I got the mechanical temp gauge yesterday and got it put in today. I was real anxious to see how warm this thing runs. Started it up and it took a while to rise above 120 then 140, then 165 and there it stayed. Idling, running down the road and it was high 90's today and without a shroud, that makes me pretty happy. Got the windshield and frame back from the glass guy the other day. It cost $130 to get a new glass cut and put in the frame. I didn't think that was bad at all. Now I'm down to painting the hood and getting the windshield frame on and the clamp downs adjusted properly. I am really pleased at how well this thing runs. The engine is one thing I didn't have to mess with if I can just get the front seal leak fixed. Driving it up and down the road a little more and getting used to how it drives. It rides really stiff, but i guess that is to be expected. I drove it after dark to see how the lights aimed and couldn't see a thing that needed to be changed.
Your moving along well on that thing now! Great on the temp! It is not always that easy to get em to run cool. The windshield is definitely a best kept secret. As your glass guy quickly recognized it is standard flat stock D.O.T. Safety glass. Any shop that can do glass for buses, equipment and semi's etc, can make them right there and they usually have the seals. That front cover seal can be easy or tough. It can be removed and replaced by pulling the front crank pulley. If the cover itself was removed and not reinstalled correctly, that is a different problem. The cover needs to be aligned with the pan and the seal needs to be centered over the crank, before the cover is tightened. If not it is the source of many endless leak paths. It is possible the seal is just worn out and maybe a grove on the crank pulley. If that's all, it is a fairly easy one to fix.
It is possible that it wasn't aligned properly when I tightened the cover. I did put in a new seal. Every seal in this thing is new with exception of rear main. I thought about the pulley so I bought a new one, a heavier American built one but that didn't solve the problem and when I pulled the old pulley back out it wasn't grooved. I have an extra seal because I ordered one and had it before I bought a whole gasket set, so I will address that when I get time. On the glass, he used the frame for a pattern and not the old windshield. He said it wouldn't have stayed in so I don't know if the new frame opening is slightly bigger.
You made a good call on the windshield. I bought a pre-cut windshield and it was too big for my frame. I called the local glass guy and they showed up and ground it to fit in my garage! Then they told me in the future they could make a new one in less time than it took to fit the pre-cut one. I think TJones had a similar experience with the local glass guy.
I had a local glass shop cut the glass for our 2A. It was around $150 or so, but I sprung for tinted glass. I ordered the window seals and the frame, but the glass was thicker then the original or the frame track was more narrow then the original, so we couldn't use the rubber seal. The solution for that style was to lay a bead of urethane in the bottom of the track, then install the glass. The followed off with a thin bead around the glass and frame. It looks factory until you really study it close.
I got tinted as well. When I went to pick it up he told me he had to cut twice. He bought a 36" piece of glass but when he went to cut the new windshield a crack shot right across the middle of what would have been my windshield, so he had to start over. He said it happens from time to time.
Great example of why it is best to go right to the glass shop. I left it all up to them, the seal, the fitting and all. They came up with the correct seals, fitted the glass and put it right in there without a hitch. If they would have broke the glass it was my loss because I brought my own. If I would have just let them do the whole thing originally, it would have been their glass if it broke! And in the end it would have been $200 cheaper if they supplied the glass.
As much as a do-it myselfer as I tend to be, when it comes time to either put the original windshield back in the wagon, I will probably take it back up the road to the glass shop. The wagon windshield is a single piece, but it has a slight curve to it that one doesn't notice until you pull it out and package it up for storage. I will most likely get a new piece ordered through the glass company, due to the original has some fogging around the edges. The only reason I pulled it out was to repair some rust at the bottom of the interior dash, where the seal leaked.
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