Windshield Post

[Ted Brown]

Now there is a great working door, it opens far enough back to get in and out without twisting your body all over the place, very nice.. good idea on the windshield also... George always has clean ideas...

 

[GAB]

Ted,

Not my ideas. Those were cooked up by the guys who built the cars...Kenny Long (yellow), Jim Benedict (white) and the late Gene Carey (red). All that I did was to mill the grooves in the bar stock...and take the pics.

Maybe a pic with the door closed would help.

 

[Ted Brown]

GAB, this is how I want to do my new door in a 23 body, back as far as I can get it, so in all reality the whole side would open, so you can enter and exit just like a stock car, out of the seat... no standing and turning for me anymore...

 

[Gerry]

What a clever idea and you dont notice the joint unless you know its there.
G

 

[Keeper]

This is a little different approach to mounting a windshield that was used on several cars in this area. The post are round stock that have a groove milled in them and they drop into a close fitting tube that is welded to a frame work that supports the front portion of the body. They are secured with a set screw. There is a board that runs from post to post that has a matching groove cut in it for the glass, glassed to the body, and the top edge is shaped to the body contour. Pretty clean, simple and inexpensive.

Those are nice, very simple and clean. Gives me more ideas.

I wanted something like the "Smooth T" posts (like EX-Junk has) but they are made for the 27 and I would have had to take off to much metal to make them work with a 23, so I sold them.

 

[fordsbyjay]

That is a very slick door setup.

 

[Keeper]

Okay I have started making my own posts and have a some questions. I am using 3/16 plate for the bases as this will give me plenty of metal to shape and 1 inch DOM tubing for the rod.

I want to slant my posts, what is the angle of most posts? I was set on about 30 then realized, the tilt steering would hit it at the top! So before I start welding things up I figured I would ask the questions.

Whats the tallest windshield you can run without a support rod?

Is there any reason I could not make one piece posts? I do not want a top rail on the windshield.

Next, how the heck do you attach it to the body? Or a better question, what supports should there be inside the body to support the windshield and also the steering column.

 

[Ted Brown]

The fiberglass body should be strong enough in that area to hold the three bolts, 1 on the flat back side up as high as you can get to the bolt inside, and 2 lower bolts (5/16") on the main sides, like most standard posts... As far as the steering column mounting goes, a 1/4" steel plate welded to the fire wall end of your column, 3 or 4 3/8" bolts should be all you need... This is what I have been running for over 40 years with absolutely no problems with either...

 

[Keeper]

Thanks again Ted. Should make things easy. I had all sorts of ideas goin...lol

 

[Ted Brown]

I want to mention that this is a GREAT idea, making the door wider, just that the stud part of the latch (bear claw type?) sticking out where it is, catches cloths real easy... I think the stud needs to be in the door and the latch in the body to stop that problem...