windshield install, Roadster & D

[Roy Smalley]

Possibly the most onerous set of parts on a 356, and one that has been written about extensively is the roadster & D windshield assembly. Just a heads up based on some recent experience. If you have an old set of aluminum trim, (or a set that was built by Bill Perrone in years past), if you can clean them up and use them, that might save you a lot of time as well as wearing out your thumbs and finger tips. We have a few originals plus I have a couple of real, NOS pieces to compare to those being offered currently.While the thickness of the extrusion is essentially the same as original, the parts themselves are not flexible at all like the originals. Coupled with a very stiff lower rubber, installation is much more of a PITA. And there are differences in the rubber hardness from different vendors...use the softest lower seal you can find.

And good luck.

[Geoff Fleming]

This problem of hard rubber is also evident in the majority of coupe door and hood seals. So many owners change the seals then find it is impossible to close a door or have the hood close properly.
Original seals were of a very pliant rubber and compressed easily.

[Jules Dielen]

supple rubber is more expensive, hence only the cheap stuff is made.

[Adam Wright]

supple rubber is more expensive, hence only the cheap stuff is made.

It can be done, remember Veloce Space, their rubber was perfect, but pricey. They stopped making it, I guess people didn't want to pay.

[Jules Dielen]

supple rubber is more expensive, hence only the cheap stuff is made.

It can be done, remember Veloce Space, their rubber was perfect, but pricey. They stopped making it, I guess people didn't want to pay.

yup, that is the problem. If 90% of customers buy the cheap option, the better option no longer makes sense. Sucks

[Adam Wright]

supple rubber is more expensive, hence only the cheap stuff is made.

It can be done, remember Veloce Space, their rubber was perfect, but pricey. They stopped making it, I guess people didn't want to pay.

yup, that is the problem. If 90% of customers buy the cheap option, the better option no longer makes sense. Sucks

I got into this same discussion on another board the other day where people were screaming about why anyone would make a repro part that wasn't 100% correct. I gave a number of reasons but it mostly boiled down to people are cheap and making it at 90% is more profitable, and you can sell it cheaper, and people will always go for cheaper. Not all people, but most people. Meaning most restoration shops will always go for the repro part unless specified by the owner to source NOS or OEM. They want quick and they want cheap.

[Martin Benade]

Restoration shops don’t generally have time to hunt down NOS parts. That can be a full time job.

[Jim Liberty]

I've had good luck with International Mercantile. I have no clue if they are more expensive. The real cost is labor, not parts. Do it once, do it right and it is always less expensive. ......Jim.

[Adam Wright]

I was so terrified about putting glass in a Roadster that I had them paint around the frame. That and my dash covering couldn't be replicated, and it matched the interior. I figured decades from now someone will be restoring my car and say, "why is it red under here."
My car, my rules.

[Ron LaDow]

The first Speedster windshield cracked down the middle as the center support was being tightened. The next one was found cracked the next day. Sort of like getting the Lusso electric fuel pump to work, the third one got 'loving' assembly; 40 years later, it's good.
I'm not any sort of believer in 'spiritualism', but I've become convinced that your attention and dedication to to the task at hand pays dividends.
BTW, the car was painted prior to fitting the windshield.

[Jon Schmid]

Weren't these the cars that were advertised as "remove the windshield and race on the weekend and then reinstall it and drive to work on Monday" sort of thing? Suuure....

[Adam Wright]

Weren't these the cars that were advertised as "remove the windshield and race on the weekend and then reinstall it and drive to work on Monday" sort of thing? Suuure....

My guess was a lot of cracked glass on the Monday commute.

[Jon Schmid]

Weren't these the cars that were advertised as "remove the windshield and race on the weekend and then reinstall it and drive to work on Monday" sort of thing? Suuure....

My guess was a lot of cracked glass on the Monday commute.

No doubt. But somehow that was never mentioned, was it?...

[Adam Wright]

Weren't these the cars that were advertised as "remove the windshield and race on the weekend and then reinstall it and drive to work on Monday" sort of thing? Suuure....

My guess was a lot of cracked glass on the Monday commute.

No doubt. But somehow that was never mentioned, was it?...

It was good marketing, my guess is the amount of guys who actually ever did this was pretty small. But lots of guys did drive to work on Monday thinking they "could" go racing. Commuting in a 356 is a fun experience, I know.

[Martin Benade]

Is that a NY state thing, a slalom course set up in a construction zone? I like it.