Windshield install question

[sballard]

I am nearly done with getting the car back together after a recent paint job. Time to deal with the windshield and the rear targa window. I know most folks say that windshield and targa seals should be new when installing. The ones I have have been sitting around for on a shelf for 3-4 years but they've never been used. Will they be OK? I am also tempted to re-install my old windshield. The guy who sold me the car made a big deal about it being an original tented window. I seem recall reading here that old windshields usually break when re-installing. Opinions?

[zedsn]

If you original windshield is in nice shape what not reuse it. Your rubber will probably be alright as well and maybe hire a windshield guy to kill 2 birds with one stone to save you the headache on 2 installs. It is pretty reasonable to have a professional do the job.

[ppetion]

I installed my old windshield last week , took me 15 minutes. I used new rubber . Very easy , look for video on how to install 911 winshiekd on YouTube .

[4flyboy]

One of my local buddies here in South Florida had to replace his windshield. Large crack. The tinted replacement from a touted source had large gaps and literally didn't fit.

I'd reuse the original if at all possible. Scott

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by 4flyboy

I'd reuse the original if at all possible. Scott

Absolutely. Your chance of breaking it are slim if you have a hint of patience The install is the easy part. The mild PITA is the seal wrap and trim install BEFORE placing it into the frame. Place it on a big wood work bench or on the floor with a heavy blanket underneath. Soak the trim in hot water for a bit. Soapy water, blah, blah. Heavy gauge coated wire, speaker wire, etc to pull the lip over. Need a friend with fat hands to keep pressure on from the outside. Easy.

Targa glass seal is another story. The windshield is a walk in the park on a relative scale. Read up on this. There is at least one thread that shows tie down straps used to keep pressure on the glass. Floor mounted ratchet straps. An entirely different ball game.

[Chuck.H]

Reuse the windshield if it's in great shape, but replacing my old pitted windshield was one of the best upgrades I've done - so refreshing to look through new glass.

I got the Porsche one and it fit great. Luckily windshields are free here in Florida, no deductible on your insurance by law.

Chuck.H
'89 TurboLookTarga, 424k miles

[will hung]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

Absolutely. Your chance of breaking it are slim if you have a hint of patience The install is the easy part. The mild PITA is the seal wrap and trim install BEFORE placing it into the frame. Place it on a big wood work bench or on the floor with a heavy blanket underneath. Soak the trim in hot water for a bit. Soapy water, blah, blah. Heavy gauge coated wire, speaker wire, etc to pull the lip over. Need a friend with fat hands to keep pressure on from the outside. Easy.

Targa glass seal is another story. The windshield is a walk in the park on a relative scale. Read up on this. There is at least one thread that shows tie down straps used to keep pressure on the glass. Floor mounted ratchet straps. An entirely different ball game.

This is good advice. I had a stack of winter tires/wheels so I stacked all 4 up on their sides, set my windshield on top, and worked in the seal and trim (I used 12 gauge wire to delete my trim).

I reused my front and rear windshields, but used new seals. As long as your seals aren't dry rotted, they'll be fine. They might be stiff from sitting for so long, but realistically, even though you bought a new set 3 or 4 years ago, they'd probably be from the same batch as new ones bought today.

If it's warm enough outside, I'd recommend sitting them in the sun for a little while to warm them up before installing. If it's too cold, sit them in a bucket of warm water or on top of a heater. Heat them up just enough to make them more pliable. That's the only way I could get my quarter window seals installed on my pop-outs.

[sballard]

Thanks for the great advice. Just what I wanted to hear.

I plan to attack the windshield first since it is obviously the easy one. The rear targa glass is a bear I know. I'll start making friends in the neighborhood for help that one! Thank goodness that there are lots of posts on both.

[sballard]

Well, I started on my windshield, finally. Actually, I've started on it for the 3rd time!

The first attempt, I read in a thread somewhere that you have to put the trim on BEFORE putting the seal on the windshield. WRONG.

Next I put the seal on the window first before realizing that there is a symmetry to the seal. By that, I mean that if you lay the seal out on the floor first, you can see where the upper and lower corners are. I also saw a thread where someone was using huge pliers with rubber tubing over the metal jaws to squeeze the aluminum trim into the groves. I got the seal on the windshield easily but managed to bend some of the trim with the freaking pliers - I should have known better.

Then, I put the seal on the window, installed one side of the trim OK - well, there were a couple of short stretches where the trim wouldn't anchor to the seal. I have had NO luck getting any of the trim on the other side to anchor. It looks like the groove where the trim is supposed to fit has a deep v-shape depression and I can't get the hook on the trim to get far enough down in the grove to anchor it.

I've read on the forum where some say that you can never straighten the trim enough once it is bent. Then I've also read that it CAN be straightened and fitted. I can get it bent close but probably not close enough. Oye!

