have read much discussion on how to fit the seal & which seal is the best. I went through the following drill quite a while ago & still have a perfect tight fit even though the car has been in very hot sun, rain, & snow.

I purchased a straight section replacement seal from BCS in Stockton. With the seal were instructions for a perfect fit. A note to me from Norman Nock at BCS - "Dave .. I got this tip from a 100-4 owner at Silverston in England many years ago and we send this info. out to our customers who buy a seal from us , glad it helped you .. Norman Nock"

The windshield & frame need to be removed from the car & placed on a soft flat surface. I used the living room floor.

1- Work the top of the seal into the windshield channel a bit at a time, don't slide it in from one end, this will stretch the seal in the wrong places. use a putty knife or some similar flat blade dull screwdriver to force the seal into the channel. I used a couple of one inch wide drywall knives in leap frog fashion. Take your time & make sure that the rubber is completely bottomed in the channel. I also used some soapy water for lube. The heat will remove the water at the curves.

2- When the seal is solidly seated in the channel, apply a heat gun to the upper thicker part of the rubber at the curves. You will not be able to get the rubber hot enough by using a hair dryer & will need to purchase or borrow a heat gun. Pull on one end of the rubber & stretch the outer end as far as possible. Heat the entire height of the rubber (not the glass) but only pull on the thick part. Be sure to direct the heat gun right on the rubber. Don't heat the glass very much or it might break. If in doubt, tape a cardboard shield over the chrome frame & glass. Don't get the wet rag on the glass. Vice grips work well to get a grip on the rubber.

Hold the stretch until the rubber cools. It took several trys to get the rubber hot enough to stretch it far enough. You don't need to put it on the car to check the curve. If there is too much curve it will flatten to correct contour when installed. Just eyeball the curve to be sure that there is enough or a little more than enough. A wet rag helps to cool the rubber faster.

How does this process work?

The stretch & cooling causes the thicker part of the seal to be longer than the bottom thin part, because the thick part springs back less. This forms a very tight fitting & permanent curve in the ends of the rubber. Trim the ends to length. Careful on the end trimming. Make sure that the ends go all of the way to the post bases on the shroud plus about 1/8 inch & that the ends are parallel to the posts. With age & time the ends may shrink back away from the posts a bit.See pic.
D
 

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I took the partialy installed seal/frame piece to a windshield shop and asked if they would install it for me. One of the guys in the shop asked me if I was the guy that had brought him the Triumph windshield in the past. Once I had assured him that it wasn't me and the piece I was holding was from an Austin Healey, he seemed relieved and then became real friendly. He said something about how it was better for me to install it than him. He then gave me some advice which matches the things that you all have posted: " All aftermarket seals are made on the thick side. There is too much material to allow it to be seated into the channel, especially at the curves. Try 3M spray silicone,( wet one ). If you still can't get it in with the spray, you will have to make some V notch cuts into the inside edge of the lip that fits down into the channel where the frame curves." After hearing this and reading all of your posts, I took another close look at the original seal and see that it was noticeably smaller in the critical depth dimension that fits into the channel. So it appears that all of the seals that I have, other than the original, are all too thick ! I need to try the spray 1st. When that doesn't work, I then get to try shaving off some material from the bottom of the seal. Perhaps I can make a jig out of wood to position the blade. If I screw it up, I have another one that I can use a heat gun on and stretch it. I wish I knew where to get a seal that is the CORRECT SIZE for my car !!! Now I know why these cars take 4 times longer to finish than a reasonable person would expect ! I am really having to " adjust " my expectations and patience with this car ! I now know why James Wilson's post script says " 4 years into a two year project ". He may still finish his car before me at the rate that I am going !
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazyeyes.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/pukeface.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif ...Hopefully one day I can do this, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
I want to sincerely thank each one of you that offered me advice ! This IS a great group of folks that participate on this forum !
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I had no trouble (well, little) with the seal I got from AHspares in England (after distroying the one from Moss). It was just slightly smaller and went nicely into the chrome.
 
HI Ed_K, Just follow Shorn and John Loftus methods on the BJ8 oil or soapy water and a blunt tool will work it into the slot.--Fwiw--Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif
 
To make a long story short,I now know what was causing the problem installing the windshield gasket. The edge of the channel had been slightly bent inward at the curved area. This was very hard to see ! I also checked the width dimension of the channel, ( .270 - .280 inch ) but found a few areas down to .250 inch. The hard part was finding a way to raise the edge that had been bent down. I took a 16 penny nail and ground some of the head thickness off. I was then able to slide the nail head along the channel and hammer the lubricated nail head through the channel to lift it back up. I then used a 1/4 inch socket extension in the narrow gap areas of the channel with metal shims and twisted open the gap using the 1/4 inch handel attached to the extension. I had to clean up the tool marks inside of the channel with a small flat griding wheel on the dremmel tool. Of course, I had already ruined all of my gaskets before I noticed and fixed this problem so I will order one more and hopefully the last one ! and install it. How could this channel edge been pushed in like this ? ...
I then remembered the pre 1970 accident damage to the driver's side front fender. This small accident damage apparently pushed the cowl up slightly into the bottom of windshield frame ! The cowl has some slight bumps in this area but I didn't pay any attention as they are covered up by the windshield frame and gasket. At this rate, I'll be finishing the car in my next lifetime. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazyeyes.gif
 
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