Technical 27 T Windscreen - Advice Please

Advice and suggestions appreciated please...

I'm now on to sorting out the windscreen for the Modified, I have a pair of chromed cast brass (or bronze) 26/27 T pillars that look to have been chopped about 4 inches. I don't have a windshield frame or any other hardware. I guess that would cost around £350+ here in the UK (and it probably wouldn't fit).

I'd like do without a seperate windshield frame and mount the glass in the pillars directly. Problems with this are that although the channel is deep enough, it is only 5.2mm wide. I've just fitted a windscreen to Caterham 7 which is only 4.5mm so that might fit if I just used bonding adhesive and no rubber gasket. I understand the normal thickness of laminated glass is 6.4mm so I could have the channel milled out to 8mm(??) in order to take the screen and the adhesive BUT would I need to get the pillars dechromed and then rechromed after machining?? I guess so.

I believe that back in the day when rodders wanted to get rid of the windsheild frame, the steel OEM post would get a strip of C channel welded to it and the glass slotted in there. I could make something up using 10mm C channel welded to 4mm square bar. I'd then bend that to shape, polish it and epoxy it into the pillar channel - this would avoid the cost of de/rechroming.

Finally, I plan to make up a bar to go between the pillars - probably 22mm aluminium tube (3mm wall) with a 8mm slot milled into it - see below for an example

 

When I built my 27 about 25 years ago, I used Speedway uprights but their standard windshield frame was too narrow for some reason. I called them and they said to send them a template and they would make me one to fit. I did, and the one they made fit perfectly. Don't know if they still offer that service, but you might ask. The cost wasn't terrible as I recall.

Don

 

Thanks Don - worth knowing. We generally pay the $ price in pounds - so if it's $300 then we'd pay £300 or about $510.

Your screen looks great BTW. Is the top of the glass curved?

 

If I understand correctly you want to mount a frameless glass directly to the posts?

A word of caution, I did that on a 27 years ago, It looked great but I cracked three windshields due to post movement. I eventually put polycarbonate in to end my frustration. I probably did not have the mounting rigid enough or allow enough rubber for flex. Also I guess t's weren't designed for 85 mph.
I'm not bagging on your idea, just saying it didn't work for me, even after i connected the posts at the top.
Good luck, neat project.

 

You'll need to severely stiffen up the mounting point on the cowl for those posts using them as the frame to hold the glass. Doesn't take much movement to pop a glass.

 

The posts are tied together inside the cowl with lots of bracing. They will be tied together at the top also. I ran my O/T car for 80,000 mile with the same set up and only replaced the glass once due to a stone strike.

 

I have done two custom w/s for the 26/27 . aluminium and steel . the bar across the top I would do in solid. dado a piece of wood and lay solid aluminium inside with a screw or two to hold it at the ends. machine the glass /friction tape groove on a table saw. easy and cheap.
.

 

i use 1/2 " x1/2" square tube .125 wall for my w/s. 8mm may be too small 1/4" glass + .125 on each side adds up to over 9 mm. i see my gas flap made it to you please give it to someone if you don't use it.

 

Blackjack. I did my old touring egzactly like you decribe with channel. There are pics on a thread here from years ago.

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Yes - it's fitted to the car now. The original was too far gone to use. Thanks again.

 

Here it is;



Looks good... I am also too cheap to buy a windshield frame.

 

Same here. That bottom rubber is a stock T part FYI. I painted that one but it could have been polished

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