Placing windshield

Vaughn · 02-20-07, 06:11 PM

I'm a little confused about the windshield placement in my RCR 40. I know that a couple of you guys out there have set your windshields. Did you have any problems with the spacing around or behind the windshield as it makes contact with the spider? If so what did you do to solve it? At the very top of the spider in the center the windshield I have a 3/8" gap between the spider and the glass. Do you have to apply pressure to the spider while setting the windshield in order to make up the difference in the spacing? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. I want to avoid any possibility of cracking of the glass now or in the future. I did get a couple replies on my post on the builders forum concerning this problem and I do understand that there is going to be a space around the glass which I intend to fill with a rubber seal, but this space between glass and spider is a little tricky.

Thanks much
vaughn

Ron Earp · 02-20-07, 06:15 PM

Post made on the "Best Handling" thread, I have separated it out into this thread.

Vaughn · 02-20-07, 08:39 PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm a little confused about the windshield placement in my RCR 40. I know that a couple of you guys out there have set your windshields did you have any problems with the spacing around the windshield? If so what did you do to solve it? Do you have to apply pressure to the spider while setting the windshield in order to make up the difference in the spacing? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. I want to avoid any possibility of cracking the glass now or in the future.

Thanks much
vaughn

Fran Hall RCR · 02-20-07, 09:04 PM

I guess this is a good time to remind guys to make sure they have their windshield at least resting in place when doing body and door fit/alignment...this pertains to all GT40 replicas

I know its been mentioned many times on this forum through the years but cant hurt to have a reminder once in a while....

I just spoke with Vaughn and he did not have his windshield inplace during his fitment period.
This means he will now relieve a small amount of material in the windshield trough to allow his glass to "sink" the 3/16" into the opening....

There are no problems only solutions....

Bill D · 02-20-07, 09:57 PM

Fran-
I'm getting ready to have my car painted. Can you explain this some more?

Thanks
Bill D

Fran Hall RCR · 02-21-07, 12:11 AM

Bill,

feel free to call Jason or Mark at the shop and they can walk you through the body fitment protocol......it is not difficult , just detailed....
be prepared to listen carefully...they do it everyday .

CliffBeer · 02-21-07, 09:56 AM

Vaughn, yikes, 3/8ths is quite a gap. Definitely, go easy on the glass, it will crack very, very easily. While automotive glass is fairly resistent to small kinetic impacts (ie rocks) when set well in a frame, it has really no structural integrity of its own - bend/flex it does not.

If there is not enough shaping you can do through filing/grinding then you might consider utilizing some heat and time I have seen this used on several fiberglass bodies to good effect. In other words, block the w/s frame into the shape you need (wood works well) and let it sit for some time. Perhaps use some heat lamps as well to speed the process. Don't fret, patience and gentle persistence will overcome.

Fran Hall RCR · 02-21-07, 10:12 AM

Cliff...
major manufacturers actually do use glass as a structural member of the chassis ...its incredible how strong glass is when used in planar structures.

Vaughns issues arose because he has moved forward at such a rate that he has missed a few very important steps along the way....nothing insurmountable just a hiccup.

Lynn · 02-21-07, 10:29 AM

Cliff,

While I agree that glass should not be set to bend or flex, I have to vehemently disagree with your statement "it has really no structural integrity of its own"! Glass has quite a lot of strength in compression and not bad in tension.

Glass is used as a stressed, structural member in many, many cases of automotive design, so I am not quite sure where you got this idea from. Inded, in the GT40, it was a structural member of the design.

I ran into the same issue that Vaughn is having with my car when I set the front of the spider ≈¼" to far forward, which brought the roof line down about the same amount that Vaughn is seeing. As Fran pointed out (and I now see that he beat me to the punch on the 'structural member' comment), this was well documented here to warn others of the issues that can arrise from minor misadjustments in the body location.

Lynn

Jonathan S · 02-21-07, 10:46 AM

Glass is interesting material. It can have incredible strength in one plane and be super fragile in another. I used to work in a window factory and made roof windows. They had some that were about 4' x 5' and could support a 200 lb. man standing on them but a slight tap on the edge of the glass and the entire window would shatter.

Vaughn · 02-21-07, 04:24 PM

Hi Fran--- I want to thank you for your quick reply to my problems. Your suggestions are going to work out just fine. With the minor reduction in the fiberglass glass the windshield will fit just fine. I also appreciate you other guys on this forum for your input. The nice thing about this forum is that you get a lot of good information quick. "Thank you".

The problem was an oversight on my part but not a hill worth dying for. Thanks again Fran for getting back to me so quickly you kind of remind me of radar O'Reilly on mash. I hardly get the question out of my mouth before you have an answer. It's nice to have someone who stands behind his product with your kind of integrity.
Vaughn

Vaughn · 02-21-07, 04:27 PM

Ron-- Thank you for placing my thread in the right place. Hope to get better at doing this.
Vaughn

Keith Hardy · 02-22-07, 05:36 AM

"Radar", yeah - heh, heh....

Fran Hall RCR · 02-22-07, 07:35 AM

I would prefer "Gromit"......as in Wallace and Gromit.....

.

CliffBeer · 02-22-07, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llarsen

Cliff,

While I agree that glass should not be set to bend or flex, I have to vehemently disagree with your statement "it has really no structural integrity of its own"! Glass has quite a lot of strength in compression and not bad in tension.

Glass is used as a stressed, structural member in many, many cases of automotive design, so I am not quite sure where you got this idea from. Inded, in the GT40, it was a structural member of the design.

I ran into the same issue that Vaughn is having with my car when I set the front of the spider ≈¼" to far forward, which brought the roof line down about the same amount that Vaughn is seeing. As Fran pointed out (and I now see that he beat me to the punch on the 'structural member' comment), this was well documented here to warn others of the issues that can arrise from minor misadjustments in the body location.

Lynn

Hi Lynn,

Yes, agreed, you're exactly correct - there are some structural qualities to glass, for example, it's quite good in compression. And, consequently, can be used in compression to add stiffness in an automobile (or buildings even) in such a manner to good effect. What I'm really focusing upon is not the ability of glass to withstand compression, rather, the ability (or lack thereof) to flex in a lateral sense to fill a gap. Said another way, to take a form materially different than the original mold. Std automotive glass doesn't like to do this too much.

Over enough time, glass can flow but I don't think that timeline fits here. I suggested a method I've seen used to good effect in the past in this situation. I'm sure there's more than one way to skin a cat here however! Sounds like you sorted it out on your car no problem w/o a crack - nice work!

CliffBeer · 02-22-07, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gt40fran

Cliff...
major manufacturers actually do use glass as a structural member of the chassis ...its incredible how strong glass is when used in planar structures.

Vaughns issues arose because he has moved forward at such a rate that he has missed a few very important steps along the way....nothing insurmountable just a hiccup.

Hi Fran,

Yup, definitely. Half the cars out there wouldn't feel so solid without their front and rear glass installed. I've also seen glass used in some very large buildings to add structural rigidity where stressed in the right direction and held in place appropriately.

I've also seen a w/s or two broken in process of muscling it into place. Worst was a ferrari 250 - $3,500 windscreen - the installer broke two of these before getting it right the third time. That wasn't fun.....