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MG MGB Technical - Windscreen/Body Seal
| Can this thing be replaced by gooping up the rubber and wedging the "T" portion on the seal into the track with a putty knife, or is it easier to remove one side of the windscreen frame and slide it across? I have until January to get it done before running out of both time and beer. Have heard horror stories about windscreen frames. To |
| Tom |
| Read a LOT in the archives about this and there seems to be some differences of opinion about the easiest way. Sliding it in through the screw cut-outs and removing the pillar seem to be the most popular. I'm leaning towards removing the pillar. No one seems to indicate which brand of beer works best for the celibration tho. T |
| T Lea |
| I'd second the idea of removing the pillar but having said that, I did my windshield a while back with the frame intact but with much patience and cursing. As for the beer; all I can say is the colder the better because this is a job that takes awhile and I hate my beer to get warm too soon. Cheers Simon |
| Simon Austin |
| Pillar off, use soap to make it slippery and cut it a very little too long for obvious reasons. Getting the screws back was a struggle on one side and first go dead easy on the other. Just a matter of luck.(I was replacing a windscreen and had both pillars off). |
| Peter |
| Gasket on, five minutes tops--and I'll bet a case of beer on it. Someone must bring me a windscreen so we can photo this and publish article. I'm sure this is in the archives but one more time... Most important step is to assemble the windscreen 100% except for the gasket in question. This step is where all cursing and struggles take place! All the little screws must be in place. When you get this far, have a few beers and call it a night. In fact, walk away for a few days. Let the new windscreen to glass gasket compress a bit. A hint in assembly is to use strips of masking tape every six inches or so the keep gasket on the glass as you place frame pieces back on. Once job is 100% finished, tape will tear off and residual will be out of view. Show Time!! 1.Undo one side pillar's retaining screws and gently, gently, gently tap off with rubber mallet. 2.Trim the end of the windscreen to body seal on the appropriate angle to match the angle of the far edge of the frame (the side with the pillar still on). 3.Use GOJO regular hand soap--not the pumace kind--GOJO regular--as the lubricant on the seal. Slides in in less then 10 seconds! 4.Now granted here is where things once again get a bit tricky. You must guestimate the angle and length to trim the edge of the gasket. Too long, and the pillar won't go on. Too short, and you'll have a gap and a leak. (and a new gasket in the post!) Take your time. Cut carefullly. 5.Take brand new (nothing else will do) pointed exacto knive and cut small x's where gasket cover screw holes. Trim flaps of x's off, to leave a clear line of sight to screw holes. Tap back on the side pillar and replace screws. There's no struggle with the windscreen now in putting back the screws because you did that in step one. 6.Place completed windscreen in center of garage floor, crank up the music, toss back a few and admire your brilliance! |
| Paul Hanley |
| Not so sure it was a one person job, but it's in. Thanks for the exacto knife thing Paul. That made that part easy. Now for the duct taping to hold the seal back. BTW: Miller Lite is the choice for B windscreens in the USA. Fosters in the UK. T |
| tom |
| RE: Gasket on, five minutes tops--and I'll bet a case of beer on it. Paul....A fool and his beer is soon parted!....rick |
| rick ingram |
| Tom, Glad the exacto knife was helpful. Sooo easy eh. I've always interpreted the Moss directions of going through the screw slots with the gasket as the screws remaining in place being the concern. With the exacto, those concerns become mute. I've never been able to figure out what others are concerned about when replacing the windscreen to the body and the need to hold back the seal with ducktape. I strattled the gearbox tunnel and placed the screen in the slots. With the help of an assistant, we simply reached under to grab the leading edge of the gasket and pulled it out. Fingers and hands take a little beating but so does most of any part of restoration. Again, once the gasket was unfolded, I left it for a few days to relax a bit. Then with someone pressing on the screen, attach center rod bolts, then start the painful task of putting the big retaining bolts in. No fun but a much, much easier job with the facia panel off the car. Rick--This fool has to go and part another beer from its cold! |
| Paul Hanley |
| Sounds like it's getting confused twixt mounting the seal to the screen fame & then to the car. I imagine it's most difficult with the frame completely assembeled (a fool & his beer ARE soon parted) However I didn't have too much trouble except the last 4 or 5 inches. A lot has to depend upon condition of the track so tip: clean the track well. I used foaming harms it all tire black. Done in less than 30 minutes but aching wrists for a time. Removed one of the pillars (the one with the least amount of rust welding the fastners on) excised the old - cleaned the track - slid the new one on.... Don't see how duct tape could progress this task any, nor standing on the tunnel whilst sliding the seal onto the frame but I guess you can duct tape the lip up onto the seal then while standing in the car on the tunnel grasp the frame and slide the seal on but it's be much easier to just lay the frame on your bench and do it there and use the duct tape to fasten the beer to yourself in some useful fashion...... You guys are just too funny! |
| HowY |
| I used the ducttape trick twice, and it is quite helpful, particularly when you don't have an assistant. |
| Greg Bowman |
| All: Just to conclude this thread, once you get the windshield on the car and you need to pull the bottom seal forward, just place a 1/4" rope between the seal and the car body. Now just pull the rope forward and it will bring the seal out with it. Worked real good when I helped a buddy down the street do his windshield. This wasn’t my idea, but one I got off this forum. Don’t know who thought it up though. Bryan Prindle |
| Bryan Prindle |
