Thread: Windshield Installation

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OK, I'm kicking myself for not finding this earlier. With Gibbon body, I should have known better.

I received a flush install kit for the windshield for my Gibbon '34. {See Drawing} For a flush fit, typically, you would install a universal "h"molding around the windshield, lay down a urethane bed on the pinch weld, then set the windshield so that the outside edge of the universal molding would overlap the face of the body. (It's a glass body, so it's not really a pinch weld, but you get the idea)

The only problem with this approach is that the depth from the face of the body to the pinch weld is 7/8". With a glass thickness of 1/4", that means the urethane bed needs to be at least 5/8" deep. I can't see that working. The last thing I want is urethane sealer squeezing all over everywhere.

So, now what? So far, I haven't been able to find anyone in the Virginia Beach area that will handle this. The regular car glass guys won't touch it.

Kyle did send a bunch of what looks like butyl rubber "ropes" that are about 3/8" in diameter. I think it's 3M Round Ribbon Sealer. Should I put in urethane, then a couple of widths of this stuff, then fill in with urethane - or just go find a pro?

I've used the ribbon sealer, not too bad a job if you take your time. On the Mercs I' moved the window channel out, so I just urethene the windshield in, real easy...no ropes or spacers to play with. Flush mounts the windshield with the body.

7/8" is REALLY a long way to go. I have done many urethane as well as "butyl tape" (the "Ribbon") type window setting and that is REALLY a lot to try to fill. I'm with Dave, I would build the body up there before I tried to fill it with anything.

One problem is, if you were to put a bed of urethane or butyl tape it would be visible from inside the car (or thru the windshield from the outside), talk about uuuuuggggglllllyyy.

Thicken that area up and smooth it off on the inside then put a normal bed of urethane or butyl.

There are foam "dams" that you can get to run around the pinch weld. After the window is set if anything is seen it is this foam dam.

A couple of things to remember, the urethane is VERY difficult to lay out looking good without a lot of talent and experiance. It will cure to hard, the glass in your late model car is held in with it and IS a structual componant of the body! The butyl tape will never harden and is actually sticky forever. So if it is exposed, until it gets a coat of dust on it (isn't that a nice picture) you will have anything that touches it sticking.

By the way, nice graffics.

Brian

By the way "Pros" are rarely rodders who can fab stuff up. There are a LOT of guys out there who would make a blooming mess of this. I watched a guy stick a 2006 Honda Odyssy hatch glass in last week who couldn't do your car to save his life. This was the owner of the company! He has a real good glass man who usually comes out (we have at least one or two glass going in or out every day) but he did this one. It actually hurt watching this fool TRY to install the glass. This is straight up, as easy as it gets, brand new glass with a brand new liftgate. First off, he was working in the sun, he layed the most God awful bead of urethane that I have ever seen! Picture a nice long turd out of your typical small dog, say a 10lb Pekinese, a five foot long turd around the pinch weld! He layed the urethane THEN went to find the glass and set up a stand to prepare it!!!!! The MORON put the urethane on the car BEFORE he even had the glass ready, in 90 degree heat IN THE SUN!

Well, needless to say he set the glass, or should I say TRIED to set it. He then had to cut and scrape all the urethane off and do it again. After a few hours (this is a 15 min job at best) he left with it "done". The next morning the tech working on the car called me over and showed me how the glass was about an 1/8" higher than the right quarter and an 1/8" lower then the left! What a marroon (in my best Bugs Bunny voice).

The window had to be cut out and replaced by a REAL glass tech.

And this is the type of guy who would tell you how great he is! He WOULD take your job on, and you would have CRAP when it was done.

Build up the post, make it RIGHT so laying the glass is easy. And then do it yourself with butyl tape.

Brian

Dave & Brian,

Thanks for the info. Roger on the build out of the pinch weld as the best option. However, that is major, major work for me. I'd have to build it up 5/8" all around, and not hose up the already-painted body. It would also make a big "ledge" inside that I would have to finish and paint.

I'm thinking of another option, since I'm not really stuck on a flush mount. The whole window channel is already painted and cleared, so it will look OK, even with a sunken windshield.

If I can find the right molding, either an h (first pic), or a T-shaped press- in, (second pic), I could do what's shown below. It just means I tossed out about $50 in urethane, primer and molding.

Now, I just have to find the molding.

on most cars with roll out windows or deep revelles we use a piece of 3/8 or 1/2 aluminum sq tube to make a spacer. hide it inside with a piece of door panel wrapped with fabric. i've done a bunch of them on 35-40 fords. set the glass in the butle rope and install s10 trim. DO NOT use any silicone to set the trim. wont hold. i use window urathane sealant around the edge to set the trim. let me know if i can help.

Shine,

Good idea, but I don't think I have the wherewithal to form the Al tubing around the opening.

I think I'm going with what's shown in the attached drawing unless I can figure a relatively easy way to extend the pinch weld area.

I've done several glass cars (street beast, outlaw, ect. ) it's easy .First clean the glass good. then I use a gray scotch brite to clean a one inch band around the outside edge (for good surface for urethane to stick to) , next install the h moulding Make sure the corners are perfect. then using the moulding as a gide apply a top quality high viscosity urethane. I use essex u418 hv by dow chem. When you cut the tip for the urethane cut off about 1/2 inch of the tip, then cut a vee notch in the side this vee should be as tall as you want the beed. in your case about 3/4 inch. In a very smooth motion holding the caulk gun straight up squeez and pull following the moulding all the way around this will make a vee shape beed that should be as tall as the pinch weld. where the beed meet take a plastic stick and paddle the two together so no breaks in the beed. then set the glass and tape in place for 24 hrs. To hide the urethane I use black stripe tape or have a sign shop make a 1 inch black band around the glass. thats it.

This is great infor. I'm just about to re-do the windshield in my 41 Willys. First the current rubber seal which is the traditional H with 1/4" groove on one side and about 3/16" on the other to grip the edge of the pinch weld is no longer available to the auto glass and trim co. It's the same stuff we used to put 1/4" lexan in industrial machines. I don't know what they are doing but I'll dig into it later.

I want the "glue in" like has been discussed here.

I just came from 2 days at "Back to the 50's" streetrod meet here in Minn. I hit every glass supplier and rubber supplier at the event. None have the "S-10" trim mentioned above. They all said just go to the local glass shop and they will have it. Haven't done that yet. Next week.

My A & C body is like Henry.. I prefer to sink the glass to say 1/8-3/16 off the pinch weld and use a "T" or "H" for a trim around it. Henry...second picture is pretty much what I saw on the ones that had the rubber trim. I think I'd prefer to not wrap the urathane around the edge and sink the trim into it for now. From what I heard it can be done later. I took pictures of several done this way and they looked pretty good. They look a bit different than the traditional in that the windshield seems just a bit larger. I think you just have to get used to it.

Many cars had the glass glued in but no trim rubber at all. They just painted a band on the inside like modern cars. It looked fine. I didn't see any that had "goobers" hanging on the inside and none on the outside either. These looked like what I'd like to do. You could easily paint the car then put the trim in.

It looks quite easy and from the replys above not too hard if you get the adhesive leveled right.

The glass guys just want a pressboard pattern of the glass and they will cut it. Locally a windshield will go for about $75 +/- a little from the information I got last week. Sounds pretty easy to me.

My main question is where to get the S-10 trim rubber?? As I noted none of the rubber suppliers have it. So I'll hit the glass shops and a couple dealers next week.

If anybody has more info please post it up .

The glass shops have a bunch of different versions available. They usually keep around a number of different styles in rolls.

Brian