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#1
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Front and Rear Windshield Installation. My 1st time, advice please
My next project is to install the front and rear windshields. I bought via Ames as I usually do. Of the two options Ames offers; I opted to buy the “weld and primer” rather than the ribbon seal tape. I have never installed windshields; so I would like my first attempt to be successful. I could use suggestions and advice before I proceed?
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1967 GTO, hard top, 400 Block, Butler Performance Build, EFI Holley Sniper, Tremec 5-Speed, Moser 373 Rear, 4 Wheel Disc Brakes |
#2
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I have fooled around a little with this, and IMO think it is worth having a pro install the glass using urethane. You can usually find someone that will make a house call and do it in your shop. Since they do this all day long, they just have a knack for getting the urethane thickness correct, etc. Mess it up and it is a huge sticky mess to deal with!
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68 Firebird-- Street/Strip - 400/461 Eagle Forged Bottom End & Ross Flat top pistons. KRE 325 CFM D port, Ultradyne 263/271 @.050, .4267 lift. Crower Solid roller lifters and 1.65 stainless rockers. Quickfuel 1000 on Torker2 intake and 2" open spacer. Hedman 1.75" headers. TH400 w/brake. Ford 9" w/3.80 gears & 28x9 Hoosier pro bracket drag radial. Best ET: 1.35 60ft, 6.29 @ 107.20 mph, 9.99 @132.33 mph. 3,300 race weight |
#3
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Quote:
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466 Mike Voycey shortblock, 310cfm SD KRE heads, SD "OF 2.0 cam", torker 2 373 gears 3200 Continental Convertor best et 10.679/127.5/1.533 60ft 308 gears best et 10.76/125.64/1.5471 |
#4
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True; I do have local windshield installation guys that make house calls. This may be a sensible option. As I recall from an inquire 2 years ago, about $100 per glass to install.
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1967 GTO, hard top, 400 Block, Butler Performance Build, EFI Holley Sniper, Tremec 5-Speed, Moser 373 Rear, 4 Wheel Disc Brakes |
#5
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Will be the best 200 you ever spent!
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68 Firebird-- Street/Strip - 400/461 Eagle Forged Bottom End & Ross Flat top pistons. KRE 325 CFM D port, Ultradyne 263/271 @.050, .4267 lift. Crower Solid roller lifters and 1.65 stainless rockers. Quickfuel 1000 on Torker2 intake and 2" open spacer. Hedman 1.75" headers. TH400 w/brake. Ford 9" w/3.80 gears & 28x9 Hoosier pro bracket drag radial. Best ET: 1.35 60ft, 6.29 @ 107.20 mph, 9.99 @132.33 mph. 3,300 race weight |
#6
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Agree with the others. Pay a professional and use urethane adhesive. It's not that expensive to have it done right using superior adhesive.
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1966 Pontiac GTO (restoration thread) 1998 BMW 328is (track rat) 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Limited (daily) View my photos: Caught in the Wild |
#7
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When having someone else install it .... are the trim clips etc all installed prior to the glass going in, or after?
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#8
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That needs to be done by professionals using commercial grade urethane.. For the couple hundred bucks it would cost why bother..
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#9
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I did my 70 Lemans windshield on Sunday. I used 3M ribbon 3/8". The glass was 70's replacement, not the original. I had a buddy help. We set the glass and used the adjustable stops on the bottom to set height first, had to make the hole on the driver's stop a little longer to get the driver's side right. We took the blocks from the ribbon set and I had some others and they measured at 5/16" approx thick, set two on top and one on each side with masking tape to check height for molding. Looked nice and tight. We then used 6 pieces of masking tape, two on top, two on bottom, and one on each side and cut with fresh blade. I quadruple checked the spacing all around until I was sure.
I polished the glass with a buffer and Sonax glass polish, made huge difference on an old glass and wore me out. I cleaned all surfaces on glass and body with Isopropyl Alcohol. The weld was painted so I chose not to use primer, primarily because you cannot find butyl primer in Europe. I installed the clips and touched up with some paint for good measure, I will be dead by the time they rust out, if they do. We then laid the ribbon nice and slow working together, one rolled out while the other cut the paper strip away etc... stayed on edge of pinch weld and butted the ends being careful not to stretch. Looked good. I gotta admit I was scared but what the hell. We used suction cup holders and got it up there and put it in, done. Worked it a little bit by going around the glass with mild pressure, you could see the ribbon sealing up. I used a mild setting on heat gun as well. Molding went on nice and tight and looks good. I made a mistake and laid the ribbon a little high on the bottom and you can see half of it beyond the stainless molding but so be it, this is not a $100K car. I saw one shop on youtube uses detailing spray on the ribbon and then sets the glass, the spray lets the glass move around until they pressed to seal. Looked like they do a lot of old cars that way. Now, I know the discussions about ribbon vs urethane but this what I chose to do. It was not hard but you have to take your time. If it works, great, if not I will deal with it. Last edited by crustysarge; 06-23-2020 at 04:02 PM. |
The Following User Says Thank You to crustysarge For This Useful Post: | ||
#10
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Quote:
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__________________
68 Firebird-- Street/Strip - 400/461 Eagle Forged Bottom End & Ross Flat top pistons. KRE 325 CFM D port, Ultradyne 263/271 @.050, .4267 lift. Crower Solid roller lifters and 1.65 stainless rockers. Quickfuel 1000 on Torker2 intake and 2" open spacer. Hedman 1.75" headers. TH400 w/brake. Ford 9" w/3.80 gears & 28x9 Hoosier pro bracket drag radial. Best ET: 1.35 60ft, 6.29 @ 107.20 mph, 9.99 @132.33 mph. 3,300 race weight |
#11
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Yes, I do have all the trim. Smart thinking, thank you.