| No, I think what we have here is a failure to comunicate!! My bet is still on--in fact I'll up the ante--with one side pillar removed, using GoJo regular slathered all over the channel and gasket, I'll slide the bottom windscreen to body gasket on in less than one minute--for a case of scotch--no make it crown royal--liter bottles, if you don't mind. Just too easy. Yes the channel must be in good shape and clean--of course. That cleaning and other prep is done before the clock is started. That's why my first paragraph, first post, says that everything else must be done before attempts with the bottom gasket begin. HowY--the strattling of the tunnel is when you put the completly finished assembly back on the car. The gasket in question will be curled under the windscreen and its necessary to pull it forward into its final, proper position. This is where some use duck tape to secure the leading edge of the seal/gasket to the glass, I suppose. Me, I just reach under and pull it out, squash the windcreen to the body a bit and start the two center bolts to retain till final bolting time. Clear as mud, right!? You bring up a good point. What one says or writes, what others hear or read and understand, and what a writer thinks you hear/understand are all different things at times. Glad we could share a little humor.:) Safety Fast in less than a minute! Paul |
| Paul Hanley |
| I used a 4 in.wide plastic Bondo spreader to push the seal forward as the windshield was put in place on my roadster. It worked pretty well. |
| John Renaud |
| Yeah Paul.... I completely understood the postings obviously for the final install (duct tape etc) but the original post twas about installing the seal onto the frame and the direction quickly went to installin' the screen.... Just struck me funny that's all and was hoping to get ya'all to loosen up and have some humor.... As to the case of Crown... All I can say is I've done only 7 seal installs and the shortest TTI (time to install) was about 30min complete... So consider yourself lucky to have an easy time with it my longest is several DAYS (have to walk away sometimes) They can be a real bear so let's try to be understanding if our experience is "DONE!" and someone else is really wrestling with it and just wanting some encouragement. Sorry but these cars are seldom providing the "same" experience to all their owners I'll give you that case of crown when you come over and "properly" install my sidelight to pillar seal complete with the metal support runner in place and NO HOLES in the seal to access the screw's I'm in COlS OHIO USA and the case is 'a waiting! Cheers Guys! |
| HowY |
| HowY, LOL!! Now, for the trick to the quarterlight to windscreen seals--again, less than a minute--with no holes--GoJo regular. For years, we've been told soap and for years, we've been struggling with these seals and others. See a pattern here? Maybe soap doesn't work! GoJo has lots of lanolin and mineral oil in it and in all is about as slippery as it gets. Durring any restoration, one should have some on board. Wheather its installing the fuel filler neck to tank extention or pulling the wiring harness through one of those main grommets amoung many other uses, GoJo just makes the job effortless. So HowY--if it works, feel free to contact me for Crown shipping instructions! Cheers, Paul |
| Paul Hanley |
| Didn't have a problem with the quarterlight to windscreens seals, they just pulled right in. Fitters spent ages pulling the new body seal in using washing-up liquid as it dries too quickly. Equally difficult to get the frame assembled with new glass and rubber, until I nipped home and got my tub of Swarfega Original (the smooth green stuff) then it was like a bit of egg on a shovel. I prefer Swarfega at 5 pounds per litre as opposed to GoJo at 10 pounds for 50ml, or 40 times more expensive! |
| Paul Hunt |
| NO NO gentlemen I'm not talking a slide and screw... WITH THE METAL SUPPORT RUNNER INSIDE THE SEAL just like the factory..... Not the typical slide and screw install without any "holes"... The Case awaits! <bg> Ohh and thanks for having fun with the thread in the spirit I intended..... and I had my kevelar undies on too! |
| HowY |
| Fraid I've never seen that. My windscreen pillar seals slide onto a channeled rail that has been factory rivited to the windscreen side post. Under that rail is a metal shim. What year is your car? Anyone else seen that? Guess we're going to have to call it a draw and drink our own Crown. Here's to you! Paul Hunt--a bucket of GoJo hand cleaner is but a few bucks here--maybe 2 pounds S for about 18 oz. For 10 pounds you'd get two gallons. Guess you pay much more 'cause its "imported"! Another alternitive to soap an M.D. enthusiast suggested to me was KY jelly. You'll have to butter up to the Misses and borrow a bit.:) |
| Paul Hanley |
| "butter up to the Misses" ah, a 'Last Tango in Paris' job ... With one proviso the Parts Catalogue shows the same rivetted channel and slide-in rubber seal for all years. The proviso is that the rubber seal is shown as being used from car 187211 on, but as there is no alternative for earlier cars I'm assuming that the fitment was the same it just had a different profile or possibly material. That said I don't know what Howy is referring to either. |
| Paul Hunt |
| Amazingly Les Bengston hasn't posted some condescending dross that could qite easily been taken from a Haynes book. Senile old gun-nut |
| Graeme Anderson |
| Darn: and all I wanted to know was the easy way of the 2. O well, I pulled the pillar. T |
| tom |
| Ohhh I better 'splain... Ok there is the pillar - the channel that rivets to it - the seal that slides in the cannel - and a metal "packing" or stiffner that runs through the (inside of) seal. The seal is then fasten'd through the metal packing - through the seal as it runs down the channel into the pillar. (no holes through the seal either) This was the original arrangement of the the seal on my frame (72) and also my 78 parts car. I dont see this part listed in any of the cat's (vb - moss) It's really difficult to fold back the end of the seal to get the screw through the stiffner. Without it in place it's easy enough to fasten. <The exacto trick will work perfectly> Factory as far as I know and look look for this piece at shows to know ifin the frame has been serviced. Always see it on original cars and way to hard to mess with on resto's (usually tossed when strippin) but it's a factory install. And usually NOT installed after the fact. 'Twas just trying to find an equally difficult task to compare to the screen to body seal without mentioning "crossmember"... |
| HowY |
This thread was discussed between 23/10/2004 and 01/11/2004
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