Morris Mk 1 Windscreen Replacement

[ERNGOR]

Looking for advice on replacing my windscreen in my 1967 Mk1 Morris Mini, is this a easy DIY job or one best left to the professionals.

Who supplies the best windscreens that fit with no issues- Mini Spares, Somerford or others?

Are their any garages or fitting centres in Cumbria recommended by the group who could undertake the job if I go down that route..

Any advice on fitting appreciated

I am replacing the screen because old age has left it rather scratched.

Cheers

Gordon

[MagicWandWoody]

I've fitted a couple. A new electric-heated one from Minispares. And an original. Both into 60's cars. Both using brand new rubbers. Sure there'll be others here who've fitted loads more than me.

It's not a trivial job and at first it seems impossible. But persevere and it gets there.

You'll need some tools - especially the one to put the bead in. I used the cheap Draper version but if I bought again I'd pay extra for one that doesn't keep skipping out of the slot and leaving the bead proud so it has to be jiggled back in.

But by the time you've bought a screen, paid for delivery, bought some tools, soaked your car in washing-up-liquid, and risked breaking the new screen and having to start over... it could well make more sense just to get someone to come to you and supply-and fit on your driveway. Though you'd have to find someone who understands rubber-mounted screens, rather than the glued-in ones which have been the norm for decades now. And check they know which thickness of screen and which size of rubber they need to bring with them (MPi have a thicker screen, and the rubber changed to a fatter one not sure when but long after the 60's.)

OTOH if you DIY it you'll have time to clean up the old metal edges, maybe paint and rustproof them, as well as the option to add some screen sealer gunk before you fit the bead. None of which a pro fitter would be interested in doing.

Loads of amateur youtube offerings about how to do it. Some are more sensible than others... the ones where the fitter is using a (metal) screwdriver to lever the rubber around the glass should be skipped.

[gs.davies]

I’ve done this a couple of times. I used somerford seals and wasn’t 100% happy with the way they crinkled up on the inside corners. Then again, it was -2 in the garage when I installed the front one.

As said, the bead is possibly the worst job on a mini, get the proper tool.

I started by putting the seal on the glass, for one lower corner in and then worked my way round easing the seal into the aperture. It get really bum clenching when you’re at the last little bit but there’s a sense of satisfaction when it finally pops into place.

That said, if I could have found someone to do it, I would have done.

PS I’ve only ever fitted toughened glass, not laminated, it’s been suggested that laminated break easier and are more fragile when being fitted. Don’t know how true that is at luckily I didn’t find out!

[AndyPen]

I fitted my own and it was indeed a trial, but the roller type tool for the insert helped, as did buying a suction handle to adjust the glass position a little and to hold it with confidence. I bought a lot of lube as well - won't tell you what my wife said when it arrived through amazon!!!

I fitted the seal first and used plastic trim tools to ease it all in once lubed well. This will help enormously when going around the corners inserting the trim. When I did the Final Cut on the insert I trimmed it about 3mm too long - so as to allow for shrinkage - as advised on here.

[Polarsilver]

Replacing a mk1 Front & Rear Screen can be a challenge but is do-able.. you will need a locking strip insert tool.. first rule is never try to replace a Screen on a cold winters day better to wait for a warm temp Day .. Start by Cutting out "with care" the original Windscreen Rubber to try to save the original Screen as it could be re-used & keep it whole then no need to then clean up thousands of bits of glass from / off the car .. I fit the rubber to the body then insert the screen into the rubber seal ( others do it the other way around & use String to insert the rubber with the Screen but then you need two people ) Most important in my opinion ..need some form of lubricant for me i use Silicone Grease rather than washing up liquid.
Last tip is the locking strip needs to be left slightly over long & then tease fit the overlength into the final position .. Why? the locking strip can & does stretch on insert & could/maybe shrink & leave a visible gap at the start / end location after a period of time.
Also keep a check in the interior if you have the A post trim etc that needs to sit under the screen inner rubber .

Having past experiences of Shattered Morris Marina Windscreen Glass into the Eye ..why would i not fit a Laminated Screen

Never done this before ..then i would look up your local "small" Windscreen Company as they will do this type of work on many other classic cars .

ps.. when i needed to remove a past fitted Windscreen that was installed using Silicone Grease .. made life so much easier to Take Out that Windscreen.

[mab01uk]

Not advisible to use washing up liquid as it has a lot of salt in it which will cause long term corrosion under the windscreen rubber seal, car wash/wax liquid works quite well and is salt free.
A toughened glass front or rear screen will withstand a lot more pushing & shoving to get it into the rubber seal than a laminated glass screen which will crack suddenly if you put too much uneven pressure onto it. Even seen the professionals do that but they can just swear and then usually go get another one out the stores....
However I would always replace an old toughened windscreen with a laminated screen, as said if you remember the experience of a shattered toughened windscreen back in the day you won't want to repeat it!


The days before laminated screens! (Shattered toughened screen photo taken in 1963 by John Martins).


The temporary screen solution...kept rolled up in the boot.

