1941 windshield question.

[curly]

I have procastinated on the install of my 41's windshield for so long that I think I may have misplaced a part.  I seem to recall that there was a piece of metal inserted inside the center chrome divider in addition to the center divider molded in to the body.  Is my memory playing tricks on me, or should there be another piece of metal in there? 
Thanks
T Lewis

[Steve Passmore]

There is a metal strip inside a molded rubber part, the rubber part slips into the exterior stainless cover, it locates in grooves in the rubber.   The interior metal part has threads in it that locate the chrome screws that hold the interior center chrome strip on the dash.  These rubber cores are available from Steele Rubber.

[curly]

Steve,
Thanks for the reply, but I'm still not clear on the install. 
Let me add some more info to help explain my confusion.   When I first removed the old windshield, the metal in the area of the center divider was rusted away.  The chrome divider was fine, anything inside was toast.  I welded a new piece of metal to the body in the center of the windsheild and drilled holes in it.  This is what the interior chrome was anchored to. I purchased a new rubber insert from Steele to fit inside the chrome divider.  I then mounted the divider to the car by slipping the internal rubber around the metal body divider.  So the rubber of the center divider was touching the windshield gasket directly.  I seem to remember that I had a 2nd piece of metal inside the divider that also had holes in it.  If I had it, I cannot find it.

Ok, my confusion:  Does the chrome divider rest against the body's center metal strip (on top of it) with a 2nd piece of metal inside the rubber, so the body metal is sandwiched between the inner rubber gasket and the one installed in the chrome strip, or does the rubber insert wrap around the body metal and the rubber insert touches the windshield gasket.
I'm sorry if that isn't clear, not sure how to phrase it.  I may take some pics and post them.

Thanks
T. Lewis

[harry s]

I'm in the process of trying to install a '41 windshield also. Mine car has the metal strip that attaches to the body of the car which has the threads  for the screws that attach the inside vertical strip (which holds the rear view mirror). I tried to scan the page from the body manual but can't get it to post.  Anyway the vertical piece of rubber in question originally had a metal strip vulcanized inside but the one from Steele I got doesn't have that it is just reinforced rubber. which the stainless outside piece snaps over and then goes over the windshield gasket. The gasket I got was a little bit thicker than original and I am in process of trying to get it to fit by trimming the corners. The new glass was cut from the originals that came out. I had the same problem with the rear window.     Harry

[Steve Passmore]

Curly, Yes there is another interior chrome piece slightly "V" shaped that fits inside the car with holes that line up with the threads in the center divider, That's what puts pressure on the inside of the glass at that point and keeps it all together.

There was a major change to how the center divider was fitted in 41, The exterior stainless has to be clipped over the Steele rubber then clipped over the center divider steel after the pinch molding is in place. You can understand that this dividing steel piece has to be the same dimensions as the original if you re make it.
The interior screws should go through the interior chrome strip, then the inner windshield  gasket, and screw into the fixed threads of the strip of steel attached to the body.
Earlier bodies had the threaded core inside the external strip of rubber which pulled it all together, they didn't have the fixed metal divider strip at all.
My confusion was because when I restored my 41 years ago I too had lost this center divider and so I fitted an earlier external type from a Buick that didn't require the divider.

[Chris Cummings]

Curly,

I went through the windshield replacement process a number of years ago with Harry Scott's help, and I wrote about it in some detail in my book "The Cadillac That Followed Me Home."  I know it's a shameless plug for the book, but it does have a detailed account of the process.

I don't have a good way to scan the pages at home, and I won't be back in the office until Tuesday.  If you can wait that long, PM me with your e-mail address.

Best regards,

Chris Cummings