 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > MSS rear side window guards - fitting help please |
 
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| donmacn Member Since: 07 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1829  |
Hi,
I fitted a set of these a while ago, and used rivnuts. I was also convinced I had the rear 1/4 guards wrong till I tried them on the other side  Not saying you're as daft as me..... (edit - just realised your car might be a newer version)
I can't remember having any particular issues fitting the rivnuts, at the back or sides. All I have is a pretty standard one-handed tool (I can get 2 hands on if my mojo isn't strong on any given day); and I must have been able tomget a drill in somehow. Some pics on my thread if they're of any help - this is the right page. https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538-30.html Biggest issue I had was getting the side guards to fit over the actual window surrounds when using the little button screws supplied. And - a small bit of advice - put a length or two of thin foam tape between the window and the guard, or the rattling will drive you nuts... Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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31st May 2021 10:24pm |
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| AMBxx Member Since: 24 Jul 2016 Location: York Posts: 985  
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I cheated and put the rivnuts into the trim instead. Hopeless for security, but I'm more concerned about someone just reaching in and grabbing something.
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1st Jun 2021 8:24am |
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| Fellrunner Member Since: 28 Sep 2014 Location: Wandering Posts: 255  
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That’s really useful. Thanks guys.
Donald - your picture has helped me realise that I was fitting the side window guards the wrong way around. I’ll take another look at the quarter light guards, but I think I’ve offered them up in every permutation (I know it’s going to be my fault!) |
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1st Jun 2021 12:08pm |
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| AMBxx Member Since: 24 Jul 2016 Location: York Posts: 985
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For the rear little windows, I had to use a hacksaw to remove a fair bit of metal. I've a 2015 station wagon.
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1st Jun 2021 2:22pm |
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| Fellrunner Member Since: 28 Sep 2014 Location: Wandering Posts: 255
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Donald - did you happen to take a picture of how you riveted the bottom brackets please? I’m coming across exactly the same issue as you; the bolt heads won’t clear the window frame.
Also, I’m going to have to squash the top brackets somehow, as they’re too talll for the gap between the roofline and window edge, did you encounter this too. I’m then not convinced, even if I get this on one day, that the trim will go back around the window; the trim itself is very tight around the window edge, so how the trim will go on after I’ve installed the window guard? All in all, I must say that I like the look/idea of the MSS window guards, but apart from the back door they’re a real PITA to fit and the instructions are utterly useless. For the money, not overly happy. |
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13th Jun 2021 6:28pm |
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| donmacn Member Since: 07 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1829 |
Hi,
I might have some more/different pics, but I'm afraid I'll not be able to investigate that until tomorrow. I'll put them up here if I can find them. By the time I rivetted I was pretty confident where the final position would be (there must be some adjustability in the brackets?) I clamped the bracket to the guard in the right location with some vicegrips, and rivetted through so that the low profile rivet head was where the bolt head would be. I don't remember having to squash or compress the top brackets - but that's not to say that I didn't. I do remember phoning up MSS when I came across the issue with the supplied bolts not fitting, and I do remember being underwhelmed with the supplied instructions. It's funny what comes back to you when you start thinking about it..... I was going to say that my trims fitted on OK, but in fact I'm pretty sure I might have cut about 5mm off the window side all round. I know for sure I did this on the rear quarters. I might have pics of this too. Watch this space. Having said all of that, they've been on my car since.... whenever that thread post is dated.. with absolutely no problems at all. The foam tape between guard and window frame means there's no rattle at all. They just sit there doing their thing. Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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13th Jun 2021 6:49pm |
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| Fellrunner Member Since: 28 Sep 2014 Location: Wandering Posts: 255
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Many thanks Donald, I’ll very much appreciate any other picture you have, and if you’ve nothing then of course that’s no problem; I really appreciate your help.
To be honest, I’ve put all the trim back on and won’t be returning to the challenge for a least a week or two. I didn’t exactly surrender today, but it’d be fair to say that I did undertake a tactical surrender! I don’t want to admit defeat just yet but, for a hobbyist enjoying learning ‘mechanic’ (in the very very loosest sense of the work), I really am disappointed by these MSS products (or at least their sales/instructions). |
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13th Jun 2021 7:05pm |
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| Pacha Member Since: 23 Feb 2020 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 772 
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Probably not helpful, but I recently fitted these (no affiliation|):-
https://www.landroverdefendersecurity.com/...&_ss=r Easy to fit, no hassle. Rgds. Chris |
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13th Jun 2021 7:13pm |
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| donmacn Member Since: 07 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1829 |
Hi,
Apologies - got distracted - (another) busy day at work. I've tracked down the pics I took at the time of fitting the windows. I'll just dump them here in case there's anything that specifically helps in understanding how I did this. (edited to provide some more info on some individual pics - by themselves they're not so useful) This one shows how it wasn't going to work with the supplied fixings.  Click image to enlarge I think this shows the partner to the pic above. If they were fitted on at the top, there wasn't anywhere near enough clearance at the bottom. Even here you can see that there's a significant gap between the window frame and the guard - caused by the button head bolt. Click image to enlarge Next two pics... don't know for sure. Maybe how they fitted once I'd used pop rivets instead of the button head bolts?? Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge These are just more 'generic' pics - an overview maybe...? Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Foam tape to stop the guard rattling against the window. I did this all the way around. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge I can't find a pic to show how I trimmed the interior trim for the side windows, but this shows what I did with the rear quarters. I'm pretty sure I did something very similar with the side windows -except maybe it wasn't so neat! Click image to enlarge Finished result... Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Ironically, I'm now about to remove these guards and windows and store them somewhere, as I'm going to fit Frontrunner gullwings for camping trips; but as I said in one of the posts above - once they're on they just work really well and provide some peace of mind. That said, be warned -in a basic 300Tdi, with no alarms or gadgetry I did manage to 'break in' to my own car not so long ago, even with the guards fitted. In broad daylight, in a supermarket car park, with some local assistance. I won't go into the details in an open forum, but it was a bit of a reminder to me that you do need to think the whole process through quite carefully. Happy to provide details by PM if you think it would help you. I do think they would stop the 'smash and grab' technique for anything that would look attractive in the load area though. Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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14th Jun 2021 10:25pm |
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| Fellrunner Member Since: 28 Sep 2014 Location: Wandering Posts: 255
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Really helpful, thank you v much Donald 👍
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15th Jun 2021 7:46am |
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