Early Non-vented Windshield Refurb/color

Is the entire length of your channel bad? or just on one end? Just thinking if you think it possible to piece it together I would bet someone here would have a damaged frame around they could retrieve a piece of good channel for you and maybe some of the sheet metal across the top you are going to need too.

 

Kaiser Willys is overpriced on just about everything they sell.

Keep looking, I think someone else will have these. The same sort of thing is used on sailboats, though it would be straight not arched. You might be able to bend it.

 

Yeah I even wrote Mike there and asked why it's so expensive and he said "they were expensive to get." Sheesh.....Anyway I decided to order the M38 part, for $30 I'll hold it up and see how far off it is and see if I can adapt it. The seller said I could return it if it's unaltered. I might "borrow" an Omix repro frame from Amazon as well and make some detailed measurements and weigh that option. They're pretty good about free shipping returns since they always seem to get the descriptions wrong on their website.

 

SEM Trim Black. I have used it on bumper, winch etc. Rattle can but it holds up well and seems chemical resistant when cured.

 

Had a chance to get out the rotabroach and got the channel off. Kinda tight quarters in the garage with 6 feet of snow that fell this week.

I know the right thing to do would be to cut this sheet metal out and stitch in a new strip but that sounds like a LOT of work. I'm on the fence here about which way to go with this thing...
Before removal:















And the view from the inside:

 

Rust never sleeps!

 

Just remember…

you’ll always find time to do things right the second time around

 

True! Curious what I did wrong this time…made sense to me to pop this off and investigate under it….I meant “the right thing to do” if I decide to try to salvage this frame versus replacing it.

 

Tie your shoe's, you could fall down.

 

JMO. From what I can see your frame is in much better shape than mine was. That looks like to me that you have the perfect conditions for a patch job, easy access, good straight panel to repair(not round or arched), making a pattern from the removed piece would be easy, plenty of rigid frame to attach it to. If you have not had a lot of practice repairing panels, no problem this is a good place to learn. If you fail you will not be worse off with you thinking of replacing the complete unit anyway. Any way again JMO. Good luck.

 

Sandblasting will clean out all that rust. As far as the M38a-1 (not M38) top channel, it should work fine with a soft top. Kayline and Bestop replacement tops back in the day fit both M38a-1 and CJ5 applications with the same top.
The arch difference is pretty subtle between the two. You have to be looking fot the difference. The one from Matt(QTM) is an NOS part too, just realistically priced.
-Donny

 

Cheers for the encouragement. I did manage to stitch in new rockers on both sides of the tub, so I should able able to tackle this if I can manage to get clean edges where I cut.

I went ahead and ordered the M38 arch from Matt. I suspect that it will be close enough for my purposes and that my bikini top and soft top will fit OK. If it was summer I'd sandblast this myself but with 6 feet of snow on the ground I'll be taking it to a sandblaster to get it nice and clean before I start the surgery.

I did also order (borrow) a Omix frame from Amazon as well, just for the exercise of doing a very careful comparison/measurement. When that arrives I will post a bunch of pics and measurements here for others benefit before I send it back to Jeff Bezos windshield rental.

 

100 percent agree. I couldn't say it better. And yeah, the snow has made it a challenge here too.

 

Got all the rust off…tomorrow sounds like a good day to hide from the hordes of tourists in town by going to the makerspace and actually welding on a nice big 4x8 table:

 

When all this flatlander mania clears out, I'd like to come up there and check it out. Excuse me if I missed it before, but I am not familiar with the makerspace, what is that?

 

You’re welcome up here any time Tim!

The makerspace is the Truckee Roundhouse. (Http://truckeeroundhouse.org). It’s a 4,000 or so ft2 warehouse at the Truckee airport. We are a non-profit community/shared shop space that I helped start in 2015 and still work for and teach CNC router classes at.

We have five shops - wood, metal, ceramics, technology, and textiles. The project started when a bunch of my friends and I got together to raise $ to buy tools we all couldn’t afford and didn’t have space for (CNC router, CNC plasma, laser cutter/engraver etc.). We were also all sad that wood and metal shop classes were getting cut from schools, and we had a desire to encourage older folks and retirees in town to come share their skills and knowledge with the younger generation.

Years later It has turned into a great community asset. We have tons of great classes and school programs. I’d be more than happy to show you (or anyone) around when you make it up. And I wish you were closer cause we have some nice tools that no one knows how to use like a hydraulic tubing bender!

Here’s a short explanatory video I made about it last month for a grant application we sent out:

 

Thanks for the explanation. Looks like a great program, space, experience, especially for the kids (big and small).

 

Got my patches cut and shaped yesterday before going to work:



Hope to get some weld thru primer on them tonight and tack them in tomorrow.

The M38 arch came, and is indeed about a half inch too far arched on each side as expected. Have to ponder on that one for a while.

 

Maybe clamp or tack the channel down on the welding table, see how much it will move. You could trace the arch you are aiming for on the table, maybe add some heat and/or some relief cuts, and form it to the traced line. Or, is the new channel 2 pieces (one flat, one the actual channel)? If so maybe take out the spot welds and reform it.

 

Sound like very good advice/plan. Also
I cannot say for sure but I would not be surprised if the increase in the new arc channel(1/2in.) would make little difference in how your top fits. Is there any way you might just spot the new channel (arch as it came)to your frame, mount on the jeep and try your top attachment? might be worth a try.