The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

My quest to have dry footwells continues, after they looked like Loch Ness after the storms. Going on a hunch I took an angle grinder to the box section under the windscreen and found a lake in there.

So I have had to bite the bullet and remove the screen. On the nearside this has revealed the problem, once I took a belt grinder to the windscreen surround, it was rust being held together by paint. On the off side I have a leak but everything looks solid but I am suspicious of the quality of the windscreen fitting.

I got some pros to do it because I thought they would do a better job than me. However it was incredibly easy to remove. On Youtube I see people having to use both feet to get the thing to budge. I managed to get mine out with one finger, once the locking strip was out, it was very easy to remove. Does that indicate it was fitted poorly?

new to this wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 6:08 pm You cant really fit a windscreen wrong,as long as the screen fits in the groove of the rubber and the rubber fits in the screen opening correctly,i use sealant around the rounders when i fit them.i think you can only get one make of rubber for the screen

Have you got any pictures of the rust in the corners ?

Dave

No, I could take some tomorrow but you will be looking at a hole because I cut out all the rot. The lip the rubber fits on was just rust and the metal beyond that was paper thin. Plus there is now a big hole under the screen, more paper thin metal. It looked OK when I had the screen fitted but experience has taught me an amazing amount of rust can be hidden by paint.

The rubber was not a tight fit, so I suspect it is another example of suspect modern parts. My plan is to seal the lot when I refit it, belt and braces.

cleverusername wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 6:42 pm

new to this wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 6:08 pm You cant really fit a windscreen wrong,as long as the screen fits in the groove of the rubber and the rubber fits in the screen opening correctly,i use sealant around the rounders when i fit them.i think you can only get one make of rubber for the screen

Have you got any pictures of the rust in the corners ?

Dave

No, I could take some tomorrow but you will be looking at a hole because I cut out all the rot. The lip the rubber fits on was just rust and the metal beyond that was paper thin. Plus there is now a big hole under the screen, more paper thin metal. It looked OK when I had the screen fitted but experience has taught me an amazing amount of rust can be hidden by paint.

The rubber was not a tight fit, so I suspect it is another example of suspect modern parts. My plan is to seal the lot when I refit it, belt and braces.

Have you use the rust converter,i know it wont work on really thin rusty metal,was it a new windscreen rubber you fitted ?

What it indicates to me is that it was fitted without ANY sealant at all, a recipe for disaster.

As with all things Dolomite, tolerances vary! I've had screens that have almost fallen in (like yours fell out) and others that have fought me tooth and nail to get in. Never seen one yet that would go in dry and not leak.

Steve

new to this wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 7:44 pm

cleverusername wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 6:42 pm

new to this wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 6:08 pm You cant really fit a windscreen wrong,as long as the screen fits in the groove of the rubber and the rubber fits in the screen opening correctly,i use sealant around the rounders when i fit them.i think you can only get one make of rubber for the screen

Have you got any pictures of the rust in the corners ?

Dave

No, I could take some tomorrow but you will be looking at a hole because I cut out all the rot. The lip the rubber fits on was just rust and the metal beyond that was paper thin. Plus there is now a big hole under the screen, more paper thin metal. It looked OK when I had the screen fitted but experience has taught me an amazing amount of rust can be hidden by paint.

The rubber was not a tight fit, so I suspect it is another example of suspect modern parts. My plan is to seal the lot when I refit it, belt and braces.

Have you use the rust converter,i know it wont work on really thin rusty metal,was it a new windscreen rubber you fitted ?

Rust convertor is next to useless, all it can do is stabalise rusty metal. Its only use is on surface rust when there is a good depth of metal remaining. Even then you need to clean the majority of the rot off to have any effect.

Once it is paper thin, your only option is to cut it out and weld new stuff in.

Carledo wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 7:48 pm What it indicates to me is that it was fitted without ANY sealant at all, a recipe for disaster.

