Replacing clear window in NA8 soft top
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 3:56 pm
Last weekend on a very cold Sunday morning I attempted to put the top up and the clear shattered. I had the top off last year to get restitched and the rest of it is still OK so I didn't want to take it off again to stitch a new clear in. I thought that relying completely on glue was risky. For the benefit of others here's what I have done.
First, I searched the web for a suitable type of plastic fastener to reinforce the glue. I found these, but am still awaiting delivery( RS components stock no 256-0009) which I hope will do the job. Then i got some 8mm MDF and cut it to form a flat surface to lay the flap with the window on ,it rested on the brace between the seatbelt towers and some wooden blocks on the shelf under the window. I stuck the broken window together with sellotape to keep it in shape, stretched it out flat on the MDF and using some wide paper sourced from a plan printing crowd made a paper pattern of the clear material ( running your thumb over the join will mark the paper , this will give a guide initially and work from there. Using the paper pattern I cut a 6mm(could have gone thinner) MDF template for the new clear. A bit of trimming was required to get it close to spot on. Off to the boat trimmer to get some good quality clear PVC material used ib boat covers The original was .030"(I got .040" either would be OK). I cut the clear to size using the template and laid it flat over the existing broken window. I marked out and drilled small(7/64) holes around the perimeter of the template.
Carefully I lined up the clear and the template over the existing window and ,using weights, held it flat and in place and drilled through the clear PVC the existing window/fabric join and the MDF "bench on which it sat, using 2,5 mm diameter bright nails to hold it in place. Do this evenly side to side to ensure nothing moves. If I were to do this again I would drill the holes smaller and use small self tapping screws which would also clamp everything together later instead of using weights. Then drill it out to 7/64 for the 2.8 mm rivets later.
First, I searched the web for a suitable type of plastic fastener to reinforce the glue. I found these, but am still awaiting delivery( RS components stock no 256-0009) which I hope will do the job. Then i got some 8mm MDF and cut it to form a flat surface to lay the flap with the window on ,it rested on the brace between the seatbelt towers and some wooden blocks on the shelf under the window. I stuck the broken window together with sellotape to keep it in shape, stretched it out flat on the MDF and using some wide paper sourced from a plan printing crowd made a paper pattern of the clear material ( running your thumb over the join will mark the paper , this will give a guide initially and work from there. Using the paper pattern I cut a 6mm(could have gone thinner) MDF template for the new clear. A bit of trimming was required to get it close to spot on. Off to the boat trimmer to get some good quality clear PVC material used ib boat covers The original was .030"(I got .040" either would be OK). I cut the clear to size using the template and laid it flat over the existing broken window. I marked out and drilled small(7/64) holes around the perimeter of the template.
Carefully I lined up the clear and the template over the existing window and ,using weights, held it flat and in place and drilled through the clear PVC the existing window/fabric join and the MDF "bench on which it sat, using 2,5 mm diameter bright nails to hold it in place. Do this evenly side to side to ensure nothing moves. If I were to do this again I would drill the holes smaller and use small self tapping screws which would also clamp everything together later instead of using weights. Then drill it out to 7/64 for the 2.8 mm rivets later.