Anyone with experience with front windshield / window seal replacement?
 

I think I need a new front windshield seal. The rubber has shrunken and cracked away from the top edge of the outside roof of the car. Not leaking yet, but if I push from the inside of the windshield outward, the top edge toggles slightly. When driving there is some wind noise which I think can be eliminated with a new seal.

Wanted to know if anyone has replaced this on their own. Reading the 101 projects chapter sounds like it can be done. Pelican has the seal for about 45 bucks. I'd like to do it myself (I can get my dad and brother to help), but worry about breaking the glass.

Any idea how much a shop would charge? Who would you send it to in the So Cal, LA/Orange County area if you did?

Thanks everyone!

Glass Doctor $140 front and rear in my garage....
After watching (helping) I think I'll try the next one myself....

Hi dhoward,

Thanks for your reply.

After watching/helping, any special tips, tools, techniques you would advise?

Thanks!

Quincy, do a search. I recall a big DIY windshield replacement discussion in the last month or so on here.

A piece of clothesline long enough to wrap 1 1/2 times around the frame, and a helper to keep pressure on the seal from the outside as it is being pulled over the lip. Make sure you start off with the glass centered in the opening. A small plastic pointy - chisely - thingy to help straighten the outside edges after you're done.

Thank you for the advice dhoward!

Kurt, I'll try a new search, maybe I wasn't using the phrases before. Thanks!

Try here: Windshield Installation

Oh geez.... must have missed it, just posted 2/18 last week! Boy, I gotta quit my job and stop sleeping, letting too many things slip by.!

Thanks Kurt.

Cut the old seal out.
Make sure you put the aluminum trim in prior to installation.
I did it twice and both times used after market seals.
Results: one good, one sucked. If you decide you don't like the results DON'T try to save the seal. Cut it out like it was the old one. It's easy to break a twenty year old windshield.

If you don't find the directions you like send me a PM and I'll send an installation diagram. Haynes has a good step by step procedure.

Be sure and recruit a buddy.

Hi dhoward. I ordered some new trim from pelican. Wana come and help me put mine in?

This weekend? I should be free..

Hi limble. Just sent you a PM

Thanks!!

must be nice to have a helper. i have to do them by myself. long arms help.

Be prepared to replace the windshield should it crack during removal. 911 windshields have been known to get brittle over the years. When you reinstall the new windshield be sure to have all of the aluminum window trim installed before the windshield is roped or corded back in.

It seems to me that you might want to consider replacing the glass since you'll have it apart anyway. No extra labor, but just extra $$ for the glass.

FWIW, my $.02.

Definitly look through the glass. Some seem like light-blocking planes of material, and some seem like a crystal-clear lens which expand objects far away. Replace if neccesary.

The guy, who's shop repainted my car, was an old-school master. He was middle years but centuries old. He never, never, moved quickly around good, fresh paint.

Check the archives for tips/how much shops charge. It shouldn't be too difficult if you take the time and are carful, but some tasks are best left to the pro's.

I did mine, wasn't that hard. Most important is to make absolutely sure it is centered left to right.

I bought a couple of suction cups from harbor freight tools (about $4 each) and they made it much easier to handle the glass by myself.

I used them to place the glass in the frame, then i moved them to the inside so i could gently pull on the glass as I pulled on the rope.

Thanks for all of your replies and advice. I will definitely look into the suction cups. There is a Harbor Freight and tools near me.

Have a good weekend!!

I think the embrittlement of windshields is an old wives tale. Glass is amorphous. It won't get brittle, I am sorry. It gets pitted over the years and has more stress risers from that. But the material itself really should not change properties from UV or Ozone or whatever else is out there that generally kills the plastics.

So, the rubber is what gets brittle. :) After you live with the fact that you need new seals, the embrittlement is to your advantage: Take a big sharp kitchen knife and push it in between the glass and the rubber, coming from the windshield side. Cut all around the windshield right up against the trim. That way the trim will fall right out together with the inside rubber piece you cut loose. This is important, because you can bend the trim easily otherwise.

This is not a hard job. Tape off your paint with masking tape around the windshield, so you won't scratch it. And pray that the PO didn't squirt silicone in there like a madman as it had happened on my car... I had to clean it out with 3M adhesive remover for hours. This is one of the jobs that you want to do yourself. A pro installer would probably scrape the channel half a$$, leave grime in there and scratch up your paint in the process, preparing everything for rust perfectly. Call me paranoid ...

Cheers, George

PS:

I agree, suction cups are a MUST! Especially to move the window around after installation.

G