How to replace windshield???

Remove the windshield cowl, which is held in by screws at the base of the windsheild. Drill all of the rivets on the two side trim pieces, then remove them and the top trim, which is clipped in place. I usually use piano wire to cut the windshield glue. Once you get a piece of the wire through the glue (half of the wire is outside the windsheild, half is inside), use a sawing motion to slowly cut all the way around the windshield. It's not a fun job.

-Rod
 
cool. now what do i do about aligning the new one? and, after I have drilled out those rivets, how do I re-intall them? thanks.
 
As far as aligning the new one, I just use two people to set the windshield in place after running a very healthy bead of glue on the car. To keep the windshield from moving around while the glue sets, I use small pieces of wood, which I wedge all the way around the glass.

You have to buy new rivets, and use a rivet gun to install them.

-Rod
 
Thanks, I really appreciate the help. Is there one type of glue you would recommend over another? The original black stuff in there is a real pain in the arse. It gets all over the sun shade, then it gets dragged all across the windshield.

I've never purchased this glue before. Where / What would I get it?
 
I usually get mine from a local auto parts store. I use stuff that is very similar to the factory adhesive.

-Rod
 
I would also recommend an electric caulking gun. The windsheild adhesive is a real pain to get out of the tubes with a manual caulking gun.

-Rod
 
point taken.

reading another post:
"If you get PPG, LOF, or OEM glass...then it's going to be more $$"

Can someone tell me the lowdown on the differences between these windshields, and which one's better? thanks.
 
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Thanks, I really appreciate the help. Is there one type of glue you would recommend over another? The original black stuff in there is a real pain in the arse. It gets all over the sun shade, then it gets dragged all across the windshield.

I've never purchased this glue before. Where / What would I get it?
Hi Mike - I just got an SC from my dad & I put a sun shade in it a couple of weeks ago, being I hadnt got my NC plates on the car I havent driven it till the other day (running around here with CA plates is a sure way to get the wrong kind of attention!) anyway when I pulled the sunshade out it was stuck on one side & I noticed the windshield glue was the culprit (its also been VERY hot here for a while), I remembered he had to have the original windshield replaced at one time so I was thinking maybe they used the wrong glue, was yours the original that was getting gooey? My newer Mustang and F150 have a fairly hard glue.
Thanks
Arnold In The Smokies
 
Yeah, the original glue is that black/tar/sticky-stuff. It's sucks!

Since I wrote this post I had the windshield replaced. The guy that replaced it was/is in Vista, California. He did a really good job. He's been in the glass business for his whole life and is actually the only guy that's officially recommended by Rolls Royce for glass bending (turns out a museum was transporting an old Rolls and the window was cracked/broken and the window wasn't produced anymore; he bent one up that fit the curvature of the car). I can dig up the receipt if anyone's interested.

Plus, the mechanic that's at the shop next door owns a white supercoupe. SWEET!!!!!

so, back to the point. He used a Urethane product that dries completely. So there's NO sticky stuff. He said that the black gooey stuff is better for climates where the temperature changes drastically and the car can expand and shrink with the temperature. Uh, I guess that's an extreme case scenario.

I had the glass installed in California in the middle of summer on a hot day. I've since lived in New Jersey for 2 seasons now and the glass hasn't cracked due to temperature changes. However, I definately have NOT driven the car in the winter when it was snowing out. So, the car didn't go from 10 below to 70 degrees (due to the heater) ever. Maybe on a daily driver that goes through drastic daily temperature changes durring the winter this could be a problem. but, I don't know.

I love the Urethan glue. I use the windshield shades all the time, and there's no black goop. On the 1990, with the original windshield, there's constantly black smears on the inside of the glass.

The only other tip on this topic is to get clear tint for the windshield. I'm thinking about getting it this weekend down near Toms River, NJ. Just in time for the caravan back to California.:D:cool:
 
I'm actually certified as a windshield install tech and have done it professionally before, it is really not that bad a job, as long as you have the proper tools.

I still have the tools actually.

The urethane you mentioned is the same standard that the manufacturer is required by federal laws to use. The government standards are set in place on these kind of things. The soft glue you mentioned is common on older vehicles, not nearly as common today or in the last 10-15 years. If anything, someone may have had a leak and used some of that to seal it up, but I have changed windshields on late 80's and up T-birds before, and that stuff is not the only glue that holds the old glass in, if it is there at all.

If you do not know how to properly remove and install a windshield, trust me, this is a job thats better left to professionals. I can tell you this--there is so much liability involved in installing a windshield. If it is not done properly, you can kill someone because of it. One of the best companies I have found to do this is Safelite Autoglass. They are in most parts of the country, they will try their best to match prices if you get a cheaper quote somewhere else, and they will give you a true lifetime nationwide warranty in case it ever leaks, which happens quite often when it isnt done right. The fact that they are nationwide is the key, because you can get that warranty help anywhere you go, for as long as you own the car. Most other companies in the glass business will not warranty their work, or if they do it will not be anywhere near this good a warranty.
 
Hi Mike - I just got an SC from my dad & I put a sun shade in it a couple of weeks ago, being I hadnt got my NC plates on the car I havent driven it till the other day (running around here with CA plates is a sure way to get the wrong kind of attention!) anyway when I pulled the sunshade out it was stuck on one side & I noticed the windshield glue was the culprit (its also been VERY hot here for a while), I remembered he had to have the original windshield replaced at one time so I was thinking maybe they used the wrong glue, was yours the original that was getting gooey? My newer Mustang and F150 have a fairly hard glue.
Thanks
Arnold In The Smokies

yes, this is not the right glue at all. The glue that should have been used is black urethane, and when it dries it very much resembles rubber. The urethane takes a few days to dry all the way through, but once it does, it is solid to the touch. It is possible that someone used the wrong glue, or that they put in the soft junk in case there was a leak. Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of it all safely is to pull the whole windshield out and reinstall it. Otherwise, if there is urethane behind that gunk, you risk cutting the bead of urethane and causing a leak, or possibly even breaking your windshield.

In the old days they used to use what we called "soft kit" to hold in glass. It is still used today, but not by itself, to hold in some other glass parts. It should not be used on a windshield, though. The soft kit is not as bad as the goop youre talking about....when we came across one of these cars with the soft kit adhesive, to remove the old glass I would sit in the seat, put a foot up on each side of the glass and push it out in one piece. It is that weak.
 
Thanks for the input guys! I guess I need to add that to the list of changes/repairs (right now the first thing I need to do is pop in a new ABS pump relay as the brakes have been acting up which is why my dad gave me the car - after having Ford replace the whole shooting match previously he didnt want to deal with it any more). Living in a small town we only have 1 or 2 glass shops neither of which are "nationwide" operations thats for sure but I'll have to stop in & check em out:)

Arnold In The Smokies
 
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