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MG TD TF 1500 - Replacing the Windscreen glass TD

Does anyone have any pointers on mounting the windscreen glass in the frame with that rubber gunge Type silicon stuff and not the rubber tape?
How do you keep the glass centered in the frame?
fore and aft and is this method better than the original rubber casket stuff?
My windscreen on both the TD's I have owned would leak water through the screen at the top. Now the glass lamination is slowly separating from the side of the screen and needs to be replaced.
I would like to make it totally waterproof and figured the modern goop stuff may be the way to go.
Would I have to use tempory spacers to hold the glass in the middle of the frame?
Just wondering how to do this.
Rod Jones

My TD had pieces of the rubber gasket stuff folded and inserted along the channel to center the glass in the frame.

In clumps not the entire length.

I am not suer if the picture is the original, which had turned to mush, of may attempt to recreate.

Not there is a variation in the thickness if the rubber gasket stuff from the various vendors. The stuff from Abingdon was thicker than the stuff from Moss.
In my case too thick to use.

I used The Moss stuff as the folded packing and I needed two rolls.

Be careful about the glass thickness. The original stuff was inch dimensions. 1/4" as I remember. Although that's still available most new stuff is Metric :(.

The Metric may not seal properly.

Plan on replacing the corner brackets also. They will most likely be rotted.

Jim B.


JA Benjamin

I had issues using the rubber supplied from the M.G. parts supplier here in Sydney due to the thickness. I also tried strips from Clarke Rubber but they were problematic as well, so I went with black poly windscreen sealant. I sprayed the edges of the glass black, see pic, as I didn't want anything visible inside the frame and used temporary packing to centre the glass. Once cured these pieces of plastic were removed and the voids made good. Absolutely essential to mask everything off as the stuff is really messy and gets everywhere. I made an applicator from a plastic ice cream container to create a slight chamfer between the frame and the glass to shed water and applied the poly using soapy water. I did one side at a time and was really happy with the result. Cheers
Peter TD 5801


P Hehir

I had a similar experience with the thickness of the rubber strip I got from B&G and decided to use the silicone method but with a slightly different approach. I don't see the need to spray the edges of the glass. I used small strips of the rubber to position the glass but pushed the rubber in slightly below the edge of the frame ~2mm. I used PVC insulating tape to carefully mask off the frame and the glass. Take your time doing this. Have a waste paper bin or two ready as this stuff is really messy. You have to work fairly quickly to get a good result. Quarter fill a plant spray bottle with a 1:4 mixture of washing up liquid and water. Once the silicone is applied, spray it with the mixture and run a plastic tea spoon around the joint to remove the excess silicone. Press the spoon fairly hard to feather the silicone. Allow to cure for approx. 10 minutes. Remove the masking tape by pulling it off over the joint and not away from the joint and dispose. Re-spray the joint with the mixture and use your finger covered in spray to very lightly and swiftly feather the joint for the final finish. If done correctly this gives a perfect professional looking finish with lovely straight edges. Do a practice run on some plastic scrap sheet if you are not good at using silicone. The same method is ideal for fitted kitchens, tiling etc. An old Polish guy showed me how to do it many years ago and it works!
Regards
Declan
Declan Burns

You cannot really see the details in the photo but the finish is good.
Regards
Declan

Declan Burns

Keep in mind that originally the windshield was 1/4" thick. For decades automotive windshield glass has been metric and it's slightly less thick than original. FTFU does sell original thickness glass and the original rubber then fits better.

Having said that it's still APITA to get the glass into the windshield without the rubber sliding back into the frame. I have had the best luck with rubber gaskets that have an adhesive on one side.
Christopher Couper

Project can be really difficult for all reasons above. Lower brackets may well be rusted, but if not re-use as angles/spacing will be different on the new ones. If you replace screws, make sure replacements are not too long, as many are. You can use some trimmed scraps of vinyl floor tile to space. A few years ago Abingdon had some old but correct thickness packing which fit well. If you use the silicone, you have made it a nightmare for the next time the glass needs to be replaced. Besides sealing the glass to the frame, you will have imbedded the spacers, wiper wires, corner brackets and everything in the silicone. Not to mention silicone not original at all and won't look correct if you care about that. Possible to cut/fit correct rubber, then wipe with very thin layer of black silicone at final assembly which would prevent leaks and the problems I mentioned. George
George Butz III

George,
I disagree with your comment on the silicone. It only goes in about 4 to 5mm at most due to it's surface tension. I doubt that anything would become embedded if it is done properly.

