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greetings
Its been a while since my last post but once again I need your assistance. I'm dealing with some rust issues on the windshield frame. I did a search for old posts , but I would like an opinion. most of the frame isn't bad rusty but solid. Just clean up and prep with rust inhibitor. how ever along the top, I have some pretty bad holes. Instead of replacing the entire top rail, what do you think of cutting out the top area that's bad and fabricating a piece to weld back in. It would be maybe 2 feet long. the underside is still solid, its just the area where the glass lays. what do you think?
Others on this forum that are "body men" will likely have better advice than I. But I think instead of fabricating something that may or may not fit correctly, is a bad option. Over the years I have found web sites that specialize in salvageable parts from Vettes. Basically, Vette scrapyards. Bodies gone, drivetrain gone, but still have the birdcage intact. I think I would find and contact one of those vendors and see if they have a donor car, are willing to whack off the top frame and are willing to ship it to you. (YouTubes Corvette Ben has one "outback" in Texas right now) You would be a lot farther ahead. Then you know the glass will fit correctly, all the trim / molding will fit correctly. Plus the T-Tops will seal correctly and in the unlikely event of a roll-over, it should support the top.
Last edited by HeadsU.P.; Dec 4, 2018 at 03:44 PM.
If I have to replace the top frame, ill get new pieces . the header $375 ish and corners around $90 . Its a big job to replace those pieces, just trying to avoid all that work.
Not to mention possibly misaligning the frame creating a poor fit. I have read of other members making repairs on smaller holes, I wonder if my idea was ever attempted with any success.
I have done some rust repairs on 69 vette , I would not attempt to "make a piece " , it is such a complex shape .
Also apparently a concern (I have read here) that area is under a pre-load , so as soon as you cut the piece that comes from the back it will spring apart.
I would contact those vette wreckers and get the replacement piece from another vette (as it was made in the factory jig and should be a better fit ) than "aftermarket " pieces.
FWIW , what I would do if it were mine , I would cut the top ( front to back) section in the middle of where the 2 chrome trim pieces are , that way you can use the 2 trim pieces with their 4 bolt holes to help realign the join
Depending on how bad the rust is INSIDE that top section would be how I would work out the cuts for the left and right side , but I would try hard to leave the corners there.
I have a real nice windscreen surround here which is exactly what you need , from my 74 birdcage donor car !
Go read the link below. and know that since I wrote this, the header has been re-tooled to fit perfectly. For some reason there was a change in the upper header frame and we worked for about a year doing test installations to make sure this product was perfect... it is now. I did probably 20 test fits of this product before it was released for sale, (I even have video's of this but I've not released them yet... soon). But the parts are spot on and the job installation is described below. The car used in this write up was one of my own cars it was a 70 original mile LT-1 convertible. If you need more help post back.
I have read your link numerous times ,as well as others on this forum . The more I read , the scarier this project becomes. When I went to Carlisle this past summer, I spoke to 3 different venders with 3 opinions. One guy said I could do it, another said seek a professional, and one told me to sell the car. So that's why I was considering just removing the rusted area and make up a patch to weld in. You saw my picture, is that feasible ? If not , ill replace the whole thing. A 76 isn't a high dollar year. I know some members would call this bubba, I prefer to call it ingenuous.
My opinion is that you CAN do it IF you want to. It truly is not that hard to do due to I have replaced about 10 or more over the last 30+ years. The TRICK is getting a GOOD top frame piece which i believe Ernie from Willcox has got the made right. because I can say that IF they are not made right...it can be a CLUSTER F*CK
The corner gusset pieces are not the problem..the problem ( from my experiences) is how well the ends of the long top center piece fits and indexes into the top gusset corners. THAT is where I have run into some really sh*tty ones that were not JUST RIGHT.
Well, I ordered the top and corners from willcox today so well see how it goes. Ill resurrect this post if or when this project goes in the crapper.
F Y I if anyone was planning on removing a windshield, I used 80 lb. fishing line. I threaded one end under the glass on the pillar and tied it to the gear shifter. Then strung it around the glass against the sealant to the other pillar, and poked it back under the glass. Wrap it around a stick and pulled slowly. Lube the string on the outside with plenty of soapy water. the soap keeps the goo from sticking to the string. When its cut through, repeat on the lower half. If it hits a snag, stop ,it might be caught on a clip or a piece of rust. I really didn't want to break the glass and add another expense. Mine came right out. I saw it on a u tube search. Good luck....
Like Dub said, you can do it if you want to! I second his views on the job not being too difficult. Just take your time. Wilcox parts do fit good, I had no problems installing mine. Take lots of photos for reference of clip and screw placement. Take a bunch of measurements and build a jig of some sorts. Nothing fancy, but sturdy. Don't be in a hurry and don't be intimidated!
If you are only fixing the forward upper edge where the holes are, I've been selling some of our old test headers parts as repair pieces.
So, will these parts work for the entire length.... Nope.... All the parts are from headers that didn't work. They were out test mules.
But if you just need the metal sections for the area you have the holes I believe it would be a good repair part. (It's not my choice for the repair). But the option is available.
I don't have these up on the site just yet but should within a week, email me direct at Service@Willcoxcorvette.com and when I get the parts up there I'll post and let you know.
Willcox
Last edited by Willcox Corvette; Dec 6, 2018 at 05:00 PM.
If you are only fixing the forward upper edge where the holes are, I've been selling some of our old test headers parts as repair pieces.
So, will these parts work for the entire length.... Nope.... All the parts are from headers that didn't work. They were out test mules.
But if you just need the metal sections for the area you have the holes I believe it would be a good repair part. (It's not my choice for the repair). But the option is available.
I don't have these up on the site just yet but should within a week, email me direct at Service@Willcoxcorvette.com and when I get the parts up there I'll post and let you know.
Willcox
I ordered a header and corners from your web site yesterday , soooo be ready for a lot of dumb questions. wish me luck.
Just out of curiosity , have you taken the kick panels off and had a look inside the bottom of the door support pillars ? Orrrrr maybe you don't want to ?
Just out of curiosity , have you taken the kick panels off and had a look inside the bottom of the door support pillars ? Orrrrr maybe you don't want to ?
My drivers side has some rust, not too bad. The passengers side had none at all. I have some pix when I replaced the carpet in 2013 somewhere, the kick panels are so brittle, I didn't want to remove them again for fear of breaking them.
Ok Now I need help. I fitted the new header piece in place. The drivers side fit pretty good but the pass. side is giving me some trouble. I tweaked and pulled the best I can , but the corner
just doesn't look right to me. The corner where it meets the indentation on the side post is too low. The red line on the pix. Can I trim 1/2 inch off of that or leave it alone. Also when I removed the old piece, there was some type of calking in between the joints. The area with the green line. what do I do there? Now to welding, I don't have a spot welder so I assume I drill holes in the corners and plug weld those ????
What do you think?
Leaky windshield
