 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > Soft-top Defender folding windscreen |
 
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| CarMan Member Since: 29 Nov 2010 Location: Cotswolds Posts: 1861  
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I was looking at https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic77739.html and it started me thinking
1. All those pictured at the top of the thread have painted wheel arches which look good to me, so do these need to start-off as gloss or matt? 2. I think I like the idea of a folding windscreen and now know these were available on early 90's so would that be a good or daft idea 
Thinking about my 300tdi now MOT'd and back on the road from April Fools Day  Rob
1993 200tdi 90 hard-top 1998 300tdi 90 soft-top 2016 2.2 XS 90 hard-top (sold) |
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29th Mar 2021 5:28pm |
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| Shroppy Member Since: 25 Feb 2016 Location: Shropshire Posts: 866 
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Some lovely colours in that thread, I have been pondering some of them for my 130....
To answer your questions; 1 - Personally I'd buy a new set (think they can be had quite cheaply) of the unpainted spats and use a good quality plastic primer, then top coat in a colour of your choice. I'm almost certain the more expensive primered versions started out life the same as the matt ones. 2 - It's a nice idea, you'll need both the hinge type windscreen blocks and their counterpart inner clamping bracket. I dare say it'll be a right pain to re-seal though if you're parking it outside. 1985 127 V8 Build Thread Series 2 109" Series 1 80" |
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29th Mar 2021 5:37pm |
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| camelman Member Since: 27 Feb 2013 Location: Peak District Posts: 3373
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^^^ Or just buy a series or a mog
 Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge |
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29th Mar 2021 5:55pm |
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| CarMan Member Since: 29 Nov 2010 Location: Cotswolds Posts: 1861
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Thanks and both lovely
 Rob
1993 200tdi 90 hard-top 1998 300tdi 90 soft-top 2016 2.2 XS 90 hard-top (sold) |
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29th Mar 2021 6:17pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17387 
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I used to drive my first SI 80" a lot with the screen down, but unless you are (for example) green laning at very low speed, goggles are a must. I have had large bugs splatting me on the face, it hurts, and could very easily take out an eye if unprotected. I am reliably informed that driving with the screen down, flying goggles, and your hair and clothing doing Red Baron impressions actually doesn't look cool but manic, and any form of social intercourse when you are covering in bug cadavers is difficult. But you're only young once, and when you are young you know best!
I did once make a serious mistake when dusk fell of continuing to drive with the screen down after turning on the headlights. Never do this, the result is very predictable (think what your windscreen looks like after a summer night drive in terms of cadavers). I did also once also have a near miss so close with a pheasant that I felt its wing. That scared me, a pheasant in the face at 50mph would not be fun. In summary it is fun once or twice to fold the screen down, but the novelty rapidly wears off and it really isn't very useful. |
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29th Mar 2021 6:50pm |
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| 90 Dreamer Member Since: 13 Jul 2019 Location: Oop North Posts: 2158 
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Have alwyas been into bikes and a good friend managed to 'catch' a pheasant one night down the local bypass
Even with a full face helmet / visor down it made him black & blue for weeks after........not pretty |
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29th Mar 2021 7:49pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17387
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The other important thing to remember if driving with the screen folded down, which I forgot to mention above, is to keep your mouth shut! The reasons are obvious.
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29th Mar 2021 9:35pm |
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| Harry.O Member Since: 25 Jul 2014 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 714 
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I've got a folding screen on my soft top 90 and whilst it is amusing for small amounts of time, bugs and debris from other car tyres are not very comfortable. Screen up and roof off is much more comfortable
If you do want to fold the screen down then you'll need to remove the windscreen wipers but the frame will pass over the screen washer jet. Maybe think about some kind of rubber buffer to stop the screen frame damaging the bonnet paintwork also? 2005 Td5 110 Hardtop 1989 300Tdi 90 Soft top 1992 200Tdi 90 Truck cab with Land Cruiser axles |
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30th Mar 2021 8:46am |
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| The Crab Botherer Member Since: 07 May 2020 Location: WIRRAL Posts: 56
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I had a battered old V8 series 2 swb when i lived in South London 25 years ago and ran it screen down, no doors through the summer. Great fun unless it hammered down, but highly recommended! Glasses a must at the very least. My cousin always used to ride his Triumph Bonnie with no goggles til he copped a bumble bee in the eye at 60+ MPH, he looked like he'd been punched.
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30th Mar 2021 10:37am |
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| diesel_jim Member Since: 13 Oct 2008 Location: hiding Posts: 6092 
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I had a bumble bee hit me in the face once.... OK I was riding my motorbike, and had helmet on with the visor down.
Was a CBR600 and I was on the M4, so I may been going a tadge over 70..... the bee splatted well! I remember thinking, thank god I had the visor down.  |
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30th Mar 2021 6:38pm |
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| Dinnu Member Since: 24 Dec 2019 Location: Lija Posts: 3414  
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Hitting a bird (I think the size of a pigeon) at autobahn speed limit (pedal to the metal, on a Toyota Camry 2.5L petrol) was enough to scare the s#!t out of me. I did not see the bird coming, and probably neither did it see me.
Having a near vertical windshield as on a Defender would have probably seen it fly out of the back door screen as well. But then, who is out of his mind enough to drive at those speeds in a Defender (only those with 500+hp under the bonnet). 1988 90 Hard Top, 19J Diesel Turbo, Shire Blue - Restoration ongoing 2012 90 CSW, 2.2TDCI, Santorini Black |
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30th Mar 2021 7:28pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17387
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I hit an unfortunate pheasant the other day with my Disco 2 with the top left hand corner of the windscreen, and the impact was hard enough to cause the blanking plate for the sunroof switches (mine sunroof is manual) to fall off the roof console. I have no idea how the screen didn't break. I an pretty sure that had I been driving a vehicle with no screen, and it had hit my face, I would be dead.
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30th Mar 2021 9:15pm |
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