As with all things Dolomite, tolerances vary! I've had screens that have almost fallen in (like yours fell out) and others that have fought me tooth and nail to get in. Never seen one yet that would go in dry and not leak.

Steve

No sealant and the stuff I tried to put in later barely made it under the seal and was a waste of time. Believe me, I will be sealing the whole frame when I refit.

Dry fit seals were developed in the mid 70s and it should be remembered that the Dolomite shell is a mid 60s design.
The gap behind the rubber should be filled with sealant. You will find that many current glass fitters, skilled as they are, have no experience of older vehicles.
Always use a generous amount of sealant and remove all rust and protect any bare metal before refitting any glass.

The filler strip is NOT there to expand the rubber and is not any form of locking seal its just to look pretty and if fitted properly (yes it can be done wrong) you shouldn't need any sealant I have never used any sealant on Dolomite screens.
Bob M states that the Dolomite is a 60s design, this isn't entirely true as the screen surround panels were changed slightly from the earlier triumph FWD range.

TrustNo1 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:07 pm The filler strip is NOT there to expand the rubber and is not any form of locking seal its just to look pretty and if fitted properly (yes it can be done wrong) you shouldn't need any sealant I have never used any sealant on Dolomite screens.
Bob M states that the Dolomite is a 60s design, this isn't entirely true as the screen surround panels were changed slightly from the earlier triumph FWD range.

I know this is a controversial question but is the issue the fact I have a laminated screen?

The seal fit was not tight, easy to remove and water was getting past the seal on the glass and metal sides. Which suggests it is the wrong size.

cleverusername wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 11:35 pm

TrustNo1 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:07 pm The filler strip is NOT there to expand the rubber and is not any form of locking seal its just to look pretty and if fitted properly (yes it can be done wrong) you shouldn't need any sealant I have never used any sealant on Dolomite screens.
Bob M states that the Dolomite is a 60s design, this isn't entirely true as the screen surround panels were changed slightly from the earlier triumph FWD range.

I know this is a controversial question but is the issue the fact I have a laminated screen?

The seal fit was not tight, easy to remove and water was getting past the seal on the glass and metal sides. Which suggests it is the wrong size.

Lets put this to bed once and for all. There is and has only EVER been one part number for the screen rubber. the theory perpetuated by Jonners, (God rest his soul) that the screen rubber was for toughened screen only, really is only an urban myth. In any case, i've personally measured a toughened and a laminated screen and the laminated is THICKER by about 40thou which makes a final nonsense of the theory. The only rubber you can easily source at the moment is the Baines made one. whilst I have some quality issues about these, it's more concerned with cracking and ageing in storage, not fit! If the machinery that extrudes it got worn, it would end up thicker (which is good) The tolerance in the shell, especially on later cars when the panel tooling was well past it's renewal date, will be far bigger and more random than anything in the rubber!

I recommend buying fthe rubber from Baines direct, that way you can be more sure it hasn't been on someone's shelf in the sun for 5 years before YOU get it.

Steve

cleverusername wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 11:35 pm

TrustNo1 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:07 pm The filler strip is NOT there to expand the rubber and is not any form of locking seal its just to look pretty and if fitted properly (yes it can be done wrong) you shouldn't need any sealant I have never used any sealant on Dolomite screens.
Bob M states that the Dolomite is a 60s design, this isn't entirely true as the screen surround panels were changed slightly from the earlier triumph FWD range.

I know this is a controversial question but is the issue the fact I have a laminated screen?

The seal fit was not tight, easy to remove and water was getting past the seal on the glass and metal sides. Which suggests it is the wrong size.

Since before my father bought it in May 1975, as an ex-demonstrator that had been registered since mid-November 1974, my four-door, 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 "HL Special" has been fitted with a laminated front windscreen; "originally" of Triplex brand, later replaced by one of "Solaglas" brand (with a blue shade band at the top), when the "original" one cracked owing to a stone-chip.