911 Windshield Install

[dtw]

Just thought I'd boost the tech content and report on my experiences this weekend doing a 911 windshield install for the first time.

It actually was very straightforward and easy, but there are a few things you must do in preparation to ensure an easy job.

-When removing the old seal, cut a "V" in the gasket first so that the aluminum trim pieces just lift out, with absolute zero stress placed on the trim. The "V" is two cuts all the way around the gasket, on either side of the trim, that meet each other under the trim. Then the trim is easy to take out. Exercise extreme care in handling the trim. Don't bend it. No no no no no no.

-When installing the glass into the gasket, use some superlube or vaseline, same goes for the trim pieces. Make sure to install the trim pieces into the gasket before trying to install the windshield in the car. Carefully line them up and then press them in bit-by-bit with the base of your palm. The trim pieces should fit snugly all around and in the corners especially. They will serve to tension the gasket up around the windshield.

-I would recommend that you NOT use any lube in the gasket for installing it in the car. This could play hell with any adhesives that are needed after installation to fill trouble spots in the install.

-Use heavy twine or cord to do the install; cross the ends of the twine at the top center of the windshield and begin there. Pull BOTH ends of the twine to get the gasket started, it will pop into place then you can go halfway around with one end, then meet it with the other end. Exercise care when going around dash vents with the twine- you're going to be pulling on the twine with a great deal of force.

-Last word on factory using adhesives: (?) we just pulled an original windshield from a '78 Turbo with 50,000 miles. There was a great deal of adhesive material in the windshield channel, especially in the corners. We had no reason to believe this was not a factory install.

Hope this helps some of you thinking of doing this install-

-d

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Dave
1972 911T (E motor) RSR replica project
http://members.nbci.com/dtwinters/garage/

[kwikt 911]

I used dish soap [with a new seal of coarse] no sealant, no leaks. A tip from my Father in-law who owns a glass business.

Kevin Kipta
72 911T/E

[kamikazepilot]

Great post, I will add the following to it...

1. KY Jelly since it is water soluable is a better option then Vasoline. Cleans up easy.

2. to seal it, a small bead of silicon caulk is not a bad idea. But use it sparingly. If it oooses out, then clean up with soap and water before it drys.

3. Trim peices should be installed prior to installing the rubber, it is a bit** after you put the window/rubber in place.

4. Firm pressure from a friend on the outside of the glass will ease the way to set the window.

I grew up the son of a glass man (High rise buildings) so have seen / performed this many times...

Randy

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http://www.seraphimarts.com/save_flash.html

'78 911 SC

[SeaDweller]

My windshield is terribly scratched, and has a white "fogging" around the entire perimeter (anyone know what causes this?). A new one is at the top of my priorities list for sure. I also have a new dash that I plan on installing when the windshield is done.

I'm curious to know how much money is saved by doing it yourself? Also, did you use the factory glass replacement, or an aftermarket windshield?

Thanks!

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Michael
'78 911SC Euro

[Jim T]

I recently paid $40 to have a professional come to my house to install my new windshield.

[kamikazepilot]

All you ever (or never) wanted to know about glass but were afraid to ask.....

A windshield is made up of what is called Safety glass.

This is not Tempered glass like is in the side windows, is is raw glass with a thin plastic membrain in between two sheets of raw glass. This applies to your front and back windows. why not tempered you ask, It is tough to bend tempered glass, and if you bend it first, it srinks in the tempering process.

The side windows are tempered. They are basicly heat treated to shatter into little chunks, not large sharp pieces. Tempered glass is very resistant to breaking by blunt force blows, but a lite tap from the end of the glass will break it quick. (never tap on the top edge of you window!) That is why crooks use a sharp pointed awl to break out the side glass.... You can not cut tempered glass, it will break!

It is this plastic in between your glass sheets that has discolored as the bond between the glass and plastic has broken down. It looks, I am sure, like a rear plastic window from a convertable at this point.

Your only option is to replace the glass if this has is the case.

Hope this helps,

Randy

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http://www.seraphimarts.com/save_flash.html

'78 911 SC

[Roland Kunz]

Hello

Usually the factory only filled the corners with clay like material.
I only can remeber one car with additional sealing and that was a 72 with electric heatet windscreen. Porsche used that at "special cases". Many Targas and convertibles received a "shot" at the dealers to quit noises.

The corners allways have to be filled if not the rubber will fall in and look imperfect.

Grüsse

[dtw]

Yes, Roland, that's exactly what we saw. The corners had the most material. There was material elsewhere though, as well. Perhaps dealer installed? One thing is that the windshield we removed is the electric heated variety (78 turbo- standard equipment???)

In fact, one of the corners in our install has fallen into the gap- we'll be using a sealer to fill in the space a bit. Recommendations Roland?

-d

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Dave
1972 911T (E motor) RSR replica project
http://members.nbci.com/dtwinters/garage/

[Leland Pate]

Oh, he did not just say break out the KY jelly!!!!

"hey ssssaylor...you goin' to Ssssan Franssscisco?!"


I love the post and will print it out tomorrow. This is a project that I have had on my list to do since day one. My windshield is chipped and faded on one corner. And my original leather dash is a total loss... warped badly. I was planning on letting a professional do it...but hell...7 months ago I was planning on letting a professional rebuild my motor!
After the windshield is out...what is required to remove the dash board? Hard?
Cool...now I have a much better understanding of the whole process. Thanks dtw.

