Sunday 4 April 2010

Top of windscreen surgery




I have been out in the garage today considering how I will repair the top of the windscreen, where it really needs comprehensive surgery, but where the metal is frighteningly thin. I had thought of reinforcing the area with fillets of plywood inside the frame and fibreglass....but fibreglass and metal is considered a bad compromise as they don't stick very well and are thought to eventually separate.
So Now I am thinking of putting in a steel support and heat-sink.

I think this may be the solution. Rather than remove lots of metal, insert a 2-piece fabricated part from inside the roof. Then drill two lines of holes -along the eyebrow and along the inside edge (see dwg) and spot weld it with mig (not my spot welder, which only works well with virgin steel).

Great to be back at it at last.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Tinworm, and welcome back!

I like your thinking with the steel insert above the windscreen. If you asked the question "how else could Mr Morris have designed it" you would probably come up with your idea, so although radical, it is most likely workable, and certainly better than fibreglass!

Guess you'll have to tip-toe with the welding though, as cold as you can get it!

Cheers - Bugly

Tinworm said...

Hi Bugly
Flattered as hell that you think this is How Mr Morris would have handled the problem.

Thanks!

Am today revising hard for an exam...but once that is over (oh, and once next week's is over too), I must get down to this, and must check out YOUR progress.

Glad someone reads my stuff, incidentally!
Cheers
Peter
(Tinworm)

alex veltze said...

Hi Tinworm
Just a thought on the windscreen repair- Iain makes a lower repair panel,maybe he could make a slimmer upper panel,say from the flange up over the step and a couple of inches into the roof.The panel could be full width.Either way good luck.
Cheers

Tinworm said...

Hi Alex
Nice idea, but I did it myself. Hope you approve of the results?

-Peter

alex veltze said...

Hi Peter

Thats a very nice job,looks solid too,it is nice when Js stop rattling and wobbling.

Cheers

Alex

Tinworm said...

Very kind of you, Alex, thank you

-Peter