Windshield quick release bracket installation questions

[JohnK]

I'm at the stage in my build that I need to start thinking about windshield installation. A while back I had read about the windshield quick release brackets that Mike Forte offers (https://fortesparts.com/product/factory-5-quick-release-windshield-brackets/), and they sounded like an interesting way to mount the windshield that would make the multiple on/off cycles during body fitment easier, as well as facilitate any needed removal of the windshield down the road, so I ordered a set of them and they arrived yesterday.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164109&d=1647564938

They consist of the two mounting plates, mounting hardware and two hardened quick-release pins. They didn't come with any instructions, and my research on this forum as well as the "other" forum didn't turn up much helpful information. Whatever posts I've come across are old and somewhat sparse in details, so I could use some input on the best way to approach installing these. What few photos there are of these installed show them mounted with their edge aligned with the front edge of the windshield mounting bracket on the frame, but the comments in those threads also note that doing this will result in the windshield being more laid back than it normally would. My goal is to use these brackets to install the windshield in the same position and at the same angle it would be if I installed it per the FFR instructions. So I started by making some templates of the mounting plates on parchment paper.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164113&d=1647564938

I then laid the parchment paper template on the frame bracket to see how it lines up with the existing mounting holes in the frame.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164112&d=1647564938

So here's my first assumption: The mounting holes in the frame brackets are positioned at the angle that FFR intends for the windshield to be installed at. Is this a reasonable assumption?

When I compare the two sides, they appear to be within a degree of each other. Don't pay much attention to the absolute numbers, as my garage floor and lift are not level. What I'm more interested in is whether the two sides match, and they appear to be close - whatever variation I'm seeing is probably a result if my measurement error.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164111&d=1647564938

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164110&d=1647564938

Second assumption: If I position the quick-release brackets so that their centerlines are aligned with the existing mounting holes (as shown by the template in the photo above) then my windshield should end up at the proper angle and correct fore/aft position as intended by FFR. Is this a reasonable assumption? This will require trimming the brackets slightly, re-drilling one of the four mounting holes on each bracket, and installing them not aligned with the front edge of the frame brackets, but that's all manageable.

For those of you that are veteran windshield wranglers, am I way off-base in my approach here?

Thanks,
John

[EZ$]

John, I just went through a re-do of the mounting bracket install. I'm not real tall, about 5'9", and with the bracket mounted to match the frame where they will be bolted, the windshield lays back far enough that I found myself looking through the very top of the windshield. With the help of Dave Albertelli, I was able to stand the windshield up to what I believe will be the correct angle, and I'm no longer looking through the top. If you can find someone that has their windshield installed and has the correct measurement from the back edge of the top of the door, I believe around 27", you could see what the post angle is and install the brackets to match that angle. I think the brackets work really well for making the removal and install way easy. Just make sure you can access the release pins easily. I had purchased mine through Lodestone Billetworks. I installed them per their instructions, and it resulted in the angle being way too far back, so I'd send you a copy, but I'm not sure they would help.

[JohnK]

Thanks Rick. Dave isn't too far from me, so I may reach out to him and get his thoughts. My assumptions outlined above are based on this photo from the FFR manual:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164119&d=1647569108

This shows the windshield post more or less centered on the existing mounting holes on the frame brackets, so I figured if I replicate this positioning with the quick-release brackets I should end up in the same place. But you know what they say about assumptions...

[SJDave]

Hey John,

I have the original Lodestone quick releases on my old Mark 3.1 and mounted them per their instructions, which aligns the aluminum pieces to the edge of the sheet metal frame extensions. Way off! I wasn't planning on buying a convertible top so I left it, and as Rick said you end up looking about a 1/2" below the window frame with the stock padded classic buckets FFR sells. The Big and Tall seats from my understanding drop you about 1.5". I ended up switching to Kirkey Classic buckets which drop you about 4", so I never changed the windshield mounting. From my windshield groove to the centerline of the rollbars is 33", it should end up around 35.5". So the Bimini Top on mine extends back behind the rollbars a few inches, no big deal and still looks OK.

On Rick's car we rotated the brackets about 3.5 degrees in the same direction you show in your templates; and the Aluminum brackets were angled to the side of the FFR frame element very close to what your showing from my memory of what we did on Ricks. Why did we only go 3.5 degrees? Well Rick had the four mounting holes drilled in the FFR frame already, so we simply rotated the aluminum plate around the hole the quick release pin goes thru, and slotted the all the other holes in the aluminum bracket using the rotary table on my milling machine. I didn't want to break thru the side of the aluminum slot where the windshield legs slide down, so that determined the 3.5 degrees.

I think you are correct in your thinking and calculations. Use the centerline of the two existing mounting holes at the guide to mount the aluminum brackets.

Don't drill the hole in the windshield side brackets until you get the body on the car, there's really no good reference without it on to tell you how far down to insert the windshield to get the rubber seal to just touch the body. Rick had his sitting about a 1/2" too low and the rubber was bending straight forward. On the Mark 3.1 bodies that section of the fiberglass was a very imperfect arc with about a 1/4" difference in gap across the width. So I set mine so the rubber was flush to the high spot and had a gap over maybe 60% of the width that varied. The air pressure tends to flex the rubber back and make contact with the fiberglass all the way across once at speed. Also, grit gets between the rubber and the paint and mars it after very few miles. A strip of Laminex film at this interface is a good thing to do. Also trim the rubber ends, notch it, so it doesn't get bent by the cover plates at the both side which it overlaps.

You also need to bend the windshield legs so they are parallel on both sides to the FFR sheet metal piece and therefore your Aluminum slot surface. On Rick's car and mine, we had to put a shim under both aluminum plates to move them out away from the FFR sheet metal so you could insert and remove the Windshield without getting some really strong helpers. Make sure you taper the ends of the windshield legs and polish them a bit so you don't gouge up the aluminum slot when you putting it in and out.

When you get the body on and are ready to drill the hole in the legs, let me know and you can use my Milling machine to get it dead nuts on the centerline and keep the hole size as close as possible to the quick release pin diameter. On Ricks, I plugged the old holes with some Delrin plugs I made on the lathe and bored two new ones to raise the windshield up to where the rubber just touches.

Keep moving forward, your thinking is spot on!

[JohnK]

Hi Dave,

Thanks so much for posting here. I was going to send you a message today to get your thoughts, so I really appreciate all the tips and insights. I'll keep moving forward per my plan. Thanks for the offer to mill the hole in the legs. That would be awesome.

-John

[Jeff Kleiner]

I used these mounts (once). You are correct that it will lay the windshield back if you align the front edges. Make sure that you locate them and shim or adjust as necessary just as you would if you were bolting the windshield on so that they do not "squeeze" or apply any inward or outward pressure to the arms.

Jeff

[first time builder]

Why not call Mike and see what he says.

[JohnK]

Thanks again for everyone's input. I've made some progress on installing the windshield quick-release brackets and posted an update in my build thread here (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?31167-Greek-Guys-Garage-Roadster-Build-9509-(windshield-QR-bracket-install-questions)&p=487896&viewfull=1#post487896).

I won't repeat it all here, but wanted to post an update to this thread to see if you all wouldn't mind taking a look at what I've done so far and giving me your thoughts on the questions I have in that update.

Thanks!

-John