Maniacs . . .
Having
replaced the windscreen on my Mantis recently, here is what I know about rubber
molding.
First,
if you have old rubber currently, it's over 30 years old, and it can NOT be
salvaged. You will need new rubber molding. Your old rubber has lost
all its elasticity, and no competent glass installer will try to re-use
it.
Second, I got my rubber molding from Rory, and yes, it was not an exact
match for the original - it was a little smaller in cross-section. It
worked, but I notice now that it is starting to pull away from the fibreglass in
places. So, it is not a first-class installation.
To get
original rubber, I highly recommend Martin MacGregor. Given a
cross-section of your windscreen rubber, Martin will match it exactly from his
U.K. suppliers. Martin's shop is in Ancaster, just west of Toronto, so
he's very near me. Martin advertises in British Car magazine.
Incidentally, Martin can supply anything you need in the trim area - window
rubber, door seals, boot seals, etc. and he is doggedly persistent.
On the Mantis there is a rubber trim strip around the back bumper. I gave
Martin a small sample, and he kept digging through his catalogues for several
months before he came up with an exact match. http://www.macgregorukcarparts.com/
found via http://www.britishcarlinks.com/
Finally, Paul and I had our new windscreens installed
by an extremely knowledgeable and competent fellow north of Toronto. He
highlighted a couple of things to me: 1. the GT fibreglass around the window
opening is very flexible ("flimsy" was the word he used). He recommended
that the fibreglass lip around the window opening should be strengthened and
stiffened. He said the Mantis was better than the GT in this regard. 2.
Before installing the new glass, check the window opening for any
distortion. When the windscreen (with rubber attached) is placed on
top of the opening, it should be flush with the fibreglass all the way around.
That is, it should lie flat on the fibreglass all the way around, with no
gaps. If there are any waves or distortions in the fibreglass, you will
end up eventually cracking the new glass.
Regards . . . Ron McLeod
1970 Marcos Mantis P8/5858
Jeff and
all,
A lot of the
problems around fitting the glass rear screen in particular were due to the use
of an incorrect rubber molding. I acquired my glass rear screen through the
Marcos Owners Club but had it fitted at the Marcos factory when my car was
rebuilt in 1981. I'd be asking Rory McMath if the plexiglass rubber was suitable
for the glass rear screen, and if not, to provide the correct rubber
profile. I think you'll find that the size of the rear screen was supposed to be
uniform across all models but differences occur due to the hand built
nature of the cars. I'm pretty sure that the glass screen will fit all models
but some adjustments may be necessary on some cars. As I said before, fitting
the rear screen can be a tricky job and it should not be forced under any
circumstances. Some cars may need more adjustment than others. It requires
patience and intelligence.
Regards,
Paul
Dransfield
3 litre
Volvo
Hi
All,
Well it looks like we
have several people interested, but also have several critical questions
now!
Thanks to Mike and
Tad for their inputs on some of the unknowns about this situation.
I sure would hate to
pay a lot of money for glass that wouldn't end up fitting my car
correctly!
I have written Marcos
Heritage (Rory McMath) to see if they have any answers as to which models used
back glass, and if the front and rear glass is the same throughout the various
models.
I will also write
Hayes at Wire Wheel if anyone is interested in getting a Lexan rear instead.
(Please LMK!)
I have this Lexan
type in mine and it looks pretty close to glass. You really can't tell without
thumping it that it is Lexan. However, since it is fairly new, I'm not sure if
it will discolor with age or not.
Lee, once we get
these questions cleared up, it would be great if you could contact Pilkington
for us. If they could ship it to (or even manufacture it in) one of their
facilities over here, that would be fantastic! (The Pilkington guys over here
probably won't know what we are talking about
though!)
I'll let everyone
know when I get a response from Marcos Heritage.
Jeff
#8052
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