Windshield gap / pre-paint

[Cudajeff]

So I’m in the middle of doing bodywork on the ‘33 and have been working on my windshield frame. (Hard top) Thankfully you guys advised me to make sure the glass fit before I painted the car. Like most everything else on this body, it wasn’t even close to fitting. I’ve ground and sanded the frame out enough that the window glass fits in the hole but my question is how much do y’all think I need to allow for a proper gap? I’m assuming when it’s “glued” in that the glass is supposed to be flush with the fiberglass. I’d hate to find out after primer/paint that I worked on it for hours and hours but still didn’t take enough off. All the other panel gaps I’m setting at 1/4” prior to primer. I’m not a body man by any means so I’d really appreciate some advice from someone that has done this already. Thanks.

[Just 1 More]

I'd like to see an answer for this. Or, did you get it figured out ?

[easyrider]

Hi Cudajeff, I have a Gen II 33 Hot Rod with the Hardtop option. Currently I am in primer and hope to have paint on in 2-3 weeks. I needed to grind out the frame for the windshield and rear window, predominantly at top and bottom on each end. The rear window was not a lot but the windshield had a spot where I took away most of the laminate. In this/these areas I reinforced the backside with "tiger hair" (glass reinforced bondo) and then went in with a good grade of finishing bondo and smoothed out the surface coming in contact with the glass. I made sure there was enough clearance for paint but it was a tight fit. I put the windshield in place and took it out many, many times. I had to put the top in first and then push the bottom in. I kept working the opening until the glass went in all the way to the upright flange. The pocket for the glass gets smaller as it goes in so once the bead of adhesive is applied the glass will be positioned out a little bit and this will contribute to some spacing for paint as well. I hope this helps. Also, it is best if you are doing this work with the top bolted to the body for true positioning.

[peterh226]

easyrider spelled it out. The top MUST be bolted in place the way you want it before you deal with the glass. I had to add a bunch of filler to strengthen the bottom of the frame and get it to fit the way I wanted and then fit the windshield.

[JimLev]

I had to grind out the opening for the front and back to get the glass to fit.
The smallest gap I have between the glass and the opening is about 1/8”.
The 3M window stuff will fill the gap, doesn't need to be 1/4”.
I’ve got about 1600 miles on my 33, haven’t had any front or rear window issues.
Door windows, work in progress, PITA!