MTFCA Forum

Is it possible to tighten the hinges on a 1914 windshield?
The top section on my roadster has a tendency to flop back to match the angle of the lower section while driving. I made an attempt to tighten the slotted screw head on the inside of each hinge to no avail. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

The springs inside the hinges may be broken. Have you also tried oiling the hinge so that it moves freely?

Hi, Thanks for the reply! No, I have not tried oiling. I'm afraid if the hinge moves more freely it may make things worse. Could be bad springs, does the hinge need to be taken apart to check the spring?

My hinges did the same thing. The problem was that the "bumps" on the one half had worn, and no longer provided enough resistance to movement. They would slip out of the "dimples" of the other half. A little welding to build up the "bumps" and a little filing to shape and my hinges work like new. I lubed them with hard wax.

Have fun.

Got a nice pair for sale on classified page.

Gnubbies are worn....

I have not tried to adjust the windshield in my car. How is it done non-destructively? Do you just grab the top & pull it back?

Paul

The 2 hinge halfs are tensioned with a spring. That tension is somewhat adjustable. If set properly, it will stay in position @ speed & be foldable. Since you have a frankin 14 be extra careful. I can see Woody C tweeking it to keep it up @ racing speeds.

The windshield stays in place so far but I have not gone all that fast with it. We do get a lot of wind which might fool the windshield into thinking its a racing car.

So - to operate it, just grab it and pull it back? No release button or anything of that nature?

Paul

If you're doing it by yourself, pull towards both corners at the same time.

Thanks for the advice so far. Just so I understand before tearing into this, once I remove the hinge and separate the 2 halves, there will be a spring that may need replacement and some dimples that may need to be built up correct? Is there a source for the spring, or will I need to get creative. Any help is appreciated! I added a photo just for kicks. This is me and my boy removing the radiator to resolder the petcock.

Funny you should ask. I believe that spring is used in 3 places. Radiator mount, wishbone cap & W/S