removing windscreen safely

BX Tech talk
Post Reply
B-Hive
BXpert
Posts: 403
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2007 1:55 pm

removing windscreen safely

Post by B-Hive »

Hi ya all

I need to remove a windscreen from a donor car, and was wondering if anyone has any advice on doing so...

I know that it is bonded and have heard tell that a hot knife of sorts is required....???

This is a significant cost saving alternative to a new screen so advice very much appreciated...

Fanks
Current
85 BX GT Mk1..
86 BX TRS Mk1
87 BX TRi


Gone
85 BX TRS mk1 auto... SOLD
90 BX TRi..parts....cubed
citronut
Over 2k
Posts: 2781
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:55 am
Location: EAST SUSSEX UK
x 1

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by citronut »

i would get an independent screen fitter to try and remove it, even then it can be hit and miss getting it out in one piece

regards malcolm
curent ride
K reg BX 17TD TZD est
also own
K reg D special

no longer have
H reg CX saffari 2.5 TRI (now gone to Malaysia)
R reg xantia 1.9TD est (gone to meet its maker)
User avatar
Way2go
Over 2k
Posts: 7279
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:15 pm
Location: RCoBerkshire
x 2

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by Way2go »

Um....surely it's not worth messing about with this when you can get a replacement windscreen on your insurance for usually no more than £75 excess? :?
All original BX windscreens have now degraded under UV light and a new replacement gives a nice crisp view of the outside world as I discovered myself last year! :D
1991 BX19GTi Auto
kiwi
Over 2k
Posts: 2380
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:20 am
Location: Nouvelle Zealande
x 4

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by kiwi »

It will be interesting to hear replies from people who have actually done this rather than negativity.

I have a donor car and have been mulling over this part. Given the windscreen is a recent replacement with no stone chips in it then probably worthwhile. Replacement screens out here in NZ around $350 to $400 (200 GBP), cost of insurance excess just gone up from $50 to $60 (30 GBP).

That aside rather than let it go to waste and the cost to dispose it sounds like one those practical alternatives.
1991 BX19 TZS 04/01/91 (Deceased)
1990 BX19 TRS 27/10/89 (Reborn)
1992 BX19 TXD (Ex UK - K 744 SDF) 15/06/92
1990 BX19 TZS Auto 06/11/1989
1992 BX TZD Turbo Estate (Ex UK) 1/07/91
B-Hive
BXpert
Posts: 403
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2007 1:55 pm

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by B-Hive »

kiwi wrote:It will be interesting to hear replies from people who have actually done this rather than negativity.

I have a donor car and have been mulling over this part. Given the windscreen is a recent replacement with no stone chips in it then probably worthwhile. Replacement screens out here in NZ around $350 to $400 (200 GBP), cost of insurance excess just gone up from $50 to $60 (30 GBP).

That aside rather than let it go to waste and the cost to dispose it sounds like one those practical alternatives.
Cheapest I can find in Australia is $500.. :shock:

The GT only has third party insurances, so insurance isn't part of the equation.

I'm in the process of parting out the TRi so I guess its worth a try regardless of whether I destroy it in the attempt to remove it.
Current
85 BX GT Mk1..
86 BX TRS Mk1
87 BX TRi


Gone
85 BX TRS mk1 auto... SOLD
90 BX TRi..parts....cubed
really?
BXpert
Posts: 111
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:45 pm
Location: oxford
x 1

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by really? »

Have actually tried this some years ago. Had a donor car with a perfect screen which I needed.

Used a very sharp knife all the way round the edge, after half an hour it was looking pretty good, loosening up nicely then on the last corner it all went pear shaped and cracked. We were left with pieces.

Thought it was worth trying as we had the spare, but the glass replacement guy who had to come round and put a new screen anyway said that removal very very rarely works and they often cannot manage themselves get them out intact but they have a much better chance than we did.

If you give it a go it will require a lot of time and patience.
citronut
Over 2k
Posts: 2781
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:55 am
Location: EAST SUSSEX UK
x 1

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by citronut »

kiwi wrote: Given the windscreen is a recent replacement
in this case you have a better chance as the bonding ( no not 007 ) will not have cured as much/or hard as a 20 plus year old would have done,

regards malcolm
curent ride
K reg BX 17TD TZD est
also own
K reg D special

no longer have
H reg CX saffari 2.5 TRI (now gone to Malaysia)
R reg xantia 1.9TD est (gone to meet its maker)
B-Hive
BXpert
Posts: 403
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2007 1:55 pm

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by B-Hive »

really? wrote:Have actually tried this some years ago. Had a donor car with a perfect screen which I needed.

Used a very sharp knife all the way round the edge, after half an hour it was looking pretty good, loosening up nicely then on the last corner it all went pear shaped and cracked. We were left with pieces.

Thought it was worth trying as we had the spare, but the glass replacement guy who had to come round and put a new screen anyway said that removal very very rarely works and they often cannot manage themselves get them out intact but they have a much better chance than we did.

If you give it a go it will require a lot of time and patience.
Thanks for that...