[Peter Laidler]

Did the same, but a Mk2, over the summer and agree with all the above........... but!

Can I advise you to get some of those little flat sticks....., similar to ice lolly and magnum ice cream sticks, to help you and your pal to carefully lever the well-lubed rubber seal over the body shell edge, especially over the last two corners and along the last top or bottom edge. Called modelling sticks on ebay

Also useful for pressing in/aligning the beading around the corners where it seems to twist on itself

Nice to see an Army mini (above) with a temporary screen fitted. A lot of these army very basic spec minis had twin fuel tanks too. The Army/MoD got wise about the poor prices they fetched at auction in early 70's UK. So they sent them to Germany for disposal at Hamm, where they commanded much higher prices

[MagicWandWoody]

I used to worry about washing-up liquid and corrosion. Then I read this from MoreBikes magazine:

Does washing-up liquid damage your vehicle? We asked Dr Bob Eden BSc MSc PhD MICorr (Member of the Institute of Corrosion) for the truth:

“Washing up liquid does contain a ‘salt’ but this is the active ingredient and should not be confused with road salt. There is nothing in a washing-up liquid that will exacerbate corrosion – there’s no sodium chloride salt to worry about. The issue regarding corrosion is the ‘chloride’ bit of the salt. In ‘chloride nests’ at the base of a corrosion pit, the chloride exists as hydrogen chloride, which in damp conditions creates a solution of dilute hydrochloric acid, and it’s this acid that does the damage. You need to avoid ‘chloride’ from any and all sources, e.g. seawater, road grit and fish & chips (but not washing up liquid). When I wash my aluminium bodied Lea Francis, a dash of Fairy is just fine."

Edit: Bear in mind, tho' that detergent will wash away wax from the paintwork. Personally I still wouldn't use it as a regular wash for the car - there are products designed for that job. But for fitting a screen, followed by a good rinse, followed by a re-wax... feels like it should be fine.

[minibitz]

I've fitted more screens than I can count. Did two yesterday, front and rear on MK1 Cooper S, both toughened glass.

The trick is to apply the rubber to the car first, drop the glass into the base of seal then work the outer lip over the glass up the sides and along the top with a plastic implement as mentioned by others. You need to watch for the rubber puckering up inside the car along the bottom and at the corners. This will stop the glass dropping down fully into the seal.

A fair amount of force can be applied to settle the glass into the seal once the outer edge has been flicked over all the way around. The only thing you don't want to do is be tempted to use any metal implement. Chipping the screen edge doing this will end in disaster. On a laminated screen it will cause a crack.

I use a small amount of washing liquid with water in a squirty bottle for lubricant. I don't buy all the "you shouldn't use washing liquid" nonsense, we're talking about a tea spoon in a litre of water. When I hear of the alternatives other people use I dread to think of the mess made. Besides, the rubber is fitted dry to the body . The lube is applied to ease the glass into the rubber.

For anyone worried about corrosion I've only seen this on cars fitted with the later CCB10011 wide front seals. These are a water trap. Every single car I have removed one of these rubbers from has had corrosion underneath, but never, not even once, have I seen corrosion under the old regular width seals.

Another trap for young players is making sure the rubber is applied to car using the narrow groove and glass into the wide groove. Had customer in a few weeks back complaining about glass not fitting in the "crappy rubber" we sold him. On inspection this was the mistake he had made. Flipped the seal and glass dropped straight in.

[Peter Laidler]

MiniBitz is right about the wider screen rubbers being a water-trap. When I got my brand new last-of-the-line Rover RCSport in 2001 my local garage warned/told me to lift the rubber (easy when new.....) and fill the wide void between the rubber and the body. I did! With a loooooong length of that aerosol 'straw' stuff, inserted it up and down and along the full length of the screen rubber. Then flooded it with supertrol. And it's still there, rust and trouble free

[ERNGOR]

Many thanks to one and all for all the advice given and your various recommendations. There is talk of toughened and laminated glass, all the suppliers provide laminated.

Luckily it is not an urgent job, just cosmetic so I will read up and what the u tube to see best how to approach.

Once again thanks

[Peter Laidler]

There's really no question. Laminated for safety every time

[peasantslife]

Copied from my own previous similar post:

The glazing gasket and locking strip system is to a patent by Howard Clayton-Wright Ltd of Stratford on Avon and later Wellesbourne. They were quite prolific suppliers of rubber with metal products for the duration of the British mass market vehicle assembly. Also sometimes known as 'Claytonrite'.
If you do not install the locking strip the glazing has the potential to jump out of the gasket.
I'd suppose the screen seals were presumably supplied by them (possibly one of a dual source?) What other mini parts were supplied by them? They produced their own metalastic type bushes and a unique alternative to the ball swivel joint....

The locking strip effectively stiffens the entire gasket and particularly prevents the gaskets exterior quadrant from folding - required to install the glazing - when in service. This is critical for the front screen which when subject to hard braking would by inertia be trying to escape!, and dont forget reflecting the tolerances of the time the screen could be shimmying about in the gasket and gasket could be hanging in a big BiW aperture.