windscreen fitting

[can687]

Hi, I hope someone can help me. I am trying to fit the plastic chrome strip around the wind screen on my 69 4 door saloon. The new rubber and chrome strip came from Bull Motif. I have been trying for about a week now, about an hour a day and so far I have managed to get about 6 inches in place. There is obliviously a secret technique known only to certain Morris personnel!
Peter Howes

[les]

There is a special hand tool to help with this job, without it you stand a chance of damaging the rubber surround, in fact even with it you need to be careful to hold at the correct angle so it pushes along ok. Google it and I'm sure there will be a picture of the tool. When you fit this chrome strip be sure it spreads the rubber hard into the corners, this should make sure it seals against water leaks. It can be a struggle.

[philthehill]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLASSIC-MINI ... SwA29Y5UQy

Whilst it says Mini it is the same tool as required for the Minor.

[can687]

Thanks for the replies chaps. I have already purchased 2 special tools (1 from Charles Ware and 1 from Machine Mart) I managed to start getting the trim in with the Machine Mart tool (couldn’t do anything with the Charles Ware tool) but neither of them came with any instructions and I can't find anything on google demonstrating them. I don't know the secret!
Peter

[les]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-KsWNWh--bg
This may help.

[can687]

Thanks Les, I have watched the videos and see that I should be using a rubber lubricant so I went and bought some this morning. I can see the technique involved and obviously a 7 year apprenticeship is required. I managed to get the first inch in using the tool but as I went further on the first inch came out. This happened time and time again, the 6 inches I had spent a week getting in place came out as well. I worked until my fingers got numb with cold and had to give up. In the last 18 months I have twice removed and replaced the windscreen so I don't know what's going on this time.
Peter

[mogbob]

Peter ,
The job can be a pain at the best of times. In this current weather / temperature the rubber is cold and less flexible. Do you have any access to a garage that you can heat up ? It might help a little.
So now you have the right tool , some rubber lubricant. Start at the bottom /center screen. I make up a wad of cotton rag for pushing the trim in. I find it saves the fingers a bit. I'd avoid the hair drier , to provide heat , you'd probably end up cracking the windscreen !
Keep the wad of rag and the tool spreading the rubber seal open , close together and work slowly round. Have short breaks.
Good luck with it
Bob

[philthehill]

When I came to fit the laminated windscreen to my Minor and after several frustrating tries I decided to get a main stream windscreen company to fit it.
They made it look so simple, the job was done in no time and the cost was negligible. Saved my nerves and the thought of a cracked laminated windscreen which back then was rare for a Minor.
Over the years I have fitted many windscreens but this Minor was harder than usual and I do not know why.
Some times it is easier (and cheaper) to give the job to someone else who can bring it all together.
Phil

[can687]

Thanks again for the replies and advice. Unfortunately I don't have access to a garage heated or otherwise. I have persuaded my son to come and help me on Sunday, so hopefully 2 of us swearing at it will do the trick. Will report back next week.
Peter

[67-2door]

I found fitting the windscreen (and even the rear window) pretty easy, but fitting the chrome trim to the front a total nightmare.
I got a friend round in the end who'd done it before and between us after heating the trim up in warm water, with the special tool, a lot of cursing and sore fingers we managed it.
Found when we'd finished that the join had moved a couple of inches away from the centre but there was no way we were taking it off to have another go!

[can687]

Update on progress so far. My son came and helped me on Sunday. We struggled for about three and a half hours trying to fit the chrome strip but to no avail. The strip would go in and we would work our way further forward and find that about a foot behind where we were working, the strip was coming out. In the end we removed the screen and discarded the new screen rubber, fitted the previous rubber and the chrome trim went in relatively easily. It now leaks ( which was the original problem ) but I've used half a tube of sealer and its a lot better but still needs more. I acquired this car in May 2016 and one of the first jobs I did was to change the windscreen rubber as it was very perished.I didn't notice any leaking. I changed the the windscreen about four months ago when I came across a better one ( fewer scratches ) but it leaked despite copious amounts of sealer, which is why I decided to fit a new screen rubber, thats when the problems started! I'll get some more sealer tomorrow and see if I can finally cure the leaks!
Peter

[les]

It could be the new rubber was not compatible with the chrome strip, I think there are different cross section sizes.

[philthehill]

Try Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure for sealing those rogue water incursions. Marvelous stuff.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/322512805440?c ... 387&crdt=0

[firedrake1942]

That sounds on a par with the Ginger Bush posts ! But yes it is good and before replacement sealed my original cracked and perished back windscreen rubber neatly and effectively.

[SteveClem]

Try Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure for sealing those rogue water incursions. Marvelous stuff.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/322512805440?c ... 387&crdt=0

Yes,great stuff! Sorts out leaks from house radiators too.

[can687]

I've tried Capt. Tolley before (re 'copious amounts of sealer') without very good results but I've got nothing to loose so I'll give it another go.
Peter

[can687]

Update: I had a few weeks rest from the Morris but this last Sunday I had my son to help me, and we fitted another new screen rubber and chrome strip. It took us about 2 1/2 hours and result, not leaking! I had tried to do it on my own but it was defiantly a two man job. I'm glad that thats been done before the cold weather arrives.
Peter

[mogbob]

Peter
I don't know where you are in the country but we had snow this morning.
Anyway .... the point of the post .... is well done ( and your son ). It's great when you can call on family favours.

I always use to love it when I worked on my sons cars ( with them ) and told them to " take it to the garage " for the professionals to do a safety check on our work. They would both come back from the garage with a grin from ear to ear from the conversations they had ,
praising the work and asking which local garage had done the work ? I reinforced how much money they had saved by going down the DIY
route. They are both handy with spanners and the multi meter / fault code readers now in their spare time.
Bob

[Declan_Burns]

Peter,
If you have found a better screen rubber can you please disclose the source? I'm sure many others have been frustrated by parts being not fit for purpose and we all know the windscreen is a major headache. It is a job I am dreading to tackle.
Regards
Declan

[RobThomas]

I seem to recall that ESM have got round the problem of poorly fitting seals by selling an adjusted-size glass for the splittie so you can now get a good seal and new glass into the bargain. Might be a better option since the original thickness glass is harder to find round these parts.