have you ever had a fiberglass windshield frame??

[IOPort51]

Is a fiberglass windshield frame strong enough to mount a soft top to??
It seems a bit bendy/twisty. Give me a little input before I start working on this thing.
Thanks.

 

[CJim7]

Is a fiberglass windshield frame strong enough to mount a soft top to??
It seems a bit bendy/twisty. Give me a little input before I start working on this thing.
Thanks.

The only thing I've heard about fiberglass frames is that they (depending on the manufacturer) can be weak at the point the wiper arms rotate.

I would think the windshield would enforce the frame enough to not be to much of an issue with a top....but that's just speculation.

 

[Kane]

They scare me. Metal frames are easy to replace if they rust and not that expensive. I have seen a few in person and never liked tham.

 

[CJim7]

They scare me. Metal frames are easy to replace if they rust and not that expensive.

Exactly. I bought a new steel one for $199 a few years back to replace the rusted out thing holding the glass up in front of my face and I wouldnt hesitate to do it again.

 

[Old Dog]

The windshield frame is the only thing steel on mine.:laugh:
I've heard more bad than good about the wiper thing and also the softtop
bending them. But I don't know anyone that has one. IIRC Coldwater might have said he had one, did you try a search.

 

[Sasquach]

For what it's worth my factory steel 3B frame is currently glassless and it's very solid with little flex if any. I know it's not what you are looking for but I doubt the glass is supposed to provide the rigidity.

 

[flyingbrick]

A glass fiber top should be plenty stiff if constructed properly. Any mounting points should really be reinforced with steel.
If steel frames are easy to source new then there is no point going with anything else though!

 

[BrockGrimes]

I had a fiberglass windshield frame on my '78 CJ5 .
It was plenty strong. My hood came up at about 45mph driving into a 30mph headwind and busted the hell out of the windshield. The frame only split where it was put together. I still have in the garage and could easily be repaired. It cost less for a new metal one vs a fiberglass one so I swapped to metal which was equal in strength to my old fiberglass one. Btw mine had metal reinforcements where it counted! Nut and bolt areas.

I'd say you could have it but it's a long 450 miles.