Windshield frame ground

[4x4man514]

Has anyone found a good way to ground the windshield frame without running a tacky wire off of it? I noticed while working on mine if i push on the windshield the motor would speed up. Seems like its grounding but not well. Maybe somebody has tried so.ething different without a wire?

Thanks!

 

[bigmuddy]

I find this weird. The windshield frame is welded to the hinge and then either bolted down or welded in place. Then you have bolts that hold the windshield to the dash which contacts the body..

Sorry I am not being helpful but am curious as to what would create the problem myself.

 

[DirtDonk]

Unfortunately, it’s not weird at all. Well, it is weird, but it’s not uncommon with broncos.
Over 50+ years of rust, paint, and things coming loose (but especially rust), the windshield frame loses its bond with the rest of the tub.
Only two ways I can think of to re-bond it, would be to completely replace all the attachment points, including the hinge, and make sure it’s bare metal in between. Or, forget that and just add a ground jumper.
It doesn’t have to be tacky if it’s done right and done in an unobtrusive location. I did one on a 69 on the very end, where it was almost covered by the door seal and certainly couldn’t be seen when the door was closed. Unless you looked right at it.
A different way of doing it, would be to lay the windshield forward slightly, exposing the gap, then insert a jumper in there if it will fit. Or probably just as effective and very “high-tech“ would be to put a series of screws in the lower cowl, then matching screws in the opposing face of the windshield frame, so that when the windshield frame is folded back they all touch. Instant ground! And probably very workable until they eventually start to corrode or the area beneath them does. Which, with any luck will be decades.

You can test all that anyway, before you go to too much trouble, by going ahead and adding a jumper and seeing if it improves things. If it does, it proves your theory and lets you decide what to do later.
If you happen to like the results and aren’t too annoyed by the jumper, leave it.

 

[4x4man514]

Thanks guys. Ill have to look again at the winshield hinge i reckon. I know rust isnt an issue this has been a full frame off restore. And unfortunately its a roadster so no doors and no way to hide the wire. Except in the gap somehow

Unless...... i guess i will have to get some roll bar to frame braces. I gess that might do it unless all the undercoating somehow prevents it

 

[DirtDonk]

What is undercoated? The windshield frame, or just the roll bar?
Either way, just scrape it off where you’re gonna attach the screws. The screw threads themselves will, of course be a ground path, but a little extra bare metal under the end of the wire and the screw head is never a bad thing.

 

[4x4man514]

The body is undercoated topside and bottomside and the frame is epoxy coated. So the roll bar is sitting on top of undercoating. It may still get a ground through the bolts but im not sure how good.

Actually i think i remember a ground wire i ran inside the roll bar for a inside light so it may find a way to get back to the battery tbrough there

 

[DirtDonk]

If you can run one more wire through the windshield frame channel, you can simply run a dedicated ground wire for the wiper motor and perhaps a dome light.

 

[4x4man514]

Well i do have a dome light at the windsheild frame with a ground wire . Its part of the painless harness i think. Its been a couple years since i did the wiring. But i guess that isnt helping since i do have it installed

 

[bigmuddy]

Ok, this is why I was kind of asking the question. Dirtdonk isn't wrong about the rust issues but I personally have only seen this with over insulating with a bedliner or something similar that didn't allow a ground.

As Dirt said, just figure the least unobtrusive wat to run a ground wire.

 

[4x4man514]

thanks big muddy that might be some of my problem. all the bedliner material. ive tried to grind a little spot everywhere ive attached a ground wire but i might have missed some places that werent actually a "wire" like the windshield frame.

DD i think im gonna try your idea of the screws between the WS frame. im just not sure how much room is in there. i dont want it to have my frame gapped open

thanks again guyts

 

[bronco italiano]

You cannot go wrong with extra/redundant grounds on an older vehicle

 

[4x4man514]

You cannot go wrong with extra/redundant grounds on an older vehicle

I have been trying to do that. Ive read about so many grounding issues and im no electrician anyways so i try to go overkill. I guess thats what has frustrated so much during this process. No matter how far i go im still running into bugs

 

[bronco italiano]

I run a ground bus bar at the driver fender and inside the cab at the firewall. I connect all my grounds to the bus bar and a heavy gauge from bus bar to engine/bellhousing mount. Off that is a ground from bellhousing to frame. My front lights/tur signals get grounded to front frame. Separate/extra ground for alternator. If Ford efi, I ground from manifold to bell housing. I use fully tinned copper wire for the small grounds and heavy gauge copper for frame to bellhousing and braided ground for engine to frame. I use electrical contact grease at every connection point and shrink tube to minimize corrosion. Sounds insane but grounds are usually the problem.

 

[bigmuddy]

I run a ground bus bar at the driver fender and inside the cab at the firewall. I connect all my grounds to the bus bar and a heavy gauge from bus bar to engine/bellhousing mount. Off that is a ground from bellhousing to frame. My front lights/tur signals get grounded to front frame. Separate/extra ground for alternator. If Ford efi, I ground from manifold to bell housing. I use fully tinned copper wire for the small grounds and heavy gauge copper for frame to bellhousing and braided ground for engine to frame. I use electrical contact grease at every connection point and shrink tube to minimize corrosion. Sounds insane but grounds are usually the problem.

One of the better bronco builders does something similar with the negative bus bar.

 

[4x4man514]

Ok so my latest update. Im a moran again . Apparently i never tightened my windshield frame bolts. Whenever i did the problem went away.

 

[bigmuddy]

Ok so my latest update. Im a moran again . Apparently i never tightened my windshield frame bolts. Whenever i did the problem went away.

Its always the easy stuff that trips us up!

 

[4x4man514]

Its always the easy stuff that trips us up!

For sure!

 

[SLOWnEASY]

You're not the only one who missed tightening a bolt or two. Glad you found it.

 

[Speedrdr]

I run a ground bus bar at the driver fender and inside the cab at the firewall. I connect all my grounds to the bus bar and a heavy gauge from bus bar to engine/bellhousing mount. Off that is a ground from bellhousing to frame. My front lights/tur signals get grounded to front frame. Separate/extra ground for alternator. If Ford efi, I ground from manifold to bell housing. I use fully tinned copper wire for the small grounds and heavy gauge copper for frame to bellhousing and braided ground for engine to frame. I use electrical contact grease at every connection point and shrink tube to minimize corrosion. Sounds insane but grounds are usually the problem.

Would it be too much to ask you to post a pic of both buss bars? I have the wiring on my ‘77 to do as yet and want to ground it as best as I can. Would be ever so grateful if you could.

 

[ba123]

If you can run one more wire through the windshield frame channel, you can simply run a dedicated ground wire for the wiper motor and perhaps a dome light.

I’m a little late to this discussion but like Paul recommended, I ran a ground wire up the channel for things I have up top.

Like Don Italiano said, I have a bus bar inside as well.

I have an Allstar 76172 for grounds on the top of the trans channel/firewall and I have the 76170 for power at the kick panel on the passenger side.

My ground runs from battery to starter bolt, then to firewall with a bolt straight through the firewall and that’s the grounding point for my inside grounds and distribution block. A wire also runs from that point on the firewall to one head on my engine.