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Windscreen help


Tim Ashby

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Hello everyone,

I am closing 79 and just purchased a 3A, sheeted up for 4 years but a professional build and registered correctly, the builder had it as a speedster, I have new hood and windscreen with it to fit but no wiper motor etc!!! Which is the best and simplest ti fut for an okd man full of arthritis!! lol, thanks and stay safe

Edited by nelmo
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  • nelmo changed the title to Windscreen help

Hi Tim, I've updated the title of this post ('title' meant the subject of your post, not your title 🙂 - a common mistake).

Fitting a windscreen and motor is not the simplest job in the world, I'm afraid. It depends on how prepped the car was before - does it have holes in the scuttle for the main support brackets and wiper gearboxes or not? Do you have any of the wiring in place for the motor and switch?

I did mine (on a Zero which had the holes pre-drilled) during the build process, which is much easier. I recorded this in several blog posts, starting with this one, if that helps at all?

https://zerolifebuild.blogspot.com/2017/07/framed.html

If you live anywhere near Tamworth, I can recommend a member of the club who runs a garage business and you can pay him to do it for you?

Edited by nelmo
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Nelmo is correct, this is one of the most "skill testing" parts of the build, I am fairly shure that the 3A is the same as the Exmo with regard to this. I have completed this after a fashion. The original kit contains only the "raw" components, you would need to have these even if someone else does the work. From memory the bits are:- Two pieces of pre-bent aluminium channel to make a frame, a toughened glass windscreen, two thick flat steel support brackets (roughly cut by plasma), a roll of flat thickish rubber strip to go round the glass when it's in the frame, and two stainless steel self tapping screws to clamp the frame together once its been cut to size. The kit did not contain a wiper motor mechanism, it was to be taken from the Sierra donor and modified to reduce the distance between the spindles. The spindle holes were pre cut (rough plasma again) in the scuttle, BUT the screen support mounting holes in both the supports and the scuttle sides were not pre-drilled or pre marked. The jobs to be done, simply stated, are- Cut and fit the frame to the glass with rubber inserted using various clamps, loads of parcel tape, rubber mallet, drilling holes across mitre joints and securing with self tapping screws, all without breaking the glass. Position the framed screen on the scuttle to find the sweet spot for the bottom curve match to the scuttle, mark position. Make two bends in the flat supports, one is to match the radius of the scuttle at the sweet spot, the other a twist in the upright part to square up the screen edge. Drill holes in supports and scuttle. Now with great care drill holes in the side of the frame without breaking into the glass to fix the screen edge to the support upright. Tighten everything up and voila! ...........I hope this gives you a flavour of the work involved. Most people do not fit the modded Sierra wipers, or if they do they ditch them shortly after... then fit BMC type wipers as per Mk1 minis, morris, austins etc....  If you or someone wants to go ahead with this I could send you DVD copies of the Exmo build instructions that have got all the standard procedures in gory detail. Oh, yes of course the hood cant be fitted until the windscreen is there and this post has gone on far longer than I intended, a bit like fitting a screen.

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Kit Spares (the parts arm of GBS) do a decent wiper kit:

https://kitspares.co.uk/products/wiper-kit

They also do the full windscreen kit which includes everything mentioned above and you can buy the bits separately, as needed:

https://kitspares.co.uk/products/windscreen-set-robin-hood-2b

Edited by nelmo
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