I then discovered that I had mistakenly ordered TWO windshield seals! Sometimes dementia can be a GOOD thing. I figure that they are both about 3-4 years old. Unfortunately, when I looked up the part number for the seals on Pelican, it says that it may or may not not work on my year/model car (or something equivalent to that). I hope that is not my problem.

So, what to do next? I suppose it would be logical to try the unused seal. I see that Pelican sells new trim. I have a feeling that I would need to bend it into shape which is sort of the same situation I am in now. Should I try lubing the seal first with glycerine or something similar to make it more compliant? I really didn't think that the front windshield would be this difficult. Down the road I got the Targa window waiting!

[sballard]

Well, the sun also rises....

This morning I started all over again. Laid the two trim pieces next to the windshield and straightened them out as much as possible. Then, I pulled out the fresh seal and mounted it on the window and tried again to get the trim to seat in the seal. No success.

Then, I rapped electrical tape around the jaws of a small pair of vice-grip pliers. They were just big enough to wrap around the seal and hold the trim in to make a light fit.



Then I used a small pick to dig down into the channel in the seal to pull up the outside edge of the seal to pull it out above the hook on the trim. It was fiddly, but I was able to get both pieces of trim mounted in the seal in about an hour.



I hope the install of the windshield in the car is easier than this part has been!

[matthewb0051]

The actual install is light years easier. Just a little para cord and you are on your way.

Rather than vice grips, I have used those wood working squeeze vices and big plastic spring clamps. Not quite as destructive as a vice grip can be.

[porschenut]

I did the rear window once, and it was a piece of cake. I got the trim into the seal all the way around in about 3 minutes, with no drama at all.

The technique is very simple. Put the glass on a coffee table , kitchen counter or other elevated surface (lying on a blanket or something soft). Install the rubber seal all the way around. To get the trim in:

1. Lay the trim piece in the channel of the seal. At least the first 12 inches or so of it. You don't need to do it all the way around, because it will be sucked in as you go along.
2. With one hand (left hand if you're right-handed), grab the seal and the trim with your thumb on top, on the trim piece.
3. Squeeze the two together, but only lightly. Do not try to press the trim into the seal. It won't go in that way.
4. Working from left to right, while lightly squeezing with your left hand, use your right thumb and forefinger to PULL the OUTSIDE of the seal UP and OVER the hook at the bottom of the trim piece. Work your way around pulling the seal up and over the hook about every inch or 2. There is a similar hook inside the rubber seal channel that hooks over the trim's hook, locking the trim in place and preventing it from pulling out. You'll be surprised how easy and quick it goes once you get it started.

Pulling the seal up and over the outside of the trim and hooking them together is shockingly easy and goes VERY quickly one you get them hooked together initially. Like I said, I did mine in under 3 minutes with no sore fingers and no frustration. I wish I had taken a video while I was doing it, because in 13 years on this forum I've heard nothing but nightmares about people struggling with getting the trim set in the seal.

[Jack Stands]

Does the 964 windshield surround eliminate the metal trim piece? It seems that doing without it would simplify things. Does the 964 surround fir the earlier cars and the earlier windshield? I seem to remember reading something about a difference in the depth of the frame lip on the 911 and the 964.

[Tony V]

Steve,
Installed a new front windshield a couple of weeks ago in my '74 Targa. Looked at a lot of videos and the best advise was to use two nylon ropes to seat the gasket. There are spots where the gasket doesn't quite make it over the frame and having a second rope solves the problem. Dishwashing soap on the gasket also helped.
Good luck!

[mickey356]

Originally Posted by porschenut

I did the rear window once, and it was a piece of cake. I got the trim into the seal all the way around in about 3 minutes, with no drama at all.

The technique is very simple. Put the glass on a coffee table , kitchen counter or other elevated surface (lying on a blanket or something soft). Install the rubber seal all the way around. To get the trim in:

1. Lay the trim piece in the channel of the seal. At least the first 12 inches or so of it. You don't need to do it all the way around, because it will be sucked in as you go along.
2. With one hand (left hand if you're right-handed), grab the seal and the trim with your thumb on top, on the trim piece.
3. Squeeze the two together, but only lightly. Do not try to press the trim into the seal. It won't go in that way.
4. Working from left to right, while lightly squeezing with your left hand, use your right thumb and forefinger to PULL the OUTSIDE of the seal UP and OVER the hook at the bottom of the trim piece. Work your way around pulling the seal up and over the hook about every inch or 2. There is a similar hook inside the rubber seal channel that hooks over the trim's hook, locking the trim in place and preventing it from pulling out. You'll be surprised how easy and quick it goes once you get it started.

Pulling the seal up and over the outside of the trim and hooking them together is shockingly easy and goes VERY quickly one you get them hooked together initially. Like I said, I did mine in under 3 minutes with no sore fingers and no frustration. I wish I had taken a video while I was doing it, because in 13 years on this forum I've heard nothing but nightmares about people struggling with getting the trim set in