Windscreen fitting

[914Chap]

Hi,

Anyone got any suggestions as to the correct or best way to bond in the windscreen and rear screen?

Some people seem to use the tape seal as originally used but others use the more modern method of bonding with windscreen adhesive and activator.

I also need advice on source of a windscreen. Porsche can supply me one for about £300. Are there any cheaper alternatives which are good quality? I understand that some have been a poor fit in the past.

I believe Porsche can supply either a clear screen or a tinted one, does anyone know if this is correct and if so have any experience of the tinted screen? i.e. does it look much different?

Thanks Jonathan.

[jonat127]

I used modern screen adhesive/mastic. It doesn't have an activator you just need to apply a primer to the glass surface. It has worked fine for three years and counting.
To be honest £300 from porsche sounds like a fair price and you know the quality will be good.

[moriarty]

My best advice is go with the Porsche supplied tinted screen, £300 is a fair price ( i paid that 4yrs ago) from memory i think it is tinted at the top fading to clear on the lower part.
also get a professional to fit it, might cost a few quid more but well worth it. IMHO.

[914 KEV]

My best advice is go with the Porsche supplied tinted screen, £300 is a fair price ( i paid that 4yrs ago) from memory i think it is tinted at the top fading to clear on the lower part.
also get a professional to fit it, might cost a few quid more but well worth it. IMHO.

The windscreens supplied by Porsche and originally fitted to the 914 are Clear or all over tinted. The top tint screen was an aftermarket screen.
I also recommend buying it from Porsche, when I looked into buying it direct from Pilkington Classic Car Windscreens it cost more!

When I fit windscreens and the rear window I prefer to use the original method of butyl tape.
Professional windscreen fitters nowadays just use the bond out of a gun and paint on the primer on to the glass and body as the bond doesn't seal to the surface properly without it.

But a lot of the fitters don’t have a clue how old bonded windscreen should look when looking at the glass that can be seen after the trim has been fitted.
The windscreen fitter will usually use a cotton bud or similar with sponge which has been soaked in the primer to apply it to the glass.
The primer should only be used where the bond makes contact with the glass, the first 7mm.

Often the fitter paints the primer much wider like 20-25mm and when the trim is fitted in place you seen 15mm of black primer on the glass.
In my opinion it just looks wrong and messy as well as having lost vision.
When I have questioned the fitter why they did this their answer is modern cars have a black surround round the outer edge of the glass!
My answer to them it’s not a modern car, it’s a classic from a time when things were done differently.
A windscreen fitter company that often gets recommended on here that has a name that makes you think it’s done the old fashioned way has done this as well as seeing it done by the well know windscreen replacement companies.

My advice to anybody that is having their widescreen fitted is to request to the windscreen fitter that they only use a 7mm primer band round the outer edge of the glass. The end result will be perfect, just like how the 914 left the factory!

[davep]

The thickness of the bond is critical; if the glass sits too high or too low then the trim will not fit properly. So be sure they know the requirement before they start.

[den 912de]

Having used the mainstream company through the insurers for a cracked screen - we would advise against it.

It took weeks for them to get the screen and trim and parts, and once turned up with only half of them, then they fitted it very badly and damaged the car paintwork and it needed respray work and the screen to be refitted and new trim. They paid for it to be redone but it was a horrible hassle lasting months.

K and B

[LMR]

Folks

When using butyl, should I be using primer on either or both the screen and the surround itself?

[Dean.s]

There a few glass options out there. chinese made ones, pilkington (i was told a 6 week wait) and porsche supplied. I bought the porsche one and fitted it with 8mm butyl tape. I also used clear primer on the screen and the black primer on the framework.

The chrome trim covers the butyl line.

[LMR]

Thanks Dean