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spitfire to gt6 door glass


a turner carbs

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Posted

good evening, I am building a GT6 convertable based on a Mk1 GT6 with a Spitfire III body and I would like to fit the gt6 quarter lights to the doors. However the GT6 door glasses do not match the Spitfire III curved soft top so my options seem to be 1. fit the Spitfire III drop glass
2. fit the GT6 drop glass and don't have a soft top or hard top
or 3. have some new glasses cut which are a mixture of GT6 and spitfire III.
does any one know if these are available or how has anyone else got around this problem ?
regards Andrew

Posted

I have a couple of panes of glass for this specific purpose - but sadly they have been sold for ages - just need to get off my backside to post them to Denmark.

Easy to get them cut I would imagine.

Posted

can't see why not. The back part of the hood looks the same, and the width of the screen fram must also match, so it may be the way forward?

Posted

Hi Andrew
I think the easy solution is to cut down some mk1/2/3 glass to fit. The early cars do look better with the quarter lights as well, always an improvement. The round windows look nicely in-keeping on the early cars, far more so than the later square jobbies.
Although the 'boy-scout' early hood/frame is a fiddle to get up and down, it does leave a lot of useful space behind the seats. ;D

Posted

Hi Andrew

I have been through this while trying to put quarterlights on my spitfire mk3. I assumed that I could have the square gt6 windows cut to right shape. Unfortunately you cannot cut toughened windows.  was lucky and bought the set from James that he mentiions above. My plan B was to make my own windows from polycarbonate. Plan C would be a modification of the soft-top. Plan D is trying to fit a 1500 top and frame.

Hope you will be able to source at set of windows. kind of rare, but probably few more left out there

Kind regards
Nick

Posted

Door glasses are Toughened after they have been ground to shape and it is very difficult (impossible) to modify the shape without causing them to "explode".

As far as I can recall, the spitfire glasses are flat, so they should be easy to have new ones made (from an appropriate thickness of glass) and then toughened.  You could probably get it done by any big glazing supplier.  I've had custom cut and edge ground bits of glass toughened on several occasions.  You'll probably be looking at about �40 per doorglass.

Posted

Hi Andrew you need to speak to Dave @ CanleyClassics. John Kipping had a batch made up for just that purpose a long time ago. Hopefully he still has some available?

Dave was not bothering to advertise them when I bought a pair for my MkIII Spitfire. The quarter lights are much nicer on a Spitfire (the windows don't flex open at 100mph). As the GT6 glass is curved, its not a simple job to get some made.

Posted

They've all gone Richard - Doug Thompson had the last couple of pairs - and I bought a pair off him.

I was tempted to fit them to mine - but couldn't be bothered to find all the GT6 internals.

Now I'm kind of wishing I had - for the reason you mention about flex.

Posted

Time for Andrew to try and organize a 'Give us Round Tail Glass for GT6 Windows Political Party'.  :)

Presumably if Kippings made them before, they can be recreated and there is (albeit limited) a demand for them.

Posted

What a coincidence!
I am looking to have two window glasses made for a similar quarterlight conversion project for my Spitfire 1500, but I require glass with angled rears. I have contacted a company called Piper Glass in Watford who manufacture all types of shaped toughened glass, but I do not expect a reply until early next year. If anyone else is interested when I get a reply we could put a joint order in and save money!

Posted

hypoid53 wrote:
I am looking to have two window glasses made for a similar quarterlight conversion project for my Spitfire 1500, but I require glass with angled rears.


Can't you use standard GT6 glass?

Posted

heraldcoupe wrote:
The GT6 has a square top rear corner to the side window, the Spitfire Mk1-3 has rounded corners.
Cheers,
Bill.


Hypoid53 was talking about a 1500

Posted

Fair enough, I'd looked back to the OP which referred to the early bodystyle.
Would there be any clearance issues to the 1500 hood, the GT6 glass being curved where the 1500 glass is flat?
Cheers,
Bill.

Posted

I do have the GT6 curved glass (Mk3 with square rear profile) BUT the curve causes issues with the hood sealing at the rear. All the Spitfire 1500's I have seen with GT6 quarterlights and door glass have poor closure/sealing. As I went to a lot of trouble getting a custom made hood to achieve a good glass/hood closure, I am not prepared to ruin it with a retrograde glass fitment. Flat is the only way to go on the Spitfire in my opinion.

Posted

i've got a gt6 mk1 and my door glass is flat.
it should be pretty easy to get a new set made.....all you need is an old glass to draw round to use as a template then make the adjustments to the template where you need them then go to a glass manufacturer.
I think it's about 5mm thick/ maybe 4.
You cant alter pre toughened glass past about 2mm in......that's where the pysical change happens in the outer skins of the glass.....

Darren

Posted

Hi Everyone, Thanks for your detailed replies, I've got both the gt6 and the spitfire 3 glasses and today have made a template in plywood. The gt6 glasses are gently curved approx 1/4 inch in one plain ( to make them come further inwards ), I do think that it is possible that the same windows made in flat glass should also work with gt6 runners as they are or straightened as neccasary. Or maybe a combination of gt6 quarter light runner and spitfire 3 rear runner. The glass is 5 mm thick from memory glass comes in 4 mm or 6mm so I must see if that is a problem. The final hurdle should be getting it tinted !! I will take my plyboard pattern to a glass  suppliers and will report back.  Regards Andrew

Posted

Here is a photo of the GT6 RH quarterlight frame in profile showing the gentle curve. How a flat glass will operate through this I do not yet know but the inner seal might be able to accomodate the radius.

Posted

I too bought some specially made drop glass made for a mk1/2/3 with quarterlights, (sold 2 to James ) it is flat and I am attempting to fit it to my totally rebuilt mk2 doors ,there do seem to be some issues with the glass trying to run smoothly in the curved front and rear guides ,btw the rear guides are unique to the gt6 and usually rusted somewhere !!! good luck

Posted

you can get glass 5mm no problem........tinted, depends what colour.......anti sun green or body tint grey.....you can even get blue.......i work for a company called solaglas and they supply 5 mm tints

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