Building the Bat Car

Fabrication of steel windshield frame

1. Fabrication and mounting of the bat fins.

2. Engine Cover and hinge mounting

3. Complete re wiring

4. Fabrication of steel windshield frame

5. Fabrication and construction of Convertible  Top

6. Fabrication of back window

7. Fabrication of Front Beam support structure

8. Fabrication of Gull Wing Doors

9. Constructing retractable Headlights

10. Mounting and fitting of front turn signal lights

11. Mounting and fitting of Gas Tank

12. Fabrication and installation of side scoops

13. Fabrication of a 2"body lift

Fabrication of steel windshield frame.

The original Bradley GT was never designed to be a convertible. The windshield frame and "T" top were one solid piece with a wooden frame imbedded into the fiberglass. The windshield frame was made to fit a 1964 to 1967 Corvette coup windshield glass. I wanted to make a removable "T" top using draw latches. so first thing was to cut the windshield frame from the "T" top. I did this using a saber saw. Then I used a Dremmel cutting wheel to cut through the inside layer of fiberglass. I then pried out all the wooden supports in the windshield frame.

I got a 1/2 "x1"x 20' piece of steel bar and cut and shaped to fit the pillars on each side of the windshield frame. I cut a 3/4 "x 1 1/4" square hole in the dash on each side for the steel pillar to go down into the wheel well about 10 inches. I then formed two pieces of steel to fit inside the top if the fiberglass frame. I welded the pillars to the top frame. I welded in the "pin" half of the draw latch into the center of the windshield frame for a point to connect the "T" top later.

I then made brackets out of .090 sheet steel and drilled and tapped the holes in the windshield frame side mounts to fit a 1/2 "-13 thread bolt.  The fabricated brackets were mounted on the body side of the wheel wells to hold the windshield frame.

The below photos were taken looking up inside the wheel well. The photo on the left shows the square windshield frame hole and the two 1/2" holes that the bolts will go through to bolt the windshield frame to the bracket. The photo below on the right shows the bracket fiber glassed and screwed  to the inside of the wheel well. This proved to be a very strong way to mount the windshield and still make it removable when needed.

Once the steel frame was fitted to the inside of the fiberglass frame, the windshield mount bracket was glued in place using fiberglass matt and resin. Once the frame was adhered to the steel frame, the whole assembly was removed, turned upside-down and whole cavity was filled layer after layer of fiber glass and resin until the windshield frame was filled solid. NOTE: Always have the windshield glass on hand and make sure when you make the steel frame that the fiberglass pinch molding fits the Corvette windshield glass shape. My fiberglass windshield frame had about a 3/8" sag in the middle and when I went to install the glass, I could not use the Corvette windshield rubber with out cracking the glass. I had to have it installed with RTV Silicone.