Windscreen Bracket thingys

Hello, I would like to know how the brackets on a modern defender windscreen that replaced the old style hinges are held in place as I wish to remove and paint them. Do they just pry off?

All help most gratefully received.

Ta all

Certainly not! There's still a bolt involved I think. Can you not see the back of it if you open the door and peel the door seal back a little?

pos said:

Certainly not!

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ok, if youre sure

pos said:

There's still a bolt involved I think.

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whaddya mean yer think

Lol, I think there's a bolt as opposed to some other means ie.e a fancy mechanism or a lever etc. I asked my mechanic why my 1986 had hinges where as the newer 'fenders only have a block and he said that there's no real need for people to fold their windscreens down anymore. I then asked whether or not they were just there to keep the "classic design" in tact, to which he replied: "no they are still used to join the windscreen frame to the bulkhead".

How modern are you talking???

Till recently...

They are hinges, i just completely renovated mine!

You have to undo the vertical bolt on the inside, which you will find is held in place with a hex nut (allen key). This is alloy so will undo relatively easily and release the upper half of the hinge where it goes into the windscreen. This then swings out and reveals...

a cross-head screw on the lower half which will have probably seized. If you have undone the top half you can use the leverage of the hinge on the outside to loosen it, but you will almost certainly knacker the head so get a new bolt at the ready.

Once they are off you might as well replace the gaskets on the outside as they invariably leak ( i started the whole process investigating one of many leaks!). So you will need 2 gaskets for the top half where the hinge goes on the windscreen, 2 lower gaskets where it meets the bulkhead and 2 M8 bolts (can't remember the length but it was quite easy to find through a search).

They are still hinges (don't know up till when i'm afraid but i think it's quite recent).

Good luck, as always what starts as a 5 min job turns into a days work!