Windscreen removal & refitting

[Andy]

whilst I have my truck in the garage doing various maintenance & upgrades etc, another one of the jobs on the list is to sort out the area along the top of the windscreen that is ‘bubbling’, not sure how much rust I’ll find until the screens out.

I have searched on here but not been able to find the best way to get the screen out, preferably without damaging it!
It was replaced by auto glass I think about 7 years ago, doesn’t leak, but I’m not sure if they stuck it in around the rubber or what.
So any words of advice on the best way to remove & refit would be appreciated, or do I get a windscreen man round to do it?

Andy

 

[chapel gate]

oh lord! don't get a windscreen man round to fit it!

I just cut the rubber on mine with a Stanley knife to get the screen out, I was putting a new rubber back so it didn't matter.

 

[stumog]

You can follow a few ways of fitting windows....

If you work the corner of the inside of the seal over the edge a bit. You can the push on it but spread the force over the biggest area you can.

Windows take a massive before they break if you spread the force.

 

[Towpack]

Do you have a copy of the FSM? There are 2 procedures in there, one reusing the old rubber and one which shows cutting the old rubber with a knife and piano wire. Typically, with shop manuals, it's probably not as easy as it 's made to look but certainly do-able. Going on my personal experience with a well known glass replacement Co., I'd be having a go myself.

 

[chapel gate]

I did the front and back about 5 years ago. follow the fsm. make sure you use some quality string, I used some hairy stuff I found in the shed, it kept snapping.. other than that it worked a treat.

 

[Andy]

Thanks for the advice, I’ll look in the fsm tomorrow & have a go myself, will also email Simon Holton to get a price for a new screen & rubber while I’m at it

 

[stumog]

I got a screen off Karl when I broke mine.

They are a piece of piss to get back In.

 

[StarCruiser]

Take out as Stu said, work from a corner along the top and down, bit of pressure. A G probably used Arbomast if anything which will probably crumble and fall out. Just go steady, feel your way with it. I found using plastic wedges from Toolstation or screwfix and putting them in the inside of the rubber to hold it around the frame very useful. It's the same as on my Gullwing thread.

Once you have it out, unless the rubber is perished or otherwise damaged you can clean them up in the bath with Brillo pads to look like new (they black the bath so wait til the misses is out!). Get yourself some of the Butyl screen sealer here https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/221384238072

I've used this and another make and this is far better, going off like blu tak but black. Use it on the glass side as well as the body side and apply where the FSM says which iirc is round the outer periphery of the body. Use some para cord round the body channel of the rubber, remove the scuttle panel to make things easier. You will need an extra pair of hands to lift the screen back in without disturbing the sealant, sit it in the bottom and settle as much of the screen seal as will go. Ease the rubber round by pulling the para cord to curl the rubber round and do this across the base, up both sides and finish at the top. You will need to push the glass back in and get the rubber nicely seated. A flat slap of the hand works well. Evenly across the screen. I then got one of those little wallpaper edge rollers and pressed the rubber down to the bodywork, getting the sealant flat. You can wipe off any excess sealant now but it's much easier once it's gone off.

I too had Autoglass do my screen. 4 times!!! It still leaked. First screen they broke!! 'Nuff said!

 

[Firewout]

Fwiw : For the tailgate, I used flexible electrical wire instead of cord to put the glass back in. In my old ford fiesta I sat in the passenger seat and pushed the windscreen out with my feet. With the cruiser I cut the seal with a stanley knife.

 

[StarCruiser]

Autoglass pushed the old screen out with their feet. Can't remember if I gently did the same.

 

[Allchin]

I would not seal the bottom as any water that gets in will not get out but in!

 

[StarCruiser]

It's the bottom that lets the water in on the glass side. The FSM gives details of where to apply the sealant to the frame. I can't remember what it had to say about the base but there is really no need to seal there and there are a couple of drains there iirc.

 

[Andy]

Took the old screen out & rubbed the paint back along the top where it was bubbling,very pleased to find the metal wasn’t bad at all, not perforated so no welding needed, treated it, primed & painted it this weekend, got a new screen from Mr T as the old (auto glass) one had started to delaminate slightly, was quite surprised that it was only £180 all in, will reuse the old rubber & hopefully refit it this week when the sealer arrives (ta for the sealer link rich!)

 

[chapel gate]

View attachment 141567 Took the old screen out & rubbed the paint back along the top where it was bubbling,very pleased to find the metal wasn’t bad at all, not perforated so no welding needed, treated it, primed & painted it this weekend, got a new screen from Mr T as the old (auto glass) one had started to delaminate slightly, was quite surprised that it was only £180 all in, will reuse the old rubber & hopefully refit it this week when the sealer arrives (ta for the sealer link rich!)

£180? Thats dirt cheap!

 

[Andy]

£180? Thats dirt cheap

That’s what I thought, so didn’t hesitate!

 

[Dave_S]

Hi guys - sorry - resurrecting an old thread - where did you get your new windscreen rubbers from? Ours is fooked after being in and out several times when the truck was being resprayed...

 

[Dave_S]

Anyone??!?

 

[oneafrikan]

resurrecting again:
If we were going to take the headliner out because welding was needed along the top of the windscreen roof, would we need to remove the front dash to get the headliner out and then back in?

 

[Dave2000]

Just a note, here in Spain it has now become illegal for an owner to replace his own screen.......and the same applies to a car body repair shop if the screen needs to be removed for repairs.

Regards,

Dave