Windshield With Big Lip

[Didymus]

This is a poor photo of the windshield for the Porsche 356 Speedster I'm building. I've marked the lip across the top edge - as you can see, it's way too thick.

I don't want to change the outer shape, since I'd like the cloth top to fit.

So I need to somehow remove some of the plastic on the inside of the edge, leaving only a narrow edge - like the real thing - which will be either Alclad'ed or BMF'd. The only method I can think of is filing (followed by sanding and polishing), but I'm worried that all that flexing will weaken and break the plastic, or that I'll accidentally file all the way through, and I'll have to wait weeks for a replacement shield.

I'm plumb out of ideas. Is there any "safe" way to narrow that edge?

[935k3]

Try scraping the back edge with an exacto knife. The technical term is adzing.

[rsxse240]

Sanding and polishing, but use special care not to break it. I did this with the "glass" on a J.Ferrie Leopard (Infiniti J30) when I cut out the side glass to make the windows appear to be rolled half way down. So if I can do it, ANYONE can do it.

[klutz_100]

Call me Mr. Pessimist but that sounds like a recipe for disaster to me

I think that before trying to mechanically change the part, I would first try an optical illusion approach. How about if you tried first painting the surround a black/rubber color and then applied BMF strips - bit thinner than the full width of the surround? Kind if like a rubber seal below a chrome trim, if that makes sense? I think that this might make everything LOOK thinner and less massive?

Otherwise, I would be rather tempted to leave things well alone - as I will undoubtedluly do on my Speedster (unless, of course, you show thatbit can be done )

I suppose someone with a mill might be able to cleanly and safely thin out the part bit I have no idea how this kind of plastic behaves on a mill/lathe...?

[lotus123]

I think the better approach is to remake the windshield entirely.

Make an acetate screen, using this one as the template. Next, make another two acetate screens and cut away the inner sections to leave the frames, which match the outline of the "thick" one. Foil or paint them, and attach front and back to the new windscreen.

I think this will also give the screen the correct scale thickness.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

I subscribe to the "take the path of least resistance" on this, because it's not going to be easy to get what you want.

I'm w/Klutz...when I build mine I'll paint the whole raised affair in satin black & use thin strips of foil to detail the frame. The optical illusion is fine.

The problem is you are wanting to do a lot of work on a part that is brittle by nature & very easily damaged permanently. You would have a harder time than a jeweler thinning that frame out from the inside & having it look right, much less not damaging the windshield. I would say one could try opening up the entire frame by carefully Dremeling away the windscreen itself, and then filing the opening bigger, & using acetate. But that frame will be ultra fragile at that point and the chance for breaking/damaging will be high.

One thing you might think of that's similar to an above idea, is to carefully blocksand away the entire frame, and fashion a new frame from acetate...but using the styrene windshield for strength. Or you could build up the frame w/several layers of foil.

I'm 99% sure I'll go w/the black paint/foil idea whenever I get to mine

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by ZoomZoomMX-5

I'm w/Klutz...when I build mine I'll paint the whole raised affair in satin black & use thin strips of foil to detail the frame. The optical illusion is fine.

Dif'ernt strokes. That frame looks really thick and blobby; it destroys the appearance of the model in my eyes, and I'd never be truly satisfied with it.

I looked at - and felt -the shield more closely, and the risks of filing the inside edge of the frame are even greater than I realized. I thought the frame was a thick blob all 'round, but that's an optical illusion. The back side is actually concave, so it's very thin. Any attempt to file it would surely fail. And vice versa

Everything's a trade-off in this world. I'm thinking now that I'll trim off about half of the frame, from the top edge. That would be risk-free. The "cloth" top might not fit, but that seems like a better trade-off to me than either leaving well enough alone (the consensus) or the black-and-foil approach, which I think would only bring attention to the problem.

Another possibility would be to trim off the top frame entirely and leave it frameless. It would look very cool, like a plexiglas racing shield. Problem is, I'm building a boy-racer (street) version of the car - which mainly means I'll attach the tie-down straps and leave off the bumper guards and over-riders.

Thanks for your replies. I'll post a photo when I've cut this problem down to size.

[914joe]

You can make it from brass and solder plate for a more realistic look. I've made speedster windshields using brass angle cut down to the desired width, bending to shade, plated w/ solder,soldered together than polished.

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by 914joe

You can make it from brass and solder plate for a more realistic look. I've made speedster windshields using brass angle cut down to the desired width, bending to shade, plated w/ solder,soldered together than polished.

Killer idea, execution and build!!!

do you have any more photos of how you made that surround? I'm sold

[CrateCruncher]

I'm also pretty sensitive to out of scale parts as visible as a windshield surround. If it's not right the whole car suffers.

But I was looking at a '56 1600 and noticed the real car has a rather thick surround too, though a bit flatter. I don't think the Fujimi part is that far off Diddy. I'd maybe flatten it a little with a block and 1000, polish it, and then do the black paint and BMF strip Klutz mentioned. Notice in the photo that the lower portion of the surround is almost entirely rubber. Also, that extra piece in each corner isn't well defined on the fujimi part and I'd sand that off entirely and replace it with a separate piece made out of K&S foil or or foil stove pipe tape. You should start a WIP thread.

[jano11]

Originally Posted by lotus123

I think the better approach is to remake the windshield entirely.

Make an acetate screen, using this one as the template. Next, make another two acetate screens and cut away the inner sections to leave the frames, which match the outline of the "thick" one. Foil or paint them, and attach front and back to the new windscreen.

I think this will also give the screen the correct scale thickness.

^^ Exactly what I was going to suggest!

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by CrateCruncher

I'm also pretty sensitive to out of scale parts as visible as a windshield surround. If it's not right the whole car suffers.

But I was looking at a '56 1600 and noticed the real car has a rather thick surround too, though a bit flatter. I don't think the Fujimi part is that far off Diddy. I'd maybe flatten it a little with a block and 1000, polish it, and then do the black paint and BMF strip Klutz mentioned. Notice in the photo that the lower portion of the surround is almost entirely rubber. Also, that extra piece in each corner isn't well defined on the fujimi part and I'd sand that off entirely and replace it with a separate piece made out of K&S foil or or foil stove pipe tape. You should start a WIP thread.

Ditto. I'd looked at the frame waaaay back when I was contemplating the build. Thanks for that photo; the kit part really isn't that bad, it mostly needs a little work as you described.

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by 914joe

You can make it from brass and solder plate for a more realistic look.

Nice work!

The interesting part would be bending the brass channel toward the open side. Beyond my skill level, I think.

Ddms

[Didymus]

My current thinking is a combination of your ideas and mine. I'll trim it down to about half its present height and flatten it as much as possible, given the fact that it's pretty thin. If I feel really brave, I might try to sharpen the transition between the frame and the windshield. That will involve some sanding and polishing, but I'll limit the affected area with masking tape.

(If the cloth top doesn't fit, that's life.)

And I'll make sure that the side pieces are well-defined. A little Le Pen treatment should take care of that.

The bottom of the frame is no problem. Some of the pix I've seen show it chrome; thanks for the shot, CrateCruncher. I'll take the cue and paint it semi-gloss black to match the bumper and rocker trim.

Did

[jano11]

Did you get Gio's PE set for the 356?
There's PE for the windshield surround, so you only need to sand the thick plastic and add the PE.