HHmmmm.. I have actually contemplated attacking the peripheral frame/body work with an angle grinder to remove...Then once its is out and tension free then delicately and slowly remove the frame having access now to both sides of the bond. :idea: ...alternatively i could just throw a brick through it now and get it over with.... :D
Current
85 BX GT Mk1..
86 BX TRS Mk1
87 BX TRi


Gone
85 BX TRS mk1 auto... SOLD
90 BX TRi..parts....cubed
User avatar
mat_fenwick
Moderator
Posts: 7326
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2005 4:08 pm
Location: North Wales
x 19

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by mat_fenwick »

I've attempted (once) with a knife, but with no success. I've seen the screen fitters do it several times with a piece of wire, fastened to a toggle each end. They make a small hole, feed a bare end of the wire through it and then attach the toggle before using that to cut the bond. They've always managed it causing no additional damage, but would imagine that on a BX it'd be more difficult to thread the wire as the screen is recessed on all 4 edges. Some cars have no recess on the bottom edge, with the joint just covered by trim.
Image

1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
1985 Hyundai Stellar V8
2016 Hyundai iLoad
citronut
Over 2k
Posts: 2781
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:55 am
Location: EAST SUSSEX UK
x 1

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by citronut »

using an angle grinder around/near the screen you will very likely splatter/spray the screen with hot metal grinder sparks,

which do/will bite right into the glass, so the brick would be the best option in that case #-o :twisted: :wink:

regards malcolm
curent ride
K reg BX 17TD TZD est
also own
K reg D special

no longer have
H reg CX saffari 2.5 TRI (now gone to Malaysia)
R reg xantia 1.9TD est (gone to meet its maker)
User avatar
citsncycles
Over 2k
Posts: 3224
Joined: Sun Aug 08, 2010 9:14 pm
Location: Dursley, Gloucestershire

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by citsncycles »

I have tried this, but have never succeeded I'm afraid.
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
BX 4X4 Estate - Oh god, I've done it again!
BX 17RD MK1 - it called to me!
BX14 TGE, - SOLD
XM Turbo SD,GS Club Estate,Visa 17D Leader,HY Pickup,Dyane Nomad,Dyane 6,2CV AZL,Falcon S,Trabant P50,3x Land Rovers (88" series 1,109" series 2a FFR,series 2a Marshall ambulance),DKW F7, Lambretta LD150 x 1.5,Mobylette SP93,Ural Cossack,Ural M63,CZ 250 Sport,Honda Varadero 125,lots of bicycles & tricycles including (but not only) Sunbeams,Higgins & Bates!
User avatar
frog
BXpert
Posts: 268
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:01 pm
Location: Australia
x 12

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by frog »

I took an aftermarket screen out of the TRi parts car my self and had it fitted to my black 16valve when I first purchased it.
It had a tacky rubber mounting it, unlike the standard one that goes hard; it came out fairly easily with a knife. I paid $75 AUD to have it cleaned up and fitted 2 years ago.
1989 Citroën BX 16v
1993 Citroën BX 16v project
Defender110
Over 2k
Posts: 5917
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:02 pm
Location: Harwood, Bolton
My Cars: Land Rover Discovery Series 1 200tdi 3 door
Land Rover Discovery Series 2 Facelift TD5
2020 Fiat Panda cross 4x4 twin air.
x 27

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by Defender110 »

You need the cheese wire tool as below but if you are doing it only once the money for the tool would be 1/3 the price of the screen in UK.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WINDSCREEN-RE ... 417f96135f
Kevan
1997 Mercedes C230 W202
2003 Land Rover Discovery Series 2 Facelift TD5 - Daily driver / hobby days and camping.
1993 Land Rover Discovery 200tdi Series 1 3 door - in need of TLC
2020 Fiat Panda 4x4 Cross Twin Air.
KevR
1K Away
Posts: 1767
Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:46 pm
Location: Normandy
My Cars: It's all in my signature
x 4

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by KevR »

My local scrappy (before they were sadly closed down by the authorities...) used to remove them with the cheesewire tool as posted above. I've tried a couple of times but not been successful. Worth a try though.
As for the improvement in view through a new screen, agreed. But then I find giving mine (an original with 200,000 miles) a thorough polish with T-Cut or similar, followed by an application of Rainex, has a similar effect - like looking through a new screen.
1990 BX TZD Estate ('the grey one', 1991 BX TZD Estate ('the white one'), 1982 2CV6 Charleston (in bits), 1972 AZU Serie B (2CV van), 1974 HY72 Camper, 1990 Land Rover 110 diesel LWB, 1957 Mobylette AV76, 1992 Ducati 400SS, 1966 VW Beetle, 1990 Mazda MX-5, 1996 Peugeot 106D, 1974 JCB 2D MkII, 1997 BMW R1100RS, 1987 Suzuki GSX-R1100, 1978 Honda CX500A, 1965 Motobecane Cady, 1988 Honda Bros/Africa Twin, 1963 Massey Ferguson 825, and a lot of bicycles!
B-Hive
BXpert
Posts: 403
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2007 1:55 pm

Re: removing windscreen safely

Post by B-Hive »

KevR wrote:My local scrappy (before they were sadly closed down by the authorities...) used to remove them with the cheesewire tool as posted above. I've tried a couple of times but not been successful. Worth a try though.
As for the improvement in view through a new screen, agreed. But then I find giving mine (an original with 200,000 miles) a thorough polish with T-Cut or similar, followed by an application of Rainex, has a similar effect - like looking through a new screen.
I'm afraid that a 40cm crack wont polish out.. :? :?

if I was to move on the GT, a $500 windscreen would almost certainly be the "show stopper" for its new carer to get it re registered.. So hence the incentive to source a cheap alternative ready to drop in..
Current
85 BX GT Mk1..
86 BX TRS Mk1
87 BX TRi


Gone
85 BX TRS mk1 auto... SOLD
90 BX TRi..parts....cubed
Post Reply