Flush Mount Window

Seriously thought about it when I was restoring my car but chickened out. It was too much work for me and too much other stuff was higher on the list. It is a great look though and from what I understand helps to stiffen the car.

Blaine

Can you tell me what was involved in this conversion and who makes the kit ?

Thanks Ron

I know Hall used to make it. You have to cut out the old window channel all the way around and weld in new channel pieces that fit snug to the windshield. It is quite labor intensive and requires much autobody and welding skill so the finished product looks acceptable. It really is quite a nice update to the car though.

Blaine

You guys are talking about the Windshield? Not the side windows.

Yup. At least thats what im talking about. Mind you I could be confused. It has happened in the past . Purple Passion had one of these windshields mounted supposedly to aid in stiffening as the car was a targa top.

Blaine

quote:

Originally posted by PanteraTurbo:
I know Hall used to make it. You have to cut out the old window channel all the way around and weld in new channel pieces that fit snug to the windshield. It is quite labor intensive and requires much autobody and welding skill so the finished product looks acceptable. It really is quite a nice update to the car though.

Blaine

I guess my main question is how much clearance is needed around he window and what the depth should be. Bending the metal and welding it i won't be too hard but I just am not sure what my goal should be as far as clearance.

Ron I saw several Pantera's with flush mounted windshields and they look good. It makes the normal trim look fat, bulky and oversized.

Unfortunately I cant answer that. I saw Purple Passion in person but never got into the windshield. I doubt Hall would be too apt to share that info. Hopefully someone else can chime in with dimensions.

Blaine

I may drop by a glass shop and talk to them.

Photo below, not a real good shot, but the best I could find at the moment. Hall did the job, just like his purple car, but hard top.

That looks good!

" Purple Passion had one of these windshields mounted supposedly to aid in stiffening as the car was a targa top."

I think it looks great ...rather then the big ugly rubber gasket.

Ron

The 'kit' is a 2" wide strip of steel that's welded around the entire windshield opening. Be prepared to at least pull the dash; even with TIG-welding, considerable heat will be generated with the 15 or so FEET of weld bead. Grinding and metal-finishing the strips is next so the glass will glue in properly. And once in and the car repainted, a few cars with this innovation have cracked the windshield when the monococque body twists over bumps, so a chassis stiffener kit might be a wise addition. Like many others, this is not an addition, its a major redesign of the chassis structure and owners should plan accordingly. The redesign looks nice but the jury's still out on any aerodynamic gains.

my car is in bare metal and at present houses a 12 pt cage ...should be stiff enough ..the reason I think this might be an option for me is the lower window channel is rusted and the gasket is gone .. my MIG welding capabilties are fine .. but I hear ya the distortion seems to be exceesive in the light guage steel / corroded areas.

Ron

Sounds like internet scare tactics to me. I saw several cars including those ran on tracks and none expressed issues with cracking. I wouldn't TIG that any way. Internet experts who haven't welded much will tell you it's the best way. I can tell you emphatically it's not. If you want to heat soak a pannel TIG is great for that.

My flairs were tac welded in an overlap. I wanted them flush. I cut them and welded them flush. I used MIG which worked great. I NEVER welded fast enough where the metal was hot to the touch more than 6" away. Never any warpage and never 15 feet away; 5 feet behind the car!!!

I experimented with Tig in this area but even single 1/2 second tac welds warped the pannel.

MIG gets a bad wrap from internet arm chair experts but people really don't understand MIG.

quote:

Originally posted by Bosswrench:
; even with TIG-welding, considerable heat will be generated with the 15 or so FEET of weld bead.

I think what Jack means is there is a total of 15 feet worth of welding, not heat generated 15 feet away from weld. All my flares were mig welded as well in 1 inch increments with no problems.

Blaine

I just spoke to Steve Wilkinson this morning about this very topic. I did not ask him about the twisting and breakage problem, but I asked if he ever did one of these. His answer was that he is getting new windshields made to drop right in flush -- in kit form. No welding, no painting, just need a competent glass guy. He did not know exactly when they would be in stock, all he would commit to is "....soon...."

So if anyone is willing to hang tight until he gets these in, it may be a way to go. I am going to try it in my car. I asked him about cost, and he said very comparable to the original window cost.

I had heard he had been promising those windshields would be done soon for some time. I would like to see a little more movement toward a product. It would be a great solution.

quote:

Originally posted by DeMopuar:

Let us know if you can find more about this.

I would like to see some close up pics of the filler sheet metal and how it is put in. Dimensions would be great. There are many here who are capable of fabricating this themselves.
Mark

Good news on Wilkinson's oversized windshields. Y'all do realize that stock glass will fall thru the windshield opening without the gasket 'cause the glass is slightly undersized from the factory? In fact, this may be the main reason for windshield water leaks even with a brand new gasket.
TIG welding (at least by me) is done as you say- skip-welding an inch at a time. But the point is, there's an awful lot of welding used here however you do it- braze it if you prefer! Finally, cars like Hall's Purple Passion have so much underbody bracing added that that beautiful car weights around 4000 lbs... so looking at a Pantera with a glued-in windshield that hasn't cracked means nothing until you find whether the chassis has been braced or not. Not all the unbraced windshields will crack- but not all Panteras will crack the rear paint near the gas filler either. Depends entirely how and where you drive it.

I think if we ALL inquire about the oversized windshiled to Wilkinson and he see a demand...might speed it up al little ...

Ron

quote:

Originally posted by accobra:
I think if we ALL inquire about the oversized windshiled to Wilkinson and he see a demand...might speed it up al little ...

Ron

It would be a great solution as it would not require such a near permanent modification to the car.

I also have the Hall flush mounted windshield on my car. When I bought the car I did not have any chassis bracing etc., although now I have a rigidity kit installed. But I never had any issues with the windshield

It's how cars are done. It's not a problem!

Your car by the way looks GREAT!

quote:

Originally posted by Rapid:
I also have the Hall flush mounted windshield on my car. When I bought the car I did not have any chassis bracing etc., although now I have a rigidity kit installed. But I never had any issues with the windshield