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1967 GTO, hard top, 400 Block, Butler Performance Build, EFI Holley Sniper, Tremec 5-Speed, Moser 373 Rear, 4 Wheel Disc Brakes |
#12
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I've done quite a few windshields, always alone. Never had a single problem except for the one time that I decided to use urethane instead of butyl tape.
My advice, if you're going to use urethane, pay someone to do it. If you don't have a way to heat it, forget about it. It's a nightmare to try to get it to flow out. I literally destroyed two caulk guns trying to get it to flow and it still leaked. I took it to a glass guy to re-do and saw what the trick was...they have a heated holder that you set the tube of adhesive in. Once it's heated, you put it in the gun and it flows right out. By the way, another trick he showed me.. To check it for leaks after install, spray a foaming type cleanser around the outside perimeter of the glass. Use an air nozzle on the inside perimeter of the glass. If there is a leak, the air will blow the foam away. Also, you get once chance to set it in the right position. To test fit the location, set the glass in the opening 'dry'... use a couple of strips of masking tape across the glass and extending out onto the surrounding metal. Use a razor and cut the tape where the edge of the glass meets the surrounding metal. This will make alignment quick and easy when you have the sealer down. Just match the tape lines up.
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Greg Reid Palmetto, Georgia Last edited by Greg Reid; 06-23-2020 at 11:55 PM. |
#13
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Quote:
I'll try that leak test after completion.
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1967 GTO, hard top, 400 Block, Butler Performance Build, EFI Holley Sniper, Tremec 5-Speed, Moser 373 Rear, 4 Wheel Disc Brakes |
#14
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I broke the windshield during a failed engine installation. The glass company guy came over and took out the windshield and I asked if he could delay installing the new one because I wanted to fix the rust hole in the dash . He agreed and installed it a few weeks later. $199.
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1979 Trans Am WS-6 .030 455 zero decked flat pistons 96 heads with SS valves 041 cam with Rhoads lifters 1.65 rockers RPM rods 800 Cliffs Q Jet on Holley Street Dominator ST-10 4 speed (3.42 first) w 2.73 rear gear __________________________________________________ _______________________________ 469th TFS Korat Thailand 1968-69 F-4E Muzzle 2 |
#15
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I've installed a bunch of front and rear windows using butyl. It's super easy, and the butyl sets the depth so there's no guessing.
It's easier with two people, but it's not impossible to do by yourself. Hell I installed a Grand National windshield by myself, and that was a pretty big piece of glass. Dont pay someone else to do something that you can do, that's my motto.
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"Those poor souls have made the fatal mistake of surrounding us. Now we can fire in any direction" 1970 Trans Am RAIII 4 speed 1971 Trans Am 5.3 LM7 1977 Trans Am W72 Y82 1987 Grand National |
#16
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on my 2nd gen cars i pay a pro to do the front windshield, was $50 to install & is now $75 & includes the urethane. he uses 3M window weld urethane in a caulk gun, has never heated it & it flows out pretty easy, but he has a industrial type caulk gun, not your average residential type. the trick he showed me is to cut the tip in a wide V shape, that makes it come out easy but more important it comes out in a 1" tall thin wall, not a normal bead you get when you cut the tip straight or at an angle. when you lay the glass in it smashes the wall of urethane into a thick bead that fills any gaps or uneven spots for a complete seal that a normal bead might not, & it lets the glass sit at the right height. 10+ years on 1 car, 8+ on another & 6+ on the most recent one & no issues or leaks at all, hard driving & drag use too.
for the rear of the 72 i did it myself with the butyl tape & a helper to lay it in place. i think it was 3/8" thick maybe 1/2". a trick my paint guy does with the tape is after the glass is in, run a small bead of the urethane around the edge of the glass to ensure a water tight seal. im all for doing things yourself but for something critical like installing a windshield i dont like to experiment on my own higher level restorations... if you mess up it's very difficult process to remove urethane from the channel & glass, thats stuff is nasty when uncured or cured. spend a couple hundred to do it right. |
#17
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Was that a manual caulk gun or electric? I literally bent the squeeze trigger on mine. Ran out and got another one and it did the same thing. That stuff was like trying to squeeze mortar through a half inch hole. The glass guy had a heated holder that he left the tubes in until the urethane was hot enough. Flowed right out then.
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Greg Reid Palmetto, Georgia |
#18
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when i did the back glass i just used a normal cheap caulk gun with about a 3/8" hole & it came out pretty easy, harder than normal silicone window caulk but far from mortar & the gun was fine afterwards. im sure pros in a shop use a heated gun when they do it all day long, but this guy that does mobile service did fine with a manual one. |
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#19
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Maybe I had a bad batch. I don't care how you cut it, what I was using wouldn't have come out.
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Greg Reid Palmetto, Georgia |
The Following User Says Thank You to Greg Reid For This Useful Post: | ||
#20
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We use electric guns. Some urethanes are suppose to be heated & others done non heated. I would not blow any air at the urethane unless it is dry, its thick but don't risk blowing it out. You do have some adjustment but if you are way off good luck. You would need the right size spacers to set & keep the height right until it drys. Newbies put way too much down & you will have a lot showing on the inside which looks like crap. Spend the money on a pro
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