replacing bonded screens with gasketed ones

[JHertzman@domain.elided]

In AD7-811 Graham Hilder, who has an Alfetta GTV with bonded windscreen, (and 
with the usual complications) writes "So the screen will have to come out 
some time.  We were thinking of having it re-installed by the gasket method 
when the time comes, to avoid the above problems once and for all we hope. 
Have seen several other ex-bonded Alfetta GTVs in AROC NZ which have had this 
gasket conversion done and they look very tidy."
 
Not that simple. The glued-on screens are slightly larger than the gasketed 
ones. It is conceivable that they could be carefully trimmed, if one had luck 
and patience and one of the later screens from which to crib dimensions, but 
getting the glued-on screen off intact also requires both luck and patience. 
The most likely scenario is to get a gasketed screen, its trim, and the four 
retaining clips from a boneyard, and buy a new gasket, simply cutting the old 
one away. One can reuse the old gasket, but trying to save the $40 (US) 
gasket for reuse increases the chance of breaking the $300 (US) glass, so the 
risk-averse tend to use a new gasket. If one can find good glass on one 
salvage car, and a good gasket on another with a broken windshield, take the 
glass, the gasket, and the two sets of stainless trim.

A possible slight complication is that the glued windshields were all green 
athermic glass, while the gasketed windshields were made in both green 
athermic and bronze athermic; depending on what was available one might have 
to either switch all the glass or accept some mismatch.

Graham also writes " Hmmmm...... I wonder if the company really did make any 
structural changes to counter the reputed loss of bonding's torsional 
rigidity, or whether (like so much else in the Alfetta design), they just 
said she'll be right, and near enough is good enough......"

There were no structural changes which showed up in the parts book. There 
could have been differences in the welding- more spot welds, or some 
seam-welding- but the surrounding sheet metal parts are the same with glued 
and gasketed screens. At the time that the GTV-6 was introduced Alfa claimed 
that here had been more than 200 detail modifications to the structure, and 
fours produced concurrently with the sixes might have had the same changes. 
The structure of the coupes around the hatch is far less ideal than that of 
the sedans; I doubt that the loss in stiffness with the gasketed screen is 
enough to worry about.

cordially,

John H. 
Raleigh, N.C.

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