Dash Top Removal

[2wrench]

Julian, going from memory now, but I am pretty
sure there are one or two more bolts that need to be loosened on the inside of the car under the dash.

Open the car door. Note the bolt that holds the front
fender to the car. You can see the bolt is going through
the tab attached to the fender to hold the fender in place.
Ignore this bolt.

Forward of the fender bolt or closest to you
if you are standing in the open door to the car is the
bolt you will loosen. This bolt you are loosening is
going through the body of the car and acts to tighten
a bracket that sandwhiches/tightens two plates that make
up the bracket that holds/secures the windshield post
in place under the dash. So the windshield has its post going through the body of the car. At its end is a bolt that must be completely removed in order to remove the windshield. It has been suggested to you only to loosen
this bolt at the end of the post. This was only to help
control the windshield if she broke loose when you pulled;
but, understand that ultimately to remove the windshield,
this bolt must be completely unscrewed and removed from
the threads on the bottom of the post.
Hopefully, lastly, look carefully at the post under the
dash and at/on the inside wall that the post is closest
to. Can you see that the post is sandwhiched between
a bracket? One or two bolts hold the bracket tight on
the inside wall under the dash. The other bolt holding
the brackt tight is the one you loosened when you opened
the car door (the one next to the fender bolt.) These bolts
tighten on each side the bracket tight onto the post(s).

So.....remove the bolt completely from bottom of post;
loosen outside bracket bolt at door opening; loosen
the one to two bracket bolts on the inside walls under
dash that squeezes bracket tightely around post; spray
post and its bracket(s) with lubricant like WD40 or the
like; break your rubber seal from the car body and pull
on windshield area on each side of windshield.

Hope you have a really great Thanksgiving and a
successful windshield pull.

 

[jjbunn]

OK, so finally the windscreen came off, after PB Blaster and some careful jiggling. The passenger side bolt was reluctant, but yielded eventually.

I found that it was necessary to cut away part of the rubber body seal, so that I could more easily insert a palette knife under the seal.

Here is the revealed dash top, after removing the topper:

Once the windscreen lifted off, the topper needed to be pried away: it was glued down in various places. It's not possible to simply yank it off without risking damaging the metal dash:

Once off, it was clear from the date "1 JAN 1971" that it was the original piece /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Here is the windscreen, as removed:

 

[Geo Hahn]

FWIW -- a glass shop is able to replace the rubber gasket on a loose windscreen (and of ocurse the glass if need be). I dropped mine off and had the work done while I did the dash. You however look like you have some time before you'll be putting it back on.

 

[jjbunn]

FWIW -- a glass shop is able to replace the rubber gasket on a loose windscreen (and of ocurse the glass if need be). I dropped mine off and had the work done while I did the dash. You however look like you have some time before you'll be putting it back on.

I also have a new glass gasket and trim pieces: I was intending fitting them myself, but much later on, once the screen is back on the car.

Would a glass shop have new glass for a TR6? Isn't it unusual?

 

[Norton47]

Julian
When I inquired about information in replacing my windscreen, which was cracked. The local shops all said they could get a windscreen. Talking with my local trusted Triumph shop, they offered this thought. Why take the chance of getting a less than satisfactory windscreen from a shop that does a TR maybe once every couple of years, compared to buying one from one of the specialized Triumph vendors.
I took their advice. I installed the windscreen but was not happy with the fit, using the first gasket, I had purchased.
I removed and re-installed using a different gasket from a different vendor and had much better results.
Here are some photos. https://www.flickr.com/photos/norton47/ Compare TR6 2nd Gasket003 and TR6 2nd Gasket008 to TR6 Windscreen002 and TR6Windscreen006.
You may want to gather the parts and take the frame to a local installer and have them do it. Just make sure they will pay for a new glass if they break it. My only thought is they just don't do this type of gasket much anymore and the experience level is low. Also make sure if you use gasket goo, it is non-hardening. There is an earlier post by me asking about this.
I also used a bunch of KY Jelly to help lubricate. Much easier to clean up, and will not damage the rubber gasket. I also lubed the inner gasket surface and the cord that the nylon cord will slide over as you use it to pull the gasket lip over the windscreen frame lip. As a matter fact lube anything that slides over something. I did have my wife provide some downward pressure until I had it well started, then I finished alone. Did not want her around if I broke it. It went fine, you may also need a small tool to help the gasket lip unfold over the lower windscreen lip and the dash cover material which on mine overlapped the windscreen frame lip.

 

[Guest]

I purchased my new glass and gasket from TRF a few years back and it was surprisingly reasonable in cost. I did the install myself and it was surprisingly easy, in spite of the fact that I held my breath during the whole process.

 

[Brosky]

I did the same as Bill through TRF, but had a glass shop install it while it was in the body shop for paint work as you saw in my web site pages.

Most body shops won't deal with the glass installation anymore because they don't want to break it or screw something up. The glass guy was in and out in 15 minutes and the job is perfect.

However, there's nothing wrong with doing it yourself. Just make sure that you have plenty of workspace and a helper who can help you guide things together when needed.

And I would have that frame powder coated if I were doing it again. You are very lucky, as I was, the there are no holes through the cowl panel under the frame. That's why there is sealer under there.

 

[hondo402000]

dont forget to do the inside of the wind screen with the new plastic/vinyl pieces, mine were cracked and when I had the wind screen glass out I did it all and it looks really great, TRF has the pieces

 

[2wrench]

Congrats on the windscreen pull. Looks like the original
color was a red of sorts. What does the VIN say was
the original color? You gonna go back orig?

 

[jjbunn]

I think that I'll stick with the current colour, which is a dark blue, for the time being. It looks like the original colour was burgundy. Unfortunately the trim code plate on the car is not legible, and I don't believe the VIN for these Belgian built TR6s indicates the body colour.

 

[BryanC]

If you want to know the original factory color, original factory options, etc. you can send the VIN to the British Heritage Motor Centre and get a Heritage Certificate. It will have that information on it as recorded in the factory records.

Bryan

 

[tr6web]

Just had to chime in on this one. I removed my windscreen in about 20 minutes. Removed the dash bolts, loosened the bolts next the fender bolts, removed the extended tube bolts and yanked for a few minutes until it broke loose.

I expected the worse as some of you described, but I was lucky and had it easy. But thanks for all of the explanations removing it...it made it that much quicker.

Now on to the dash and fascia.

 

[jjbunn]

Just had to chime in on this one. I removed my windscreen in about 20 minutes. Removed the dash bolts, loosened the bolts next the fender bolts, removed the extended tube bolts and yanked for a few minutes until it broke loose.

I expected the worse as some of you described, but I was lucky and had it easy. But thanks for all of the explanations removing it...it made it that much quicker.

Now on to the dash and fascia.

Yay! I know if I have to do it again, it will be much quicker. I'm glad that I didn't use any sealant between the dash and the frame.