MTFCA Forum

Has anyone ever tried to replace the side glass frame on a 26 tudor sedan windshield? Mine is rotted out on the passenger side. I have another frame that the side piece is not rotted, but I can't figure out if or how it comes apart. I have the top hinge part off, and the glass out. Is the frame U-shaped channel all one piece or can it come apart? THANKS for any Ideas. STEVE

The sides and bottom channels are welded together as one assembly, the top channel attaches to the sides with screws. Sounds like you took it apart as far as you can without cutting.

I have a 1926 coupe and I believe that the windshield on the ‘26 Tudor is identical to the ‘26 coupe. You should include a photo, for I have no idea what you are talking about, because there is no wood in the ‘26 windshield, to rot. 1926 is the first year of the totally redesigned “improved” Model T with all steel bodies. Other than the 1926 Fordor, which had a wooden framed body, the other 1926 closed body styles were all steel, with the two piece all steel windshield frame. The top piece with the hinge went across the top and the other piece, a three sided frame that the glass slid into, attached to the top piece by means of heavy tabs on each end of the top piece that slid down into the bottom piece and were secured by two countersunk machine screws that screwed into the side of the lower frame into two threaded holes in each top piece tab. There were also two large headed, decorative threaded oval headed countersunk machine screws that go into each side of the face of the frame. In all, there are six screws that secure the top piece to the bottom. Jim Patrick

Perhaps Steve is using "rotted out" to mean rusted out.

Allan from down under.

Allen, I’ll bet you are right! Jim Patrick

Yes, I am talking about rust. I guess my question is; has anybody cut the side piece off and replaced it? If so, how did you go about it, where to cut and how to re-attach? I don't know how to post pictures, but Jim's illustration is the windshield I have. I don't really want to look for a different one if I can fix this one! THANKS for any help, STEVE

I DO HAVE AN EXTRA ONE WITH A GOOD SIDE PIECE. Hoping I can make one from two.

Back to the top

REALLY!!! NO ONE HAS ANY IDEAS?

Still waiting for pictures. Sort of hard to make suggestions without seeing the extent of the problem. Jim Patrick

A picture of the rusted out section would speak for itself. When you can take some pic of the inside and outside. Pictures say a thousand words.

I will say this without seeing a picture. Even if the rot is like swiss cheese...as long as there is enough of the piece left to indicate the shape of the square tubing, it can be repaired with any number of incredibly hard epoxy putties available these days. I have had great success with “Aluminum Devcon” (mix ratio by volume: 4 parts grey putty to 1 part white catalyst), that I have been using for 50 years (Part number 10610, www.McMaster.com. Search box: “epoxy putty”). Once cured, it is as hard as steel and can be machined. I would saturate the rusted area with Ospho which will halt the rust and change it into a hard black inert stable substance. When the Ospho has cured, I would mix up a batch of Aluminum Devcon putty and start sculpting the tube by filling the square tube through the rust holes into the interior and, conforming it to the exterior sides of the tubing until it is smooth and assumes the same size of the original tubing. Just don’t fill the top part into which the pieces on each end of the top piece slide. That can be sculpted after the top has slid into place. With some practice and black paint, you will not be able to discern the repair. Jim Patrick

Photos courtesy of Harvey Cash from a 2015 thread:

What is not talked about here is the condition of the other frame. If it is in good shape, why not use it? If it is not all twisted or rusted out, why go thought all the work of making one out of 2?

Hear is the deal. I have 2 frames. Both are rusted in different places. This all started because the frame I had planned to use was rusted out around the glass channel on the top cross piece. No problem, I will just take the the top piece off of the other frame which is not rusted and put it on the other one. After I got the top piece apart and the glass out, I found that the side piece was rusted out worse than I could see before disassembly. That is when I started this post to ask if the U-channel was one piece or could be taken apart to change out the rusted piece with the one off of the other one which is not rusted. Now that I know it is all one piece, I asked if anyone had tried to cut the frame with the bad side piece and replace it with the good side piece. So far no one has offered a solution, other than epoxy filling, which is what I will do if I can't figure out how to cut and swap the pieces. I figured that there is a way to cut the frame and braze or weld it back together, thinking someone had done this before and could offer their advice on where to cut and how to re-attach. Surely I am not the first to try this method. Thanks to all that have responded!!! STEVE

Have had the joy of working on 2 windshield frames here in the last few years.
One was after a glass company removed the glass to replace a cracked screen and all but destroyed the frame ( the glass had been fitted with eurethane previously)
I was fortunate to have an extremely patient panelbeater (metal magician) that worked away at it and it is now back in the car.
When doing that repair he folded a replacement glass channel and fitted it in to the frame. As the frame section is formed out of one piece it started to go odd shapes while he worked on it and welded in the new channel.
I would consider trying this method of repairing one of the sides rather than cutting and replacing the upright from another frame

Cheers
Glen Mcconachie
New Zealand

The ones I have had to work with are not dis-similar to the round stock on US open cars.. Closed car screens will be different but the same methods may work. If you have enough length of good frame to work with, I cut it at 45 degrees and make a mitred joint in the corners. Oxy weld with steel wire on the outside and fill any void on the inside with bronze . It is much easier to make the joins at the corners than it is to keep everything in line half way along a straight section.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.