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1. I started by laying in the windshield to check the fitment with the existing frame.
Surprisingly it fit pretty good and laid flat against the top and sides.
The only concern was a small gap on the bottom.
The picture makes the gap look bigger than it is. Maybe 1/4 of an inch? Is that too much?
2. Then I took off the corner pieces and found a bunch of calk, which I proceeded to remove
Driver's side
Passenger side
So the good news is that at every point of the surround, there is solid metal
Most of the rusted out areas are located on the outer facing surface of the A pillar
So in theory you could cut out that outer facing metal and patch it.
More to ponder
Last edited by gleninsandiego; Aug 25, 2021 at 05:02 PM.
That is good news Glen. Damage like this is usually on the front face (unless it's really severe). You have good structural integrity left there.
Whatever areas you can't get into well with a wire wheel, use a good rust remover like Evaporust, Loc-Tite Rust Dissolver, Rustoleum Rust Dissolver, etc. Spray/rub them in and/or slop it in with a paint brush, rinse it out. I assume you have access to an air compressor to blow it out real well when you're done. Temp in SD is 81 today so it should go very well for you.
how about something like a giant q-tip? like the stick with a fuzzy ball on it in rubber cement only longer. goop up the ball and push it in there like cleaning out your ears?
As I was working on the windshield surround today, it appears as if the passenger A pillar was bent when the
passenger door was hit years ago. It has been straightened but it does give more things to ponder here
Last edited by gleninsandiego; Aug 26, 2021 at 11:17 PM.
if the windshield closes the gaps and the trim goes on and doesn't look crooked, i would leave it alone. you have a new frame. you don't like the welds. the stuff on your frame is worse above the welds. i would consider filling all the above-vin holes with epoxy. doing the down-low holes with RTV. put the frame away and install the windshield and wait until you have better options to get it done better. in the long run i would repair the holes below the vin tag and replace the frame above it. there are also issues with removed and reinstalled vin tags.
If you feel the need to remove the VIN tag, and move it to a replacement part, it is perfectly legal as part of a repair, according the the NJ State Police and NJ Dept of MV specialty car inspector. I checked that very carefully. The correct VIN rivits are available on-line, they are called Rosette Rivits. The NJSP Sgt I spoke with suggested taking pictures before during and after the VIN transfer, just for CYA in case anything ever comes up. And interestingly he recommended do not say anything to the local DMV while getting it titled, etc. Not unless you want it labeled "salvage" LOL. I got very common sense answers, not exactly what I was expecting. But of course your results in a different state and a different guy may vary. My MV inspector guy I talked to rebuilds 32 coupes, ones with the lower 12 inches missing, so he thought repairing a windshield frame was child's play!
I would just keep quiet about it, take pics for CYA, and tuck them away. That's what I will do if it becomes necessary. Those guys are more concerned about "attempt to defraud". What you really need to be concerned about is making the next buyer down the line "happy".
And if you talk to 10 people on this topic I'll bet you get ten opinions!
Well my friends, the gold car is off to a friend of a friends body shop
who is going to try to fix the rust on the existing surround.
The downside risk is pretty small here so I am looking forward to see what happens
He said it would take him several weeks due to other cars ahead of me and he wants
to take his time to do it right
