[Healeys] Fitting glass to BN2 windscreen frame

Rich C richchrysler at quickclic.net
Thu Jun 24 07:02:13 MDT 2010


In addition to Bob Spidell's description below, also note that the corner 
brackets were left just slightly loose so the glass and frame could find 
it's own "happy place". We've found this on a number of original cars. Not 
all the screws were left loose. For instance at the bottom brackets, the 
side ones were tightened and the bottom ones (heads in the channel) were 
left just a final half turn loose. At the top corners, the ones on the top 
bar were tightened but the ones on the upper sides were left a half turn 
loose.

Note there should be rubber packing strips to install in the bottoms of each 
channel that allow clearance at the ends for the screws to protrude slightly 
into the channel without the glass being able to contact the screw ends. 
Without these packers the end of a screw could contact the edge of the glass 
and cause a crack in the glass.

Also, the glazing rubber we bought reacts with clean engine oil. The oil is 
"painted" onto the glazing rubber and the installation goes together. The 
rubber swells over the next 30 minutes (so you have adequate time to work 
with it) and the next day the fresh #11 X-Acto blade is used to trim the 
excess rubber away along the edges. By now the rubber has swollen and locked 
the assembly together so nothing will work or slide around.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Bob Spidell" <bspidell at comcast.net>

> My dad and I just did this for our BN2.
>
> We got a long strip of glazing rubber of sufficient width (about 3") from 
> a windshield glass supply/repair house. Buy twice what you think you'll 
> need--it's cheap and you may screw the pooch once or twice in the process. 
> Stretch/wrap the glazing rubber along each edge (one at a time) with the 
> same excess on each side, then gently tap the metal frame over it, getting 
> the corners just so. There should be excess rubber on each end and along 
> the length of the frame. Get a new, single edge razor blade and trim the 
> rubber with a slight outward bezel along the length and just slightly 
> longer than the frame on the ends (you can cut the rubber 'square' here), 
> at the appropriate (more-or-less 45deg) angle. When you fit all frames up 
> you don't want any gaps in the rubber on the corners. Don't press any 
> harder with the razor blade than you have to--did I mention to use a new 
> one?--or you'll score the glass.
>
> There is a specific sequence to refitting the screws in the inner frame 
> and the outer, but I don't remember it exactly. Do a 'dry run' till you've 
> got the sequence figured out.
>
> bs


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