Exciting day - rebuild of 78 coupe

Oneball

CCCUK Member
Tim - what are you going to use for the damming tape? It needs to be the right width and height.

Steve - I bought an ACC "mastic with pad" insulation kit along with the carpets from Rockauto. It's pretty thick and much cheaper than Dynamat.

Damming tape of the right width and height hopefully!

I did read an article with the specs on somewhere. Will have to find it again.....
 

johng

CCCUK Member
If you find that article, I have another couple of questions:-
Should the tape be self adhesive on both sides (like glazing tape), or just one?
Why stick it to the glass, not the windscreen surround?
Oh and any idea where you can get this tape from, if it's not just glazing tape?
 

Oneball

CCCUK Member
I’ll see if I can find it. The tape is sticky on one side. It’s purely there as a barrier to keep the sealant in place before it sets.
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Forrest Gump

CCCUK regional rep
If you find that article, I have another couple of questions:-
Should the tape be self adhesive on both sides (like glazing tape), or just one?
Why stick it to the glass, not the windscreen surround?
Oh and any idea where you can get this tape from, if it's not just glazing tape?
I used a foam glazing tape when I refitted my screen a few years ago. I hadn’t ever seen it done that way before for a car windscreen but I used to work in the window industry and at one time glazing tape was used a lot to hold in double glazed units. Holding the glass away from the frame at the right height is critical or you’ll get a gap when the chrome goes back on. I think I used a 9.5mm thick double sided tape, closed cell (open is not waterproof). I stuck the tape to the frame then glazing sealant to the outer side of that. If you use double sided tape then you only get one go at dropping the screen into place, but I wanted to know the screen was going to be well held in.
 

johng

CCCUK Member
Hi Andy, I remember you telling me that's how you'd done it. Did you apply the sealant after putting the windscreen in place? I can't actually find anyone selling damming tape, Ecklers and the like sell a butyl adhesive strip instead. Presumably all I need is closed cell foam with single side adhesive in the right dimensions (whatever that is), but then I also need to know how much it will compress to get the height right. Think it would best if Tim gets a shift on and does it first :)
 

Forrest Gump

CCCUK regional rep
Hi Andy, I remember you telling me that's how you'd done it. Did you apply the sealant after putting the windscreen in place? I can't actually find anyone selling damming tape, Ecklers and the like sell a butyl adhesive strip instead. Presumably all I need is closed cell foam with single side adhesive in the right dimensions (whatever that is), but then I also need to know how much it will compress to get the height right. Think it would best if Tim gets a shift on and does it first :)
I gunned a fat bead of sealant next to the foam tape before dropping the screen in place. With screen in place I then smoothed the sealant into the gap and then gunned in a bit more if necessary to make it neat. Can’t do that along the lower edge obviously, but not critical there.

The butyl tape is the Oem way I believe, I did actually order some of that from Zip to see what it looked like but they declined to ship it. I think possibly it was in a kit containing some solvent.

The screen‘s cover over the frame isn’t that much along the top and sides so the remaining bond “patch“ for the sealant is not very wide, hence why I went for a double sided tape as belt and braces fixing.
Ill see if I’ve made a note anywhere but fairly sure I used 9.5mm - 3/8 thick tape. It will stay at that height overall one installed but will adapt to undulations between frame and glass. My chrome went back on nicely with no gaps.
If you place the screen against the frame there probably will be a few high spot or gaps around between the two. Foam tape and sealant can accommodate that without putting a pressure point on the glass. Don’t know if butyl would be so forgiving or seal as well.
 

Oneball

CCCUK Member
I think the modern urethane windscreen adhesives are stronger than double sided tape. A lot of modern cars use the glass as a structural element
 

Forrest Gump

CCCUK regional rep
I think the modern urethane windscreen adhesives are stronger than double sided tape. A lot of modern cars use the glass as a structural element
Definately, but if foam tape is used as a damming strip, there’s not actually much width left for sealant...not like the 1” wide patch on a modern car. I used double sided tape as opposed to single sided to get some extra adhesion from the taped area also, for what that’s worth!
 

johng

CCCUK Member
Just google windscreen damming tape.
Not quite that easy, this site only wants to sell to businesses and they have a minimum order of 12 rolls. Of course if you'd like to buy the 12 and send me what you don't need :D.

Forgot about windscreens for this afternoon and fitted the remainder of the carpet, seat belt and drivers seat. Really looking like a car now. If it stops raining I might take it for a drive onto my driveway and give it a wash, the log burner does create a bit of dust in the garage!

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Forrest Gump

CCCUK regional rep
Looking superb John (y)(y)

Shame you have to put up with traces of soot from the log burner in your warm and spacious workshop!
 
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johng

CCCUK Member
Yes, the t bar trim is just sitting there. I'm waiting for the sealant to arrive before I can fit it properly. Hopefully it will be here by the weekend.
 

johng

CCCUK Member
Thanks for the compliments guys. I'm very pleased with how it's turning out, but of course you are only seeing photos which do tend to hide the blemishes.
The seats are just recovered Steve, with some extra foam in them to pad them out a bit. They are a good example of something that looks pretty good to me, but are definitely not perfect.
 

johng

CCCUK Member
The sealer turned up today, so I fitted the windscreen corner pieces and t top trim properly just to please Tim :) I also fitted my windscreen myself (the old cracked one that is) and Andy is right, there is going to be very little space for adhesive once the damming tape is in place, particularly across the top of the screen. Things didn't all go according to plan though, I realised I'd fitted one of the seat belt stalks the wrong way round, so had to remove the seat to fix this. When I put the seat back in, one of the weld nuts let go. It was fun getting this tightened up on my own (could do with 10ft long arms really!). I also fitted the B pillar weatherstrips, so hopefully tomorrow I can have another go at the window adjustment.
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