M38A1 Windshield

Smallfrye · Post by **Smallfrye** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:55 am

Would anyone have the exact dimensions of the two piece windshield glass or even a pattern? I can pull the pattern from the frame and seal but having the exact dimensions would remove a lot of the possibility of error. Particularly the length dimension
Thanks
Jim

Post by **wesk** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 10:08 am

Have you looked up the glass in your m38A1 ORD 9 SNL G-758 parts manual? Page 321 8th item down the page.

Smallfrye · Post by **Smallfrye** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 10:28 am

Thx Wes, I saw this but believe this is a reference dimension only. The A1, normally has a two piece glass into a frame dimension of 13.75" x 56.5". Considering the seal adds some dimension, the finished glass pieces should be in the range of 13.xx" X 27.xx". All this is too much guess work to get it right the first time, so I was hoping someone had a glass piece or template lying around I could learn from.

Post by **wesk** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 10:51 am

The majority of us do not bother experimenting in the glass work. It's very reasonably priced at the local glass shop and just dropping the windshield & seal off leaves us with two pieces of properly size glass cut & installed at no risk to us for test and fitting breakage.

I doubt you will be able to find a pair of original production glass to get dimensions from and any dimensions offered by owners with installed glass will not be very accurate.

You sound as if you have already decided to cut and fit your own. So if you already know within a 1/6" what the dimensions are then just get two pieces slightly larger and trim them to set 1/8 to 3/16" (or the thickness of the rubber gassket material) smaller inside the bare frame and trim radius proportionately to the window frame radius and for length subtract the width of the center bar plus two gasket pieces. If you want to take a pattern to the glass shop so you can save the money they would charge to install them then just use a piece of cardboard and cut it to match the opening less the thickness of the rubber gasket that must fit between the edge of the glass and the edge of the frame.

Smallfrye · Post by **Smallfrye** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 11:01 am

You are correct, I could go to all that trouble, although tempered glass is not really trim-able, or I could hope to find a windshield available to pull the length and width from and get a pair of panes produced for 20% of retail.
(glass material is real cheap)

4x4M38 · Post by **4x4M38** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 1:58 pm

I had the local auto glass monger throw a price of 18 dollars a square foot
for an M38 windshield. All I had to do was bring him the frame.
I asked about the seal and lock bead and he said if I had it fine.
Otherwise they have material that works.

Kendall · Post by **Kendall** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 2:46 pm

I have 1/2 the windshield from my M38A1 sitting next to me. Half of my windshield was damaged so I took both sides out and took one to a local glass company to use as a pattern to cut two new pieces.
Here are the dimensions- 27 5/8 X 13 X 1/4. The square corners are nipped. These dimensions don't quite match the manual.
Hope this helps.
Kendall

Smallfrye · Post by **Smallfrye** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 4:57 pm

Thx Kendall, that is exactly what I needed. I will send the supplier the end cut pattern, taken from my frame and your dimensions. He will work from that to create his template.
He has quoted me $27.86 each with 7-10 ARO. What did you pay retail?

Kendall · Post by **Kendall** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 7:08 pm

That price seems reasonable. I don't remember what I paid.
Good luck with your project.
Kendall

Smallfrye · Post by **Smallfrye** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 7:26 am

Kendall, if you have yet to install the new panes, could you post a pic of the metal center bar, with dimensions. I will need to create one.
The A1 I started with had a broken one piece windshield, and I am restoring it to the original two piece.

Kendall · Post by **Kendall** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 11:04 am

There is not a metal center bar. It is a rubber seal that is included with the M38A1 windshield seal.

Smallfrye · Post by **Smallfrye** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 11:19 am

So does a piece of inner seal fill the gap between the two panes of the outer seal?

BCA · Post by **BCA** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 2:13 pm

I can confirm the 27 5/8" x 13" size. The rounded corners follow the arc of a 6" diameter circle. Most glass places can order or stock flat glass but it usually has a blue tint rather than the clear original glass.

Kendall · Post by **Kendall** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 3:44 pm

Search for M38A1 windshield seal and you will see there is center piece of rubber that is part of that seal.

BCA · Post by **BCA** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 8:39 am

The September 1956 ORD9 SNL G-758 only lists a generic plate of glass 16"x50" which evidently is meant to be cut to size. I just uncrated some Canadian Army inventory windshield glass, correctly-sized, ready to install (2 pieces per windshield). They are part number WO 680412, Canadian stock number 2510-21-104-3964. The crate was shipped from PPG Duplate Division to American Motors Corp, probably in the 1970's. Interestingly the August 1952 and the May 1954 ORD 8 SNL G-758 refer to the 16"x50" master plate as being "fitted to size 48-51/64" x 12-31/32" x 1/4" so by these dates they must have figured that the center rubber strip was not necessary and that a single full plate of glass could be used.

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