Lotus Eclat S1 replacing front windscreen

[Karol]

Hi Everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. I need to replace front windscreen in my Lotus Eclat S1 1980y. Any tips for taking off trims around windscreen?
Also i saw this: WINDSCREEN BONDING SPACER (4 mm) how many do i need them and how to use them?

Thank you,

 

Karol

[EXCEL V8]

The spacers are tiny blocks of hard rubber.  They were originally there to maintain a minimum bond thickness with the Solbit adhesive, and presumably to get the screen at the correct height for the trim afterwards.  Make sure the spacers don't prevent full sealing at their placement.  I'd have thought three/four spread out evenly top and bottom would be plenty.

I think you can still get the side pieces of the trim but the strips along the top and bottom are totally unavailable.  You may be able to get them off with extreme care but someone had bonded mine on with silicone and were impossible to remove without wrecking them.  Also - they do not remove perpendicularly to the trim itself;  the underside protrusion on the aluminium extrusion sits at an angle to the exterior flat part - (I'll try to take a picture to illustrate what I mean).  As a consequence you have to remove the trim in the direction of this part of the extrusion.  The back of these pieces sits in little nylon clips fixed to the body (mine were bonded on and had tiny countersunk pop-rivets as well - I don't know if this was how it came out of the factory).

Pete

[Karol]

Hi. Thank you for your answer.  That’s very helpful. If you have any pictures please post it here. 
 

 

[EXCEL V8]

This is the profile of the upper and lower windscreen trims:

You can see what I mean about the angle of the bit that clips in.

Pete

[Karol]

Thank you again for showing this. Hopefully i can do this by my self. 

[EXCEL V8]

Let us know how you get on with removing the trim and fitting your new screen.  I'll be bonding in a new screen later this year (trim already off for respray).  I'll see if I can find one of the rubber blocks - haven't seen them for 5 years, but they will be boxed up somewhere! 🙄

Where abouts are you in the world Karol?

Pete

[Grizzly]

Hello

Just a comment

I understood that these blocks were required to stop the windscreen from sliding down over time and creating a water path onto the car when the Solbit method was used.

Would you not fit the windscreen with the jointing compound used today and there would be no need for these blocks?

[EXCEL V8]

The blocks are for spacing only - not to stop the screen moving.  The screen needs to sit at about the right height in relation to the body for the trim to sit properly.  Having re-read the service notes, the rubber blocks appear to have been introduced when Solbit stopped being used (I'd forgotten that!).  Before that the screen was "squashed" onto the heated Solbit until it just touched the anodised trim securing clips.

Pete

[Karol]

19 hours ago, EXCEL V8 said:

Let us know how you get on with removing the trim and fitting your new screen.  I'll be bonding in a new screen later this year (trim already off for respray).  I'll see if I can find one of the rubber blocks - haven't seen them for 5 years, but they will be boxed up somewhere! 🙄

Where abouts are you in the world Karol?

Pete

I will. I’m based in Chessington, London 👍 what about your self? 

[EXCEL V8]

I used to live in Epsom (down the road from you!) but now in Nottingham.  Are you planning on going to the restoration show at the NEC?  I'll be on the Lotus Grand Tourers stand - come and say hello!

Pete

[Karol]

Epsom it’s just in the corner. Generally it’s quite many classic cars around 😊 

I’m not planning to come there but you never know. If so I will meet you there. 
 

This weekend i open Lotus yellow bible and there is information about windscreen and trims how to remove them. I think page 38. I need to have a look closer. This weekend I changed speedometer line.