I am assisting in the re- restoration of an older restored (30 + YEAR) two door Canadian body - with our warm climate Ford Australia did not produce a local closed body; and the top hinge of the front glass frame seems to be modern piano hinge replacement; it is fixed to the glass frame with many tiny nuts and bolts.
Question is, was this original or was the hingeing by other means? How was the weather sealing supposed to be done around the frame?
All help appreciated - thanks... VICTOR IN BRISBANE , AUSTRALIA.

The original hinge looked very much like a piano hinge. Been a while since I looked at mine but I believe the original hinge was spot welded to the windscreen frame.

1. Sorry, I don’t have 1926-27 tudor/coupe windshield to look at, so I will let someone who has one or has looked at one answer your hinge question.

2. For the USA production they had one windshield and header that was used the first part of 1926 and then a second style that was used the second part of 1926 and 1927. I don’t know all the reasons for the change but the cost of the header dropped from $10 to $2 and Henry was all about reducing costs. See the extract from Bruce McCalley’s “Comprehensive Model T Encyclopedia” [ http://mtfca.com/encyclo/mccalley.htm ] below:




3. The Canadian produced bodies may or may not use the same windshield style as the early 1926 USA or later 1926-27 USA windshield. Recommend you post a note with Wanted any difference between USA and Canadian 1926-27 Coupe/Tudor Windshields and hinges? Just to make sure. \

4. For the weather strip – the parts list has:

STRIP Windshield weather
18812X
Apr 25 18812 1924-25 .15 Right or left
18812RX
Mar 27 18812R 1924-25 .10
50206X
Mar 27 50206 1926-27 .10 Right side
50207X
Mar 27 50207 1926-27 .10 Left side
50208X
Mar 27 50208 1926-27 .20 Bottom

4. On my 1931 Model A Slant Windshield, the windshield hinge does not have a rod -- it is just one rolled piece of metal -- sort of like a “C” inside another rolled piece of metal. The lower part of the hinge is built into the top part of the windshield frame. If the hinge needed to be replaced on it, the top piece of the windshield frame would need to be replaced. The upper part of the hinge is held with screws into the header. I don’t know if the 1926-27 Tudor and Coupe used a similar or very different hinge arrangement and as pointed out earlier – I do not know if the Canadian produced bodies use the same or different hinge system.

5. If it turns out to not be the correct hinge you can always replace it when you restore or redo the body. Snyders in their 2004 catalog has a replacement (aluminum rather than steel) windshield frame. Shipped taken apart it should help reduce the shipping cost. And you could probably have someone ship you just the top part of the windshield and hinge – if that is all you need.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap Tucker 1915 Model T Ford touring cut off and made into a pickup truck and 1907 Model S Runabout. Sumter SC.

Pictures are of a 1926 Canadian Coupe. From what I have seen, I believe the Canadian and USA windshield frames are the same.

Hinge is not a piano hinge, it is a continous hinge with one half of the hinge wraping around the other half, so there is no hinge pin. The lower half of the hinge is part of the upper windshield frame, and the other half bolts to the underside of the windshield opening in the body with about 8-10 round head 8 bolts. The upper windshield hinge is folded over to hold the upholstery panel in place.

Whindshield frame has a metal strip on 3 sides that the rubber seal slides into.