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windhield support question

Old Guy

Member
My bucket has a large one piece windshield. I plan to add a couple 3/8" stainless rods from the top of the windshield down to the front end of the chassis. I have noticed this kind of added support can be seen in pics of other T's. I'm concerned that when the frame twists the distance from the front end of the frame to the top of the windshield changes. I jacked up one side so that one front wheel was 6" off the floor (it could happen). The distance from the end of the frame to the top of the windshield (where I would attach my support rod) changed by almost 5/8". Do the cars that have this kind of support provide some method of relief to avoid undue strain on the windshield? Does anybody know?

Roger
 
The rod will bend in compression but wind will pull them straight. My avitar had 144" wheelbase so I had plenty of frame flex! Think front motor dragster. I had windshield with and without rods and had no problems in 8 years and close to 100,000 miles.
 
Welcome, Old Guy! My old bucket had the rods and no problems. Plenty of flex in the windshield to accommodate any movement.
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Right hand drive, Eh..

(notices the letters on the tyres were reversed). ;)
 
Right hand drive, Eh..

(notices the letters on the tyres were reversed). ;)
I don't think that the letters are reversed. They are upside down though and read "RACING PROFILE".

Jim
 
Ooops
 
Hi Rodger
I had windshield support rods on both of my previous buckets, Never had a problem. Yes the frame will flex but so will the windshield. Safety glass (I hope that what you have) will flex a lot more than you would think. I would install them.
Dave
 
I have had the rods for years , no problem with them. At first I didn't run rods & was told by a few people to get them , Or you will be sorry wishing you had them. so I put them on. Been O.K.
 
With the tall windshields, my concern would be the glass being push out of the windshield channel, when it flexes. That's a lot of flexible flat space. Probably wouldn't be an issue with a two piece windshield.
 
With the tall windshields, my concern would be the glass being push out of the windshield channel, when it flexes. That's a lot of flexible flat space. Probably wouldn't be an issue with a two piece windshield.
Fwiw, my bucket had a two piece windshield with the rods and no issues. It is a built 427 BBC with a manual four speed and 4:56 spool, so it had pleanty of abuse and flexing. It was built in the late '70's and all survived. Btw, I'm taming the beast way down, lol.
 
A little story. My car has a short windshield with no top bar tying the posts together. Once, while it was still in the "shake down" stage before final tear down and paint, my wife and I were following a friend in his '29A to an event. We were cruising along at around 60 MPH when the rather sharp transition from the road to the bridge surface caused the glass to pop out of the two short uprights. My wife really surprised me with her VERY quick reaction time and caught it. I only slowed momentarily to see that she was OK and then proceeded to follow my friend's '29 to the event. When he got out and stepped back to our car and saw my wife still sitting there with the windshield across her lap, the look on his face was priceless. He asked when that happened and I told him that it had happened at about the 20 mile mark. He could not believe that we had stayed right on his tail for nearly 50 miles and he hadn't noticed a thing.

At the event we were able to get some clear packaging tape and rap it several times from post to post to hold the glass in for the ride home that night. Needless to say, there was some "adjusting" to be done the next day. Since that time, which was about six years ago, I've had absolutely no problems. I've gone considerably faster over many "bumps in the road" with absolutely no problems. There is something to be said for those "shake down cruises" though. IMHO

Jim
 
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