QuestionHow do I get the windshield to fit closer to the body so I can fasten the center post on the windshield to the body on a 1971 MG Midget. The new rubber holds it off too far off the body in the center. I can barely get the ends to bolt up properly.
AnswerI presume that you have removed the glass and replaced the rubber seal around the glass, not the rubber seal underneath the windshield frame?
Have you replaced the glass? The new glass might be slightly too wide in the centre. If you still have the old glass, compare them.
The metal frame is not totally rigid, so my guess is that you have fitted the glass `dry’ and the frame has bowed in the middle. Get some washing-up liquid and apply it to the gap between the rubber and the glass. Then give the frame a tap with a leather mallet. Not too hard, you don’t want to crack the glass. Put the top of the frame on the ground, and protect it from scratching with an old blanket or towel. Then tap the bottom of the frame in the centre to bed the frame into the glass. Or you could try using a sash cramp across the frame, with the ends suitably padded to prevent scratching. I once used a stout piece of rope around the frame, tightening it with a long screwdriver like a tourniquet.
It is winter, so the rubber will be hard. Rubber softens as it gets warmer, so you could also try leaving the windshield by the hot tank for 24 hours before you start.
If all this doesn’t work, then you will have to dis-assemble the frame and lubricate the glass so it slides better into the rubber seal. You can use washing-up liquid, but I prefer silicone grease, which I buy at a plumbers merchant, intended for the assembly of plastic `push-fit’ fittings.
