GT6 Mk3 Windscreen Fitting- SOmerset

[ChrisJB]

My GT6 Mk3 has arrived back from a respray and I now have the problem of re-fitting the windscreen.  The guys doing the respray tried and gave up- they would usually use one of the mobile windscreen companies.  I have done the internet searches, bought a selection of screen rubbers, yes the COH Baines one does seem the best and most flexible, and decided to get a professional in.

Can anyone recommend a windsceen fitter in Somerset (Yeovil/Taunton area) who has experience in fittig GT6 Mk3/late model Spitfire screens with the stainless trim?  Or shall I just call Auto WIndcreens?

[Pete Lewis]

fit the stainless trim to the rubber  first off car then string in the flip from inside , run a bead od black gutter seal around the outer flange , if it oozes out  simple wipe with white spirit 

fill old glove or sock with sand  to make a whacker if it needs some  help  to seat fully

theres nothing peculiar to a gt6 that wasnt the state of play for all the motor industry of the day  just a a flange and a flip  !!!!

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

Too many fitters these days are used to bonded screens - stick in place and leave to set.

There's nothing difficult about fitting a screen, but use two people, one to press from the outside and one to pull the cords and seat the rubber on the inside. It's the late-model chrome c-trim that causes a lot of bother.

[Dave the tram]

I tried several times over 2 days with 2 people, sand filled basher and all and couldnt get the inner lip to go all the way round over the metal flange. Used different thicknesses of cord,KY jelly, but eventually spoilt the rubber by the cord cutting into it, even though well lubricated and fairly smooth 5mm nylon cord. Not much use to you in the South West Chris, but I then paid anout £100 for Ray Bardashevski from Manchester (adverised as years of experience with classics). He did a good job - money well spent. My original rubber seal from Rimmers looked a bit chunky compared to the one finally used from COH Baines, which also came shaped for the corners. The Rimmers Sundim screen was good though and a good price.

Even Ray, with much writhing at the big attached suckers couldnt get the seal perfectly even all round, but good enough.  I think my car may have had a pillar to roof repair at some time as the old screen also gapped slightly at one corner.

I dont think I would ever have succeeded without Ray's experience and his knowing how to apply just enough brute force to position the screen as well as could be achieved. Oh, and what a difference at night and in low sun having a scratch free screen! He even got the metal trim fitted which hadn't been on the car for at least 15 years.

Dave

 

[poppyman]

It does show that screen fitting is a skilled job. I have done a few screens in the past, but when time is money i got the screen fitters in. As Dave has found one ruined rubber or worse still a broken screen...... there is no contest, as well as being old and knackered  

Tony. 

[Pete Lewis]

trouble is most now are laminated , very weak  easy to crack , now the old evelasting toughend you can really abuse without fear

if the corners run shy you can pack the glass groove out with a nice sliver of screen wash tube 

Pete

[ChrisJB]

Thanks for the advice guys- I will go with the professionals (if I can find one).  When mentioning screen fitting on the GT6 with the stainless/ chrome surround to people I know who are in the classic car business the response is usually "I would get someone else to do it"  At least MGB's seem to be equally disliked in the screen fitting department!

Agree with Dave the Tram's (and posters on other topics) comments about screen rubbers- the COH Baines one is a different profile to those supplied by Rimmers and Canley Classics.  From an initial look it does look as though the trim wil fit better on the Baines one.

Chris

[Pete Lewis]

c o baines  always helpfull and they make their own    no nasty look alike copies and vulcanised corners   

proper stuff

Pete

[ludwig113]

i saw an autowindscreen bloke in his van yesterday and asked if they could do our classic triumphs and he said yes no problem

[Guppy916]

with my Mk3 GT6 I had a new screen from Rimmer's and used two auto windscreen companies neither could fit the screen, when I was left looking at the new screen and measuring I found that both bottom corners had the wrong radius, so i made a template of my old screen, stuck it on the new one, and used my diamond files ( for sharpening my chisels ) to redress the new screen , I found an old guy, a semi retired wind screen fitter, I got  a COH Bains new seal, I think it took him half an hour. job done,  And my car has had a new windscreen surround and a roof repair panel fitted