Windscreen - bonded in or not?

[Gizze]

Hopefully an easy question to answer - I have a 1970 +2s with a chrome metal surround for the front windscreen. Question - Is this bonded in or is it a conventional seal?
Many thanks

[bob_rich]

Hi according to the +2 manual cars after chassis 7001010001N use a bonded in windscreen. I thought the chrome strip was in fact plastic covered and is now very difficult to get. The clue would be if there are two small alluminium corner clip at each of the bottom corners of the wind shield.

I am rebuilding my +2 at present (december 1973 model) and plan to put in a more conventional windcreen sealing along the lines of the Spyder mod though this too will be bonded in.

Hope this helps

Best of Luck

Bob

[Pastapesto]

Gizze

From memory, there are three types: early type, which uses a screen rubber & has a small plastic/chrome infill.
This is not bonded.

Mid type, which uses the beautiful wide (metal) chrome surround from the Classic Capri. This has corner pieces but
this is not bonded.

Late type, which has a similar wide chrome (plastic/claylastic) trim surround which is not as nice as the other two types. This IS bonded in .

I think that the apertures are different with the bonded & non bonded so I do not think they can be interchangeable.

Hope that helps

Adam

[jono]

I have a 1970 plus 2S as well.

As said the chrome (actually polished stainless steel, I think) surround and rubber are not bonded. The continuous rubber to go with this screen is unobtanium but you can get a one that works from Reliant Scimitar parts dealers - I got one from a Scimitar specilaist in the north west (can't recall name) and it's good but not perfect.

Those metal surrounds do look very good though, really sets the car off.

Jono

[Pastapesto]

Jono you're dead right, I should have said Polished stainless (sorry, was not thinking straight).

That was the type I had on my +2S 130 & it was one of the best features of the car IMHO (visually).

I think Susan Miller has the rubber surround for some or all of the types. Give her a call as she is very helpful with all things to do with Elan & +2 parts ~ 01723 603307. (tell her I reccomended her)

Good luck

Adam

[Elanintheforest]

Adam's right about the early, mid and late types of screen, however there was a VERY early as well! This is the same as the mid type with the original Capri S/S surround.

Story is, the Plus 2 was designed to have the S/S surround, but by the time the car came into production in August 1967, Ford had scrapped the tooling for it. Some lads went hunting around the Ford dealerships, and came up with 150 sets or so, hence the first 150 cars had the Capri surround, and as there were no more, the plastic fillet piece surround was deveoped.

What mystifyies me is that when the 'S' was launched, it also had the Capri S/S surround, and yet they's been unobtainable in 1967. I guess that someone somewhere found a large batch of them, perhaps tucked away in the vast Ford warehouses, and Lotus got them cheap!

You can just about make out the wide surround on this Plus 2 in the launch brochure. I agree that it really sets off the car. Mr Hickman knew what he was doing.

Here endeth the lesson. I hope you've all been paying attention...questions will be asked.

Mark

[Gordon Sauer]

With apparent continued unavailability of the foil insert , plastic surround, has anyone yet come up with a way to use some chrome/stainless strip with the bonded in aperture--the aperture difference being what separates what surround works. For example, if you could come up with the Capri chrome surround (even used) that was not available despite the design to use it, could you use it now--anybody had any luck? Thanks Gordon Sauer

[Elanintheforest]

Hi Gordon
I'm sure that it could be done, but it would be quite a large job.

Have a look at the pictures of the early and late surrounds below. The late (bonded screen) car has a smaller aperture all around, which isn't too big an issue for the roof and roof pillar areas, as they could be cut back. However, along the bottom. along the dash area, there is no lip on the late surround, just a recess where the bonded wind screen sits. To re-model that to provide a lip, and a lip that wouldn't pull off as soon as you start pressing a windscreen into it, could be a pretty big job.

Mark

[Gizze]

Hi,
Thanks for so many replies.
Have established supplies for the rubber seal, and windscreen as one of the prompts for me to do this is the screen needs repairing / replacing. Approx costs I've been quoted so far :
Screen repair - ?150 ( 3 chips)
Screen replace (supply and fit - ?800 (ouch)
New windscreen and seals - ?235 (not including P+P, which many don't seem to want to do, which must reflect on past experiences with windscreens getting damaged)
Now just trying to sum up the courage to do the screen myself - and I agree that chrome surround really does the car justice, hope I don't wreck it when I take it off!
Once again, many thanks

[Pastapesto]

Gizze

Three chip repairs on a windscreen ?150? Sounds very expensive. Where are you based?

There are many companies that will do this far cheaper than that & you would not have to touch the screen or the surround. What type of damage is it? Can you post a picture or two so we can see?

Regards

Adam

[mikealdren]

Autoglass did a very cheap job on my Alfa and they then offer a lifetime guarantee on the screen (for as long as you keep the car) a good deal for an Elan!

They started by saying that my insurance company would probably pay (they didn't) but it was only a few pounds (?25 I think).

Still not sure what type of screen you have, People have fitted their own bonded screens but I think it's a bit of an art. Standard screens are easier but it is still a bit of a skill, experts make it look very easy and they don't usually charge much. I bought a new screen last year for about ?130, have you tried shopping around and asking the usual Lotus experts?


Mike

[Gizze]

Have managed to source a secondhand windscreen. I'll order seals and have a go at fitting it.
The quote for repairs was from Autoglass.
I have a new headlining as well, so will fit this at the same time, and then there's the paintwork around the windows which is a bit scruffy, and the roof has a stress crack in it, and ......... before I know it the car will be in a pile of bits again, when I'm aiming to get it on the road in the next couple of weeks!

[Gizze]

Sorry forgot to say - I'm based in Essex, chips were fairly small, about the size of a pound coin.

[Crowster]

Hi

I'm half way through changing my headlining too (amongst many other things!) on my '73 +2S 130/5 and need to pop the screen out to fir the new headlining. I have the chromed plastic windscreen trim which as I've now found is unobtainable. Lesson learnt. I tried to ease mine off but it was getting damaged.

Tried the usual suspects (Matty etc) and could hear them laughing at the other end. Then I called Banks Europa and they told me that they were trying to get a batch of the chromed plastic trim remanufactured. Apparently the chap who was previously manufacturing it (presumably in his shed) can't get hold of the (arsenic based) release agent he was using any more and he's been struggling to get alternatives to work since last year. Banks seemed pretty determined and are going to email me when they have it in. I'll post if/when they are successful.

First time I've actually had anything useful to add so thought I'd better sign-up! Awesome forum - I'd be either totally lost or very poor with out it.

[Craig Elliott]

You might want to try R Dent or some of the other suppliers in the USA - I know that they still had some after the UK supplies dried up. Although it's somewhat expensive (I seem to recall ?150) for what it is they will ship it over if it's available.

As I've said in other posts it's very difficult to get someone to fit the bonded screen for you at a reasonable cost, probably because of the availability of parts, but you can do it yourself if your careful, take your time and make sure you've got some good help! See:

elan-plus-f13/1972-front-screen-fitting-parts-question-t19480.html

Craig