restoring '69 coupe...windshield out of car..frame very rusted..told it needs to be replaced...can this be done and maintain the proper alignment so the t-tops fit and the windshield seals...have been told that without a jig this is impossible to do correctly...would welcome comments and insights into this problem...overall the car is in good condition but it cannot be driven or left out in the rain...it leaks badly
-
-
Re: 69 coupe
Well this applies to any vintage car repairs. Get it done at a shop thats familiar with this type of grafting work. Its certianly not for the faint-at-heart. Ask for referances and documented pictures of succesful surgeries,dont do it with out! You want it dont right for integrity of the finished product and its a safety issue also. It doesnt necessarily need to be done with a "jig" per say. Just done right with alot of measuring and fitting and some one whose been there done that. Post your general location and these guys will reccomend someone in the know to do it right. I have people in this area that are versed in vette surgery. -
Re: 69 coupe
Those shops that do this work (we've done maybe a dozen at our shop) can pull off the feat incredibly well. But, don't expect it to be cheap! It takes two to three man-days of labor over the course of roughly a week (some aspects of the repair require sitting time) to get the job done properly.
The approach most use doesn't require a jig. You acquire the windshield frame from a scrap yard donor car that hasn't seen excessive rust and cut it off as low as possible. Then, you rap/tap and determine mounting points on the existing bird cage that are still intact and cut away the damaged portion.
When the rotted section(s) are removed, the interior of the existing bird cage components are shot with a stop-rust preventative to halt further progression of deterioration. The donor bird cage is CAREFULLY measured and cut to match the existing 'stub' sections of the original frame (hopefully the section of the original frame that has the VIN tag affixed can be saved...typically it can because the section it's mounted to is rather upright and not a water retaining vessel) and then welded into place.
Figure a good shop with prior experience in this form of repair will charge $1500-2000 for their services. That figure anticipates it's only the upper portions of your bird cage that need replacement and NOT the intermediate or lower sections. Those would require fiberglass exterior body component removal and/or a body frame-off removal to access causing the labor to sprial exponentially!Comment
Comment