Regards
Declan
Declan Burns

I found, as Declan did, that the poly I used only penetrated about 3 or 4 mm. Also polyurethane formulated for windscreens is recommended, not silicone. It's more expensive but is a much better product. It can be easily removed using a Gem blade or a similar steel backed blade. No issues with fouling the wiring because of the shallow depth. I don't believe it's possible to tell the difference between the black poly and the rubber. Those who've seen my windscreen installation commented on what a neat job I did with the rubber. A word of caution however if replacing the top corner post pieces, BEWARE of the currently available AM brackets. They are junk as it's impossible to set the corners so that they align and form a perfect mitre, because the post is in the incorrect position in relation to the bracket corner. The supplier I purchased mine from (who shall remain nameless) wouldn't refund my purchase so I was forced to repair and rechrome the originals. The bottom corner brackets are easily made however. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Moss has the undrilled new top brackets which I used due to my originals being too damaged to repair. The pdf document on the Moss site is corrupt and missing the last part at the moment. It is supposed to say that due to variation from frame to frame and shape change from rechroming, they came out with the undrilled brackets. These require hand fitting, and drilling/tapping to get a perfect fit. I spent some time bending, adjusting, marking, drilling/tapping the screw holes and mine came out very well. I did have a couple new repros from somewhere with the holed done already and they were not even close. If one of the pre-threaded ones fit it would be luck. Still easier if you can repair your originals of course. George
George Butz III

"It is supposed to say that due to variation from frame to frame and shape change from rechroming, they came out with the undrilled brackets."
i.e. poor quality control from their supplier. BAU :-(
Christopher Couper

I had tried both the drilled and the undrilled Moss brackets but the problem of the incorrectly located post was common to both. I suspect that small amounts of water could still enter the frame at the mitres even with a perfectly aligned frame. A combination of the protection afforded by painting the edges of the laminate and the unrestricted vertical path within the frame created by the use of poly, thus allowing any moisture to escape, seems to me to be a better solution than using the rubber. But to each his own. Good luck with it Rod whichever method you choose. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Thanks for the heads up guys. Will probably go with the Poly method. Have always had water leaking down the inside of the screen with the rubber seal.
Time to try something new. Should also get a new laminated WS form FTFU as well.
Will let you know if all the internal fittings are done for or salvageable.
Rod
Rod Jones

One final comment Rod re the new glass. If possible see if you can get glass with the correct Triplex logo for your TD. There were 16 versions in all, one for each quarter of production of the TD. The dots shifted for successive quarters. The glass came from the previous quarter prior to the build date. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Chris, On my rechromed frame, the chrome shop did mess up the miters by overpolishing. In my case the undrilled brackets were the perfect option- maybe because the posts were mispositioned. Both the undrilled and drilled new brackets I had were given to me with a bunch of left over restoration parts some years back, so I have no clue where they originated from. Definitely get the glass from Doug- bad luck recently with a local glass shop. George
George Butz III

Thanks, Peter,
I saw the post from Doug Pelton and I think Lew Palmer was selling etch kits so you could fix the new glass to have the correct marks.
Will investigate.
Rod
Rod Jones

Rod: When you do the etching thing there are a couple of tricks:
* You need to make sure you know exactly where the etching should be when the windshield is mounted.
* Place the etching template on the windshield in that location and place two pieces of painters tape at the edge to "locate" the template.
* Unpeel the backing from the template and stick to windshield within your guide tape
* Now put additional tape over the edges to protect the surrounding area from the etching compound just in case
* etch away



Christopher Couper

Will do Chris :) Thanks.
Sorry to say FTFU does not have the glass so I am trying to source it locally.
Rod Jones

This thread was discussed between 29/09/2019 and 01/10/2019

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