Just posted this on the UK DDK site. Hope it is of use to someone, because it's made my day!
..... I have found something far more useful and important, especially to the more ham-fisted, less experienced Porsche restorer. Picture the scene...
You are finally getting around to re-fitting the front and rear screens, you read all the threads and posts you can find, you know it is vital that the metal insert is shaped correctly and inserted into the groove in the rubber .....but during the insertion somehow, in some place, the sodding thing comes out of the groove, and (being inexperienced) you think "I'll get that back in later", and you press on and finish getting the string out all the way around and the rubber over the internal lip.
And later you go back to the little bit that came out of the groove, (about 50mm near the upper join on the rear and 100mm near the lower join on the windscreen in my case) armed with all your little gizmos that have served you well over the years on other screens, and after much grunting and broken thumbs you and your assistant manage to get the windscreen section back in because you can get good access to both sides of the groove and at a nice acute angle.
But the rear one defies all attempts. Access is severely limited by the roof surround ....... and you get nowhere .... indeed you just extended the section 'out of the groove' by another 100mm as reward for your efforts. Can't face taking the screens out again with possible damage to the nice new headlining, so you scour the internet for 'windscreen insertion tools' (they do exist). Not too expensive, so you buy a few at £3 each. They arrive, you and a mate have another go ... and extend the section out a bit further, and a bit on the other side of the join. Looking like a screen out and try again job... b*gger, b*gger, b*gger.
Time for a cuppa and a think. Two prototype Heath Robinson devices fail, but No.3 ..... well what can I say other than the patent office have a letter in the post.
What the world of inadequate Porsche screen installers need is a one of these!
Made out of a piece from a metal coat hanger. The bent over end needs to be offset a bit like this to fit under the rubber lip on the profiled side of the metal insert
Apply liberal amounts of silicone lubricant, then slide the bent end and flat section into the base of the groove in the rubber. The photo below shows the orientation, but obviously it would be in below the insert in use.
Put it in near the join in the insert, or wherever your insert is 'out', slide it along with the bent over end lifting the rubber lip until you reach the point where it is already in place, then pull the new tool back along while your assistant follows along with you pressing on the insert, and for us it just 'zipped' into place. Took 30 sec to fix it. It's a good idea to 'flip' the rubber on the none profiled side of the insert to ensure that side also goes into the groove.
After messing about in frustration for several hours, and getting nowhere (in fact only making things worse as our efforts just pulled more insert out), when it went in in 30sec, we just looked at each other, then shouted like the demented idiots we were close to becoming.
Deep, deep joy...
I hope this post prevents other going through similar torment.
I will manufacture a tool for anyone who wants one - £500 + VAT
Mick
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