Taylorcraft four piece windshield

Asked this question on the Tcart forum - anybody here familiar with the hundreds of rivets that hold this windshield together? Sounds like "crack city" to me.

Bob, Can you show a picture of this windshield? I have never seen anything but a one piece windshield on a Taylorcraft. Sounds like someone may have cobbled together something.

What model is it?

E2 Taylor Cub?

Glenn

What Glen said. Taylor E-2s, J-2s, and early Piper J-3s had 3 piece Pyrelyn windshields riveted together. Im not a Taylorcraft historian, but I wouldn't be suyprised if the "pre-war" airplanes used a four-piece windshield.

I would accept advice from an E2 specialist. How do you drive rivets in an aluminum/Plexiglas sandwich without cracking the plastic? How do you allow for expansion? Collars on the rivets?

I believe strips of soft aluminum sheet were joggled on each side to accept the edges of the Pyrelyn pieces and riveted together. There were two of these on the J-3 windshield assembly. The two pre-cut outboard Pyrelyn pieces were installed into the channels on the boot cowl and aft the aft edges of the windshield frame. Then the riveted strips were placed over the inboard edges of the Pyrelyn and their ends fastened at the top and bottom. The center pyrelyn piece was then slid into the "V" formed by the two riveted strips and secured to the top of the fuselage frame.

Pre war were 4 piece prior to the delux model, Hank has made drawings from his one he is restoring. Tim

Follow-up: we are in touch with the mechanic who last did this windshield. DOT Lexan, special rivets and bucking bar, no cracks! Yippee!