Hi all My 1979 308 GTB has a windscreen in good condition that someone has actually done a decent job of fitting. So far, so good. What is a bit of a shame is that the black anodised surround didn't get changed at the same time. The trim, unlike the windscreen, is looking a bit past its best. There are a number of threads on this forum on windscreen replacement and the clips that hold the surround trim in, but I don't suppose anyone knows if it is possible to remove and replace the surround trim whilst leaving the glass in place. I can't see why not, but then, I am a bit reluctant to start digging out the black sealant only to realise I have bitten off more than I can chew... Many thanks for any help!
You have two choices, first is, you can buy and pay a lot of money for a new one if you can find one that works and fit or you can carefully remove your original and have it reanodize which is a lot cheaper and knowing it’s original. When I had my windshield replaced the installer were able to save and reuse my original ones. Part of the key also is finding a good windshield installer.
Thanks Mike. What I was hoping to find out was whether you can remove and refit/replace the trim without taking the windshield out. I guess I will find out first hand!
Yes you can, as you have to remove the trim to be able to cut the windscreen seal to remove the windscreen. Your issue will arise as to whoever last fitted the trim, was it attached by just the clips ? Or was the “sikaflex” type urethane sealer used to glue the trim in place. When mine came out it was the latter . However much careful cutting and taking of time, my trim was removed without damage to get the windscreen out Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
You should have replaced the trim when the screen was out, I dont see this job being anything other than a nightmare . I actually wanted to change my trim, i bought a new one,but the ends where never cut, I sent it back , thankfully my original was in great shape, so it was re installed . There was no way the shop or the windscreen installer could cut the new trim at the specific angle to fit. Im not sure why it was not correct from the start. Thank you
So, this wasn't a nightmare. The two-piece trim is still available from Ferrari, albeit it has been repeatedly hit with the red tax stick, making it an expensive bit of black anodised aluminium moulding/extrusion. Still, I'd rather be able to get the part and it be expensive, than it be cheap and NLA. The previous window fitter decided in his wisdom that the clips weren't necessary and just glued it in with a lot of Sikaflex type sealant. I went around the trim carefully with a knife and then was able to gently pry it away. Action shot here: Image Unavailable, Please Login Once the old trim was out I then set about cleaning out the old sealant There was a lot of it.... Image Unavailable, Please Login Cleaning out the old sealant was the most time consuming part. I then spent a fair bit of time fettling the new trim to get it sitting nicely in the gap between the aperture and the screen itself (which I didn't want to disturb). It's an 'L' shaped profile and in places (particularly the top corners), I had to shave a bit off of the edge of the trim that is out of sight to get it to fit right. As has been mentioned, you also have to cut the pieces to length, but it's soft aluminium so very easy to cut, and you have the old trim as a template. I centred both old and new trim together as best I could and then cut the new trim with a thin cutting disc, leaving between 5mm and 10m overlength initially. With repeated refitting, I trimmed it closer and closer and finished off the last few mm with a file. Here's an offcut so you can see the profile: Image Unavailable, Please Login I then bonded the trim in place using Sikaflex, but at this point I hadn't applied the sealant to fill the gap between the trim and the aperture. Once the trim was secured in place, I masked everything up and applied the sealant. This was the worst part - even though I was prepared for it, that stuff got everywhere, and at this point I was wondering whether it was going to end up looking a mess. Before it cured, I cleaned it all up as best I could and then left if for 24 hours. Once it was dry, I then did more clean up, using a microfibre cloth and basically abrading it off until I was happy with what was left. I am pleased with the result: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login It sounds like an exaggeration, but the old trim was spoiling the car for me, and so I am really glad I tackled it. Massive thanks to rjlloyd for his post as without that my 308 would still be wearing that manky old trim.
