How not to fit a GT6 windscreen

After ages trying to find a replacement windscreen for the GT6, a fellow triumpher in Melbourne put me onto a company that manufactures screens locally. And they had Spitfire 1500 / GT6 Mk3 windscreens - score! I picked one up on Saturday morning, looking forward to having it fitted by lunchtime. Ummm, wrong. 

I winched the GT out into the sun - my garage and drive are on quite a slope, the wheel chocks are not for  show. It's much easier to work on the car with room to open the doors properly. 

Step one was fitting the seal to the glass. this took a couple of attempts to get the tension the same right round - the seals are made on the small side to make sure they hold the glass firmly, but the result is that it's like wrestling a huge black rubber band. One fingernail later, it was on.

The next step was fitting the assembly to the car, and I just couldn't get it to fit. After half an hour I gave up - maybe I surrendered too soon, but I'd rather not break the glass by doing it wrong. Brisbane has mobile windscreen specialists, and I'm happy to pay them to fit the little bastard.

For light relief I tidied the garage. You can see the winch at the back. This is actually the 'after' picture, it was a proper mess before.

And then I stitched up a pair of seams in the headlining that had come unravelled. Sewing's not my forte, but it should hold. Fitting the interior has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the build so far. the car has gone from a bare shell to a warm, snug place you'd be happy to spend a day in. Amazing what a bit of carpet and headlining will do!

And then time for a beer. No photo of that, but it was brown, good and well-deserved.