Top Windscreen Trim Removal / Refit

[Pettifordo]

So I can rub down the windscreen surround I I thinking of removing the silver trim that the roof clips into.

Is the best way to remove it to drill out the rivets that appear to hold it on ?

any tips on what is needed to refit them ? Pop rivets or something else ?

[DanMi]

I assume this is a spitfire mk1/2 with the lip to hold the roof in place. In that case yes drill out the rivets. Use some sealer when reattaching but essentially just pop rivet it back on. Later cars are basically the same and just pop rivet on

[Peter Truman]

considering the trim is Anodised Aluminum, the windscreen frame is steel and the trim is structural in that it holds the soft top on would you use Ally, monel or steel pop rivets?

[Pettifordo]

On 17/04/2022 at 20:42, DanMi said:

spitfire mk1/2

It’s a 1500 - but sounds like it would be the same

[Mjit]

On 17/04/2022 at 22:31, Peter Truman said:

considering the trim is Anodised Aluminum, the windscreen frame is steel and the trim is structural in that it holds the soft top on would you use Ally, monel or steel pop rivets?

Don't know if it's different on the 1/2/3 but on the IV/1500 the trim is in no way structural!  It's literally just a shiny strip of metal riveted to the top of the windscreen frame to make it look nicer when the hood's down.

The hood 'pins' don't clamp to the trim but just pass through it and in to the windscreen frame proper and clamp to that.

[Peter Truman]

I assumed as  indicated somewhere it was a Mk1/2 where the front edge of the hood clips under trim.

[DanMi]

53 minutes ago, Peter Truman said:

I assumed as  indicated somewhere it was a Mk1/2 where the front edge of the hood clips under trim.

I assumed it was an early car as the op said which the top clips into. Really it makes no difference they are pop riveted on and certainly mine were aluminium when first removed and replace with aluminium and mine is an early car. Later ars the same.

[rlubikey]

Use a non-setting sealant and you will be able to remove the trim when you do the same job in another 45 years time! I used Arbomast windscreen sealant and 29 years later I was able to drill out and remove the trim without damaging it, but I'm sure there are many other suitable products.

Cheers, Richard

[Peter Truman]

7 hours ago, Mjit said:

Don't know if it's different on the 1/2/3 but on the IV/1500 the trim is in no way structural!  It's literally just a shiny strip of metal riveted to the top of the windscreen frame to make it look nicer when the hood's down.

The hood 'pins' don't clamp to the trim but just pass through it and in to the windscreen frame proper and clamp to that.

My ref to structural is specific to the Mk1 & 2 where the soft top is anchored under the leading edge of the aluminum header trim with a metal strip embedded inside the vinyl roof material  & folds under the header, therefore the header trim rail takes the full suction force of the roof bellowing up when driven. When we replaced the windscreen rubber on the daughters Mk2 it was thicker in profile than the original and the metal bar with vinyl roof covering wouldn't fit the gap between windscreen rubber and header trim, so the header trim had to be spaced off the windscreen frame with thin steel washers which the pop rivets went thro.

My query re the material of the pop rivet was due to the galvanic action between steel and aluminum we've all probably had the side trim clips falling off when removing the trim due to the aluminum pop rivets corroding thro. I think I used monel rivets on the aluminum Mk2 windscreen header  probably because they were the ones I had which were the right length, I say that because I had to drill a couple out and they were hard to drill. 

The daughters Mk2 is coming home for a 20 year clean up, to fix oil leaks & have the gearbox replaced with a  J type OD, new discs & front calipers replaced with Type14's. At that time I'll replace the soft top and probably remove the header rail and seal the gap to the windscreen frame, I thought about Denso tape but will it get too hot and the grease run? or maybe use a layer of Dynomat the bitumen type backing will stick to the windscreen frame and the aluminum outer covering won't stick to or harm the aluminum header rail trim. I don't like the idea of sticking the aluminum header trim to the windscreen frame as to later remove it would destroy it, even Denso could get a good hold, & may dry out over time, (not my lifetime tho).