Windscreen Fitting

[RonR]

Hi all,

First of all, thanks to Jeff for creating the excellent new site. I'm sure it will prove to be yet another valuable resource for us all.

Now down to business:

Does anyone know if there are differences in the windscreen opening between early (hard rubber surround) and late (Butyl rubber surround) +2's?

I have re-shelled my car with a later shell, so I would like to know if I HAVE to fit the screen with Butyl, or if I can re-use the original rubber surround.



Ron
'68 Plus2 (with later shell)

[Dave_Newcastle]

Yes, later shells are definately different. The flange on the body around screen is deeper than on earlier shells so that the screen sits against it all the way around with the sealant between flange and glass.

You can't easily cut flange down either because the shell at area of base of screen flows directly into the dash top.

Why do you want to use the rubber anyhow?? Modern sealant is much easier to put screen in with and will remain more flexible than the early sealants used when the later elans were first built. Only problem though is screen trim - the plastic stuff is nasty and very difficult to fit neatly.

I suggest you talk to windsreen companies and fit a modern trim as well - I did on my car and have seen other modern trims successfully and neatly fitted to others - not original but much nicer than the plastic trim.

Dave

[RonR]

Thanks Dave,

I guess it's just 'The Devil you know' syndrome. Although I've fitted several screens with hard rubber surrounds and found them quite easy to do, I've never played with Butyl.

As I'm stuck with the Butyl now, I have to find a solution for the finishing strip.

I agree that the plastic trim can look pretty awful, but I may have a solution:

I have in my shed a bright metal screen finishing strip. It is T-shaped in section with the top of the T being around an inch accross, and the tail of the T around 5/8" long. It comes in 3 pieces with a join at each bottom corner and the third in the middle at the top of the screen. It is definitely meant for the +2-shaped windscreen. I picked it up at an autojumble, but I don't think it's a Lotus item (possibly Scimitar GTE or Ford Classic?).

Does anyone know it's true application, or does anyone have a similar strip installed on a Plus2?

Ron R

[RonR]

After a trawl through Google images, I discovered....

The windscreen trim I have is from an early +2S! (But there was something very close to it on a Ford Classic).

I can't find any reference to it in my Workshop Manual, so I'd like to know how it was fixed around the screen.

Cheers

[Dave_Newcastle]

Hi again Ron

Great minds think alike they say.

I did the same and got hold of what I believe is the same trim as you have - it came from the early capri (similar to classic but two door coupe) which shares the same screen with the plus 2. (Lotus originally intended the bulkhead , windscreen pillars, screen and screen suround to be all sourced from ford until they found out that ford couldnt supply because they had destroyed the tooling).

I have seen a number of plus 2 s (early ones and approx 1969/70 manufacture) fitted with these trims and I was told that in 69/70 lotus used up the ford stock at that time (may not be true).

Anyhow - the trim is designed so that it will only fit the early shells. The correct rubber is very difficult to get hold of. I have been told it is possible to buy a similar profile to the original off a roll (I have a sample small length at home), but that would still require some clever working to use because the original rubber came as a complete rectangular piece with rubber corner sections bonded to the main rubber lengths.

I dont believe that you will get the trim to fit your car without a lot of modification to the shell aperture.

Dave