[CamB]

Dash isn't easy. Lots of nuts in VERY awkward places, especially for big burly forearms.

So I didn't have too much trouble being a skinny punk.

Someone with a better memory than me can set out how many and where - I looked with a torch and felt with my hands. There are also plastic clips which may break, but are apparently easily replaced (I haven't made it as far as putting it back in yet).

There is an old post about this somewhere, but we are talking 6 months plus.

And your comment about San Francisco - reminds me of the time I came to the USA for a skiing holiday with my best buddy. AAA guy came and sold us a set of chains after the set we had broke. While putting them on for us (all part of the service for getting stung at the price he charged) he asked us where we were going after Tahoe.

I told him San Francisco on the way back to LA.

He said "You guys are gonna love San Francisco". Note the emphasis. It was only about 10 mins later on the drive back that I thought about that tone and was "Hey, wait a minute, can't two guys go on a skiing holiday and visit San Francisco without people assuming something."

Oops - added some off topic stuff to the on topic post. Sorry.

(Not gay, for the record, not that there is anything wrong with that) Cam

[This message has been edited by CamB (edited 06-19-2001).]

[CamB]

Ooops - first double post

[This message has been edited by CamB (edited 06-19-2001).]

[dtw]

Leland and anyone else interested- I just posted about the dash r&r under a separate post.

-d

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Dave
1972 911T (E motor) RSR replica project
http://members.nbci.com/dtwinters/garage/

[kamikazepilot]

Leland,

Careful Social Actions will get ya with comments like that... lol

Hey KY is great cause it cleans up with water, and leaves no mess.

Vaseline is Petro based so can degrade the rubber.

Good luck on the dash, I have my brand new one sitting in a box waiting for the paint job... stockpiling parts to do everything posible new as I put it back together....

Here we go, money pit city....

Have all the new rubber on order, should be here in a few days, total replacement of ALL rubber.

Still looking for seat options, have not settled on one yet, just took a look at Monaco, the RS seat looks nice as well...

Randy

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http://www.seraphimarts.com/save_flash.html

'78 911 SC

[This message has been edited by kamikazepilot (edited 06-19-2001).]

[Roland Kunz]

Hello

Bit history:
Heatet windscreens came in the 60´s with the 1600 Carrera GS.

Porsche used them in rallye cars. I think it became a standard option in 1970. The option was very expensive and therfore rare. Some people dislike the fine mesh making light effects at night. Espcially small people who had a lower eyepoint. In the 80´s the option was refined with finer mesh and mostly to see in convertibles and turbos in switzerland or other hillscape regions with dam´n cold nights.

I think they used the additional sealing as there had been many movment at the heating process and the sealing was also a good isolation.

What else.

Filling the corners:

The trick is very simple you fill the corners wirt sealing for bodyparts or better the black sealing from the 914 windscreen ( Bostik ). Now the amount is very hard to find out but if you fill to much the corners will stand abouve the sheetmetall. then you use a plastic stick and pray out som material or move it inside the rubberseal out off the corner. The lower corner gets twice the volume then the upper corner.

But it varys by the rubber seal used and the windscreen. They all vary in size to and the new rubber seals have no preformed corners and need many time to get a perfect corner.

On those you have to use special sealer ( Sika ) to seal the corners inside the windscreen as the rubber will stand up making noise and collecting water.

If you are not in the "original" look you can use the newer late 3,2 rubber with have no trim and therfore no trimchannel.

heatet and antenna windscreens also get a slight sikaflex shoot at the underside to seal the electric contacts.

One problem from hard used Convertibles / targas is that the frame is twistet especially with additional wide wheels and strut brace. then the windscreen moves inside and makes sounds and you also will see the rubber shuffeling the paint. then you use Sikaflex and fill the a-pillars and the upper frame part.

Just some additional links hope I hit the right ones:

http://boards.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/911/911_archive.pl?read=6922 http://boards.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/911/911_archive.pl?read=4078 http://boards.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/911/911_archive.pl?read=2602 http://boards.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/911/911.pl?read=14084

[dtw]

Roland,

I have a big roll of Porsche fender mounting putty in my garage. Black and tacky like putty. This work?

-d

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Dave
1972 911T (E motor) RSR replica project
http://members.nbci.com/dtwinters/garage/

[john walker's workshop]

there's a wide lip seal available that keeps the corners from falling in. also, starting the string at the bottom is easier.

[telnetmanta]

Originally posted by dtw:
Roland,

I have a big roll of Porsche fender mounting putty in my garage. Black and tacky like putty. This work?

-d

DTW,

Where can I get some of that putty? i need some to reassemble my fenders....

Ben in SC

[dtw]

Ben,
I got the putty from Tweeks. Looked just now for it at Pelican; don't see it.

This is the same stuff used under the rear 1/4 window trim and some other areas needing form-to-fit putty. Good stuff. Looks like it could work in the windshield seal as a filler also, but I'm curious to see what Roland says.

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Dave
1972 911T (E motor) RSR replica project
http://members.nbci.com/dtwinters/garage/

[Roland Kunz]

Hello

Yes, thats the right stuff.

Grüsse

http://boards.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/911/911_archive.pl?read=14342

http://boards.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/911/911_archive.pl?read=13913

[not_sure]

When the put the windshield in my 73 the gasket fell in the corners, all they did was pull on the corners after the install and they moved enough so they would not fall.