wood under windscreen

[Erich]

I'm considering changing my Ulster Rep windscreens from Brooklands to Auster type. What was the wood used under the original screens on Ulsters? I have seen a varnished wood that appeared to be similar to mahogany and also seen painted to match the body color. Was it ash as the body plywood material and was it varnished or painted?

Erich in the very hot PNW.

[Chris KC]

I don't have the answer to your question Erich but I would urge you to give careful thought to how you will make it fit the scuttle snugly while staying level and maintaining an even gap to the screen, not as easy as might first seem. I was going to replace mine but confess I found it easier to bodge the gap with a seal.

[Erich]

Chris, one of the issues that I see on my car, is that the scuttle is curved, but not at a consistent rate. One way to get a correct profile is an artists and architects tool that is a flexible rod that stays where you bend it. I use it when scribing fittings like cabinets to walls that aren't flat. It is called a flexible curved is available in lengths up to 30 inches.


Erich in Seattle

[Chris KC]

Chris, one of the issues that I see on my car, is that the scuttle is curved, but not at a consistent rate. One way to get a correct profile is an artists and architects tool that is a flexible rod that stays where you bend it. I use it when scribing fittings like cabinets to walls that aren't flat. It is called a flexible curved is available in lengths up to 30 inches.


Erich in Seattle

Yes, something like that. There may be a bit of movement in the panel as you tighten the screws up. You certainly need a template (mock-up in card perhaps) and an iterative approach. I'm probably making too much of it but at the time I was anxious to make some progress getting my car on the road so took the easier path. Another factor was that I'd just spent a year re-painting the body and that's a job which would have been better done beforehand. Likewise it might be better to fit the wooden part in position before drilling the holes which secure the windscreen, thus assuring an even gap.

The gap should be as small as possible, and you may in any case want to put some kind of seal here - at speed in the rain water sprays in a vigorous jet at your face from any gap between screen and wood infill!

A final thought, Ulster bodies are prone to crack along the windscreen mounting irons in the longer term, where the flexible side meets an inflexible joint. If I were mounting a screen from scratch I'd laminate an ally sheet patch on the inside of the body to reinforce this area, using a suitable structural adhesive. Make sure the dash support braces fit well, and avoid pushing the car at the base of the screen (which is a natural place to push). When I need to move the car in the garage nowadays I heave the wheels and don't touch the body.