Mk4 front windscreen weather stripping chrome piece

[Dinoplex 3]

My car is finally going into paint after the cowl rust was repaired. One thing im wondering is that the chrome on the weatherstripping on the windshield. Is the chrome piece a part of the weatherstripping itself that comes like that when buying the weatherstripping or something that is put later on top of the full black weatherstripping? I have no clue how the pre glue era old windscreens were attached to the car but i heard that the chrome piece squeezes the weatherstipping onto the glass and the frame and keeps it there or something like that? How was this done from the factory, was it also something like this that was later put on top of the full black weatherstripping?







 

Edited September 15, 2025 by Dinoplex

[sheffieldcortinacentre 741]

Great repair very neat.

Yes the chrome trim goes in after the screen & rubber are fitted there's a tool to help fit it or you can make one from some thick rod (2mm ).

There will probably be videos online most older cars used the same method.

Beware that 2 sizes were used on later cortinas you need to measure yours to order correct one.

[Dinoplex 3]

On 9/5/2025 at 10:10 PM, sheffieldcortinacentre said:

Great repair very neat.

Yes the chrome trim goes in after the screen & rubber are fitted there's a tool to help fit it or you can make one from some thick rod (2mm ).

There will probably be videos online most older cars used the same method.

Beware that 2 sizes were used on later cortinas you need to measure yours to order correct one.

I see thank you so much. My car is january 1976 so i guess it would have the earlier version and not the one from mk5. Do those 2 differing sizes of chrome pieces also require different type of weatherstrippings or can they be put on every type of weatherstripping?  Looks wise i probably wouldnt mind it too much as long as that chrome is there. I think the pre 74 ones also used a different one that has full chrome look on them and not half black half chrome look like on 74-75-76. Those look pretty cool as well 
The ones on my car looked exactly like this one in the picture below

Also another thing im wondering, where exactly does the cowl drain into and how can i clean it? Looks like on most american cars they drain into the wheelwell just behind the front wheel but looking at mk4 pics with fenders removed i couldnt see any drains like that. I would really like to avoid this cowl rust in the future and i dont have access to a parking space with roof and walls so crap is gonna fall into the cowl one way or another and i would like to get rid of them after a certain period of time so that they dont block the drains again and cause this horrible rust again. I think removing the heater box and couple of the plastic bits there should give a good amount of access to clean that area but im not sure where the drains themselves are and i would like to clean especially those 

 

Edited September 15, 2025 by Dinoplex

[Deano66 241]

Great repair,well done 

[Dinoplex 3]

15 minutes ago, Deano66 said:

Great repair,well done 

yeah the bodyshop did quite a nice job  , i dont have the space nor skill to do any bodywork sadly 

[sheffieldcortinacentre 741]

The trim was the same on MK3/4s as is the rubber the Mk5 EST/wagon uses the same size rubber with the wider trim .

These rubbers/screens are interchangeable but the trim has to be correct one, I'll have to check but I think there 8 & 10 mm  respectively.

The Mk5 saloon/sedan rubber ( glass) is approx 25mm taller & is unique to them & uses the wider trim.

There was some aftermarket rubbers that had no slot for a trim  ( for both versions) & were solid.

 

The scuttle drains into the void behind the heater box & wiper cover panels ,it then should exit below the heater blower motor & run down the bulkhead.

 

I might be able to get pics as I think heater box is still out of a friend's MK3 GT I'm restoring.

 

 

[Dinoplex 3]

Ah damn i thought they would both at least use the same type of weatherstripping. I dont know how im gonna be able to find the earlier thinner weatherstripping in here 
I will ask some fb groups maybe i can find something there

So are the drains like in this video at the timestamp? I saw this a while ago and thought that cant be the only drain . That area doesnt even look like it can get clogged up too much, i thought there were other drains at the edges of the cowl panel like in a mustang and them getting plugged would collect water there and then rust the corners of the cowl like in my car. If thats the only drain from the heater box area i wonder how the edges of the cowl even rust out on these. I also looked into the mustangs a bit and their overall cowl design looks even worse than the cortinas .
I also dont udnerstand what the purpose of that second panel is under the cowl, the one with the big circular holes on it like in the pictures above i posted where the top piece of the cowl was cut and somehow water collects around that hole and starts eating thru the metal
 

 

Edited September 6, 2025 by Dinoplex

[sheffieldcortinacentre 741]

Yes that's the route water is supposed to follow.

The narrow type was used in a lot of 60s & 70s cars of various makes so you may find some from something else.

It's 10mm wide plus the little lip.

[Dinoplex 3]

On 9/6/2025 at 10:06 PM, sheffieldcortinacentre said:

Yes that's the route water is supposed to follow.

The narrow type was used in a lot of 60s & 70s cars of various makes so you may find some from something else.

It's 10mm wide plus the little lip.

so if i just remove the heater box and the plastic bits on the left side and clean the cowl area behind them, i should be alright in terms of cowl cleanliness? But it still boggles my mind how the edges of the cowl even rusts out on these if water doesnt even drain from those areas where i imagined it would puddle with a blocked drain from that section.

 

Edited September 15, 2025 by Dinoplex