Screen chromes and A posts FHC

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 4:27 pm

Guys,

I have just put the windscreen in my FHC and am now struggling with the original chromes! I guess this will not come as much of a surprize from what I have heard. Basically the top and bottom chromes are in but there is no way the original A post chromes will fit under the lip without coming up short on the top and bottom chromes and therefore exposing the tooling holes on the chromes! If anyone has some close up photos of the A post fittings at the front in the rubber seam and at the top and rear I would be very grateful to see the sort of clearances expected. Also are the A posts bedded on black sealer? The only way I can see at present to get the A chromes to cover the holes on the top and bottom chromes is to take metal off the leading edge of the A post chrome to allow it into the rubber seam and hence bring it forward. Errghhh Is it the replacement windscreen rubber throwing everything out?

christopher storey · Post by **christopher storey** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 4:38 pm

My A post chromes - the large ones rather than the gutter trim - have never fitted under anything. When I put them back after the rebuild I "glued" them on with sikkaflex which not only enables you to position them for best effect, but also fills in the gaps between chrome and seal which otherwise inevitably appear

I shall try and find a photo and add it here

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:13 pm

Thanks for the reply and photo Chris. I had always assumed they fit as you say, but the chap who put my screen in says they should fit into a groove on the rubber. I have copied this photos from elsewhere on the forum of the car Harry had which was an unmolested FHC 3.8 and it certainly looks like it tucks into the seal. If anyone else could comment I would be grateful . I reckon its possibly best to not bother if the seals are different etc, I may be on a hiding to nothing to try. I assume you bedded your A post on Sikaflex then sealed the edges? Do you recall which sikaflex you used?

Cgarside · Post by **Cgarside** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 6:59 pm

Andrew
The A post trims are notoriously difficult to fit. They should fit under the lip of the window seal and be bedded on a bonding mastic up the A pillar itself. I have had a number of goes at fitting the trims on my FHC and not got them right yet. Like you, I have the tooling holes in the upper screen trim showing. I have come to the conclusion that windscreen seals available now are slightly deeper in section than when the cars were first built. This effectively prevents the trim fitting into the seal and A pillar. My next step is to remove the trims and shave away the windscreen rubber as it passes under the trim. This should improve the fit but I have get to confirm this.
Chris

christopher storey · Post by **christopher storey** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 7:07 pm

Andrew : I used sikkaflex 221 I think . It was either that or 296? I got it from a yacht chandler . I actually put rather a lot on, and then squeezed it out by hand pressure on the A post trim, and then smoothed it with a wet spatula ( or finger, can't remember which ) . Interestingly, my car which I'd had for nearly 20 years before I rebuilt it , and still has the original screen did not IIRC have the trims tucked into the rubbers and indeed it would be quite impossible for them to fit as they are too wide in the fore/aft sense to fit . Note also how the LHD one in your pic has the forward spur sticking out an uncomfortably long way

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 7:33 pm

Thank you Chris and Chris. I too have arrived at the view that the rubbers are causing the issue simply because all is original. That said my A post trims were pop riveted on top and bottom to the long strips by a previous owner. I assume they were never an easy fit. This looks like an issue I will have to contemplate for some time! The advice was to machine back the front edge as mentioned earlier which supposedly will allow the trim to fit the rubber groove but it seems wrong to alter my original trims. Alternatively I guess I could stick them over the rubber and clamp them down whilst they
Set. I imagine a lot of owners have done this. It strikes me as a right old cock of a design to be honest! I wonder if the new made A post trims are "adapted" to suit the new rubber seals? Would still like to see others fitments to try to decide what to go with . I expect this will end up being a compromise. I do hope I don't have a not so accurate screen rubber as its not easy to change that in a hurry. I did wonder whether the infill strip is causing a problem . Should it be there anyway and if so maybe it's profile is too high?

Cgarside · Post by **Cgarside** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 7:57 pm

I don't know how well the remanufactured trims fit. I have a pair of original jaguar trims which I bought 25 years ago which I thought would fit no problem. I was so wrong ! To get them anywhere near fitting, I had to remove material from the trim inner edge which fits under the windscreen rubber.
In fact thinking about it, maybe this has to be done all the way along the edge of the trim to have it fit under the rubber lip while ensuring the upper and lower tips cover the top and bottom chrome trims tooling holes.
For info, when I fitted repro trims to my DHC, I had to have them rechromed when I'd finished getting them to fit, so I may end up having to get the trims rechromed when I have got them to fit.
Chris

vipergts · Post by **vipergts** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 8:38 pm

After all the hard work and attention to detail on my car this is the area I am most disapointed about.

An absolute bugger....I hated this job and lost plenty of sleep

It's not just your rubber giving you grief but if you've replaced the screen then it's likely this is subtly different in profile and shape too.

I filed and shaped my chromes to fit under the rubber. Still not happy to this day.

Especially not happy that you've reminded me of this

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 8:55 pm

Hi Lee. Thanks for the response. There is some perverse solidarity in knowing you had problems too! It would have upset me if you had said yours just threw itself in and is perfect! I can see another trip to yours coming up.
Like all these things it's probably a bit of difference on everything that is conspiring to make this a dogs dinner. The screen, the rubber , changes in profile of A posts post chroming etc etc. it can't be poor assembly after all it must be someone else's fault! Seriously though I have spotted some cars on some of the US restorers websites which look to have perfectly fitting A posts so I need to persevere with this . IT MUST BE THE RUBBER. It cannot be anything else

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Sat Feb 01, 2014 11:27 am

What I have discovered is that the top and bottom chromes have been put in but they are not absolutely central. I reckon if I relocate these perfectly the in the middle I may find that the problem of the tooling holes showing may not be so an issue, but still going to be very challenging indeed. anyway, I have just ordered a set of suction windscreen clamps designed to hold trim in place whilst bonding takes place. Lets see if these are going to help. I will of course keep the thread alive with any developments for the future help of others. If there are any more photos out there, close ups preferably it will save me a lot of bother. thanks

ChrisC · Post by **ChrisC** » Sat Feb 01, 2014 5:17 pm

those windscreen clamps are very good indeed and work a treat when combined with Sikoflex (another convert).

Sikoflex takes a while to set so those clamps come in real handy whilst you wait. Big advantage of Sikoflex (apart from it being highly sticky and I use it to glue door rubbers on etc) is that white spirit removes it as long as you wipe it before it sets too hard. So you can shape the sealant slightly too....

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 9:27 am

Thanks Chris. I do have some already, think its 221, but was warned it sets like super glue, well not as fast , but if you need to reposition after it has set you are in trouble!

christopher storey · Post by **christopher storey** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 10:12 am

Andrew : sikkaflex softens easily with a little heat from eg a reasonably powerful hairdryer . It stays workable for quite a few hours

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 7:35 am

Thank you Chris. I will try this when and if I get the chromes to line up

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