I have a few of the "Art Deco" trucks and have spent some time researching this. At this time there is only one manufacturer of the new windshield frame and it is made in the USA. It is stocked by most sellers.
I purchased 2 years ago a crate of 6 of these that had been kept in a warehouse in Chicago since 1950. They were GM factory made NOS windshields complete. I took one completely apart to examine all of the parts and compare them to the current parts being made. Here is what I found. The shape and profile of the metal frame was correct. The rubber gasket on the NOS frame was CAST as one piece where the reproductions available today are extruded rubber. The profile is similar but not exact. This especially affects the fit on the 4 round corners of the frame.
The "keys" or joiner bars used in the center to hold the frame together are where the real differences lie. I compared the NOS to the reproductions available, and there are 3 different reproductions available for sale on the market today. Two of them are bent or made at the wrong angle...being just a few degrees off magnifies as you go to the ends of the frame....and that is why they do not fit correctly in one corner or at both sides. A few companies do stock the correct ones but they are double the price of the incorrect ones....$24.00 as compared to $39.00. These correct "keys" also have two angles for the bottom "key". These are the ones you want to get if repairing an old frame.
On the subject of the rubber outside gasket there are 3 manufactures of that...two in the USA and one is Chinese. The two USA gaskets seem more pliable than the Chinese one.
The center bar is another important part of the install. Steele rubber makes a replacement rubber for the OEM stainless steel bar. I have found it difficult to install as reported by others. I used a reproduction aluminum billit center divider which fit well and looked great. Most suppliers have these in stock. Some are "raw" so that you can polish or paint. One has them polished.
I hope this helps clarify this application.
Thank you for sharing this information!
Tim
