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+--- Thread: Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice (/showthread.php?tid=5947)
Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice - John P - 13-04-2021
Hi,
I’ve been thinking of replacing the rather basic aero screens on my Ulsteroid with an original style folding screen which I hope to make myself in order to keep the cost down.
Before I retired I worked in engineering so should have the skills to do this but unfortunately I now only have hand tools plus a bench drill so any other machining would have to be farmed out which would quickly increase the cost.
Before I get too involved I wondered if anyone on here had actually made a screen themselves and if there was any advice on how practical it would be without access to a machine shop.
John.
RE: Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice - JonE - 13-04-2021
Buy the 'Making an Ulster replica' book by Chris Gould - all in there!
RE: Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice - John P - 13-04-2021
Actually I thought the Chris Gould book assumed starting with the hinged portion from a saloon and only gave the details of the additional parts.
RE: Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice - JonE - 13-04-2021
ok, well fair enough. I think the premise being a way of getting there with access to less rare parts which are still findable. If you want more work, but have to farm out the machining... its going to get more expensive surely?
Doesn't Willie McKenzie make some of the screens?
RE: Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice - "Slack Alice" Simon - 13-04-2021
I made a simple rectangular fold down screen from brass "U" channel, angle iron internal corner brackets, and countersunk screws, tapped into the angle iron.
Easy enough, has lasted 40 years. The difficult bit is nice looking fold-down brackets. Fortunately, these came with the car.
I could probably replicate them using hand tools, but in steel or aluminium, rather than the original chunky brass, and they wouldn't look as well made as the originals.
I didn't bother to curve the base of the screen to suit the scuttle.
Originally I has a filler piece of shaped timber between screen and scuttle, later, I didn't bother with it.
Depending on the airflow over your car, and how worried you are about getting a little wet, either a rubber strip or nothing at all will do the job.
RE: Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice - Ivor Hawkins - 13-04-2021
I built a Chummy screen from scratch, complete with a curved base from steel box section, which I cut to produce a channel in which to insert the glass.
I did machine up the long top hat ends to go into the steel tube for the hinge, but I could have used coach bolts. I drilled the ends of the hinge tube and brazed nuts to take the home made butterfly bolts, which held the screen open.
Cost wise it was buttons to make, it took me three days and I painted the frame black, but for your Ulster replica, you could always use one of the new chromium finish aerosols for additional poshness!
RE: Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice - Dave Wortley - 13-04-2021
I made an exact(!) replica from brass tube, brass channel section soldered together for the horizontal part. Easier than Ivor's chummy as it is not curved. The verticals were made from channel section also, top clips from brass sheet and the irons which bolt on the scuttle sides from steel tube cut down lengthways with closing plates from steel sheet. The tube which goes through the hollow brass frame was welded to the steel scuttle irons and hacksawed to provide the expanded facility provided by a turned piece of bar fitted inside the tube. This was drilled and tapped 5/16" whit for a.homemade wing screw. The whole was chrome plated
Nothing difficult just took time.
RE: Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice - Hedd_Jones - 13-04-2021
isnt it just like the top half of a tourer screen turned upside down?
RE: Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice - Dave Wortley - 14-04-2021
Hedd,
Yes except perhaps the width and the clips to hold the glass in have a piece to attach the hood to. And no holes for a windscreen wiper. The side irons are the same section but shorter and the wing screws are the same as the chummy.
RE: Making an Ulster Style Screen - Any Advice - Peter Naulls - 14-04-2021
John,
I made mine 30 years ago when I had no money and very little skill. Still do in fact!
For the hinge tube I used a piece of discarded electrical trunking (3/4" diameter) and fabricated the upstand ends from 1/8" x 3/4" steel flat bar (I did have a mig welder). The glass channel was bought from Woolies or similar and was probably the most expensive bit. The hinge pivots were fabricated from steel bar. The hood brackets were my design and don't work very well - worth looking at a production car to see how they should be put together.
I have since moved the wiper to the bottom where it works much better.
If you have (or could borrow) a welder I'm sure you could fashion something suitable. I can take better photos at the weekend if it helps?