Another !@#$% windshield seal thread
 

Ok so I did the research and found that the 964 seal won't work with my stock windshield, although that's what I really wanted to use. So I order the stock seal (911-541-225-03-M260) and try to install the windshield myself with the help of the several hundreds of windshield threads here. Got the rope, bought some 10 ga. wire to take the place of the metal trim, soaped everything up and prepared myself with a few cold beverages.

In goes the windshield, the seal is going in ok and five minutes of work it's in. Great. Two seconds later and pop goes the seal at the bottom by the dash. So to make a long story short, I try several times by myself, with the help of some buddies and my wife, and everytime it pops out on the bottom. Final time we got everything looking right and I'm pulling the seal edge out to match the rest and press just a little to hard and you guessed it, Cracked the window.

So I call Safelite auto glass and they come out on Sun. (Something new in our area) The guys here five minutes and it's in. Oh not so fast, out pops the seal again. So he tries a few times and finally says he'll have his "guru" come out on Tues.and put it in, no problem.

Well it's Tues., the "guru" shows up and five minutes later it's in. So he leaves. I get home from work and the seal is popped again.

So now what? I'm at a loss. Does anyone have an idea? Should I try a different seal? If so what part number? The "guru" said he's used the 964 seal with no problems, what do you guys think?

Thanx, Duke

I believe the metal trim, which provides rigidity, is what holds the seal in place.

Duke, this is what I wrote on another thread about my experience:

"The metal trim pieces go in pretty fast if you finger the groove with straight soap out of the jug. I picked up and rolled the lip all the way around with a nylon glazier's tool. A thinned tooth brush handle would do.

Then, I hit the whole shebang with the water hose nozzle to flush out the soap as much as possible. Brought the thing inside and began to install the nylon cord. I was using what looks to be about 3/16ths cord, not cotton. I wet the cord and soaped it too with straight, concentrated dish washing soap. Stuck that in and bought the cord across itself at the bottom channel (remember which is on top, that helps to pull that one second).

OK, you need to soap the body lip a bit as well. Getting the glass in the center and keeping it there is the next trick. I used a soft crayon and made a witness mark for
reference. Now, it does help to have an assistant, which I seem to never have. So, I strategically placed some duct tape and towels on the front, bottom of the windshield and weighed it down until the outer flap was looking good and resting on the cowl. I think some have used a cinch strap to do this.

Time to pull the rope at the bottom. With one hand making sure the glass was not rising, I pulled the rope standing outside the car and reaching in. Half way, then ran around to the other side and the same. This is all blind, so you have to have some faith.

As soon as you get to the lower corners, you can begin to see the lip of the seal coming over the body lip. Time to make sure the windshield is pushed as far down and forward as you can get it. This helps the top to come in with no strain.

Watching through the glass, I pulled upward on each side while pushing the glass down gently. I used some soapy water to get all that concentrated stuff really lubing everything. Once you turn the top corners, you're golden. Just watch that the outer flap is not curled under and is laying on the body at the cowl, then the A pillars and lastly, the roof. You might have to stop and pick it up here and there.

The only other thing to look for is to see if the seal covered the upper corners on the outside. It will be a little hollow under the flap, this seems to be the way it is on all the 911s up to the 964. If it's just a tad bit from laying on top, knock the trim outward with a smooth rounded block of soft wood and a hammer (courtesy of Bill Verburg, I think). If it's way off, especially on one side, it might be better to pull the glass out and adjust the overall position. Remember that you pushed it all the way down at the bottom, so it can come up a bit until the channel is snug to the top body lip . This may help your top corners at the expense of the bottom corners. It's all in how you position the glass. I have a professional glazier's 9' suction cup, but it wouldn't take up on the curvature. So, I used a couple of Harbor Freight 4" cups. They are OK, I guess, I didn't have a problem with them lifting. They will skid, though, if you try to move the glass too hard. Better to use some rubber gloves and some downward and directional pushing to move the windshield any.

Done. Drive the car and let the windshield find it's new home. Double check those corners before putting the car away for the day. That darn rubber has a nasty memory and you want it where it needs to be. You may have to lift the corners and pump some glazer's caulk down in there, or use the putty dum-dum stuff. And, if you can find a way to clean up all that soap inside the rubber, that might be a good idea to help keep the thing in if you ever hit anything. But, bicycle hand grips are installed with diluted soap, and when they dry, they are darn hard to remove. So, all the soap doesn't have to be flushed out, IMHO."

Now, reflecting on that, I have to emphasize the business about getting to bottom all the way down as far as it will possibly go. This means clearing out the channel of anything including dirt, any adhesive and making the lip as nice as possible. Then lube both parts, the car and the seal and place it into the channel making sure nothing got folded under and both sides of the seal are on both sides of the lip. Then, push it down in the direction of the slant of the glass all you can. Suction cups work well for this. Then do everything possible to hold it down while roping over the top.

I hope you guys are getting the correct channel in the rubber over the lip. There seems to be an "extra" one now. Here's the whole thread: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/342130-new-improved-windshield-gasket-seal.html?highlight=windshield

If this is a new glass are you it's correct?

Had this before when the wrong glass was supplied.

Thanx, guys. I'm trying not to use the trim. Maybe I'll have to give in and use it. And it sure looks the same and acts the same as the glass that came out, that I busted.

Milt- I guess I'm going to have to get some of the suction cup tools. Maybe they will help hold the glass in place better. Just can't beleive it's this difficult.

That, too. Seems like people have reported here that glass made in a certain North American Continent country that is south of the USA is not the correct shape.

Duke,

We had exactly the same experience with our windshield on our '78 SC. Ordered new factory seal from our host. Removed the old window and seal with no problems. Had read all of the posts here and had Wayne's 101 Project book. Got the rope process down pat....tried over 25 times with my wife and brother-in-law helping and had no success.

Contacted local Porsche dealer and got their recommendation for local installer to work with. Ordered a new window through them and he was nice enough to use my seal from Pelican. He worked for two days in his shop and couldn't get the window to seat. Finally threw in the towel and gave him permission to use sealant. He taped the window in place and let the sealant set up for two days. Window has been in place for about 3 months and is doing fine. Looks great. He asked if the car had been in any type of accident that had damaged the window frame geometry. Not that I was aware from previous owner or when I painted the groove with Por-15 when I prepped for my install attempt. Also, the new glass was PPG.

It was a frustrating experience that only had one shining light....the trouble I was having was also experienced by a professional that had worked on many Porsches. It had a happy ending as long as I don't have to remove the window in my lifetime!

Good luck.

Mike