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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Fitting new rubbers and perspex to Mk1 screens??

I am trying to restore the sidescreens on my Mk1 midget. I have got the new rubber seals, perspex and felt strips but now I am stuck!!

How do you get the old perspex windows out and the new ones in without breaking them???

How do you get the new rubber seal into the groove round the frame?? Slide in, push in, special tool, washing up liquid as a lube ??

There must be a knack - anyone care to share it??

Thanks in advance....

David Banks

Not sure if it's the same with these but one trick I was shown for window rubbers was to fit the rubber around the perspex then place a piece of string all around the edge of the rubber, in the rubbers groove with the ends of the string protruding, then hold the rubber against the perspex and frame and pull the string slowly out to pull one edge of the rubber inside the frame leaving the opposite edge outside.

Hope this makes some kind of sense, I found this page which sort of explains it but doesn't really have any useful pics

http://www.dannyp.info/perspex-windows

This is a bit better

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/coupe/cp103.htm

Good luck, I had to do a hardtop and the little 1/4 lights were a bugger!

Dave
D Prince

Plexiglas has a memory. It wants to return to its original shape. Try this on a piece of scrap to see how it works. Cut the scrap to the same size as one of the new window pieces. Put one edge in the slot in the window frame. Heat the middle of the plexiglas with a hair dryer or heat gun (the heat gun can get it too hot, be careful.) When the plexiglas is warmed up you can flex it enough to fit the other edge of the piece into the frame. It will go back to its flat shape as it cools and it is in the frame. Don't heat near the edges where the felt is, just in the middle. After you tried this with the scrap, you should have no problem with the good pieces. By the way, the first web site listed in the previous post was using styrene, not acrylic. Styrene is more brittle as I recall, BUT, sometimes I get a little memory fade, so check the properties.
J Bubela

I've always used a jack to remove and replace the perspex. Sounds brutal but there are no ill effects. Place the jack at the midpoint and open the frame up enough to allow the perspex to pop out. Clean out the old bits of felt and channels with thinners and lightly spray glue the new felts in place.Seat them home with a bit of old scrap perspex.Open the frame again and pop in the new perspex. Silicon spray the runners and check the action. It wants to feel grippy and even.If there's a tight spot or the profile doesn't match the frame exactly remove the perspex and profile to suit.The rubbers should ease on with silicon spray and careful use of a thin flat screwdriver. Be careful not to stretch the corners where they're glued together.
f pollock

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I have managed to get one screen rubber on - took 2 hours!!! Now if only the people at MOSS had labelled the bags correctly I wouldnt have to take it off again and refit the correctly handed one!!!!

ARGHH !!!!!
David Banks

I broke my old perspex out then used the pieces to press the felt into the the channels then hold it while the Copydex glue dried overnight. The new perspex popped in without needing much persuasion (AH Spares version) - just bent it slightly by hand.

I used washing up liquid to lube the rubbers in. No drama, just work your way around steadily, perhaps using a blunt knife or similar to ease it into the groove, or just use a sort of twisting and pressing movement to push it in. Again I used AH Spares rubbers, but they are pretty poor and don't stay in place very well (I guess the washing liquid helps them pop out as much as pop in).
Jordan Gibson

I removed the original 45 years old perspex windows after warming them up in a hot bath. I polished them, they are as new. I never succeeded in gluing in the felt properly. Tell me how to do that.

See photo how I did put the rubbers in. (my jewelry stayed intact)

Flip



Flip Brühl 948 frog 59

Follow Jordan's method of replacing the Perspex, as for the rubbers, it may well take 2 hours but they are a fiddle to say the least. To end up with a neat job, you may wish to cut and re-glue the front top corners.... Super Glue does the trick.

Mark.
M T Boldry

This thread was discussed between 19/10/2009 and 20/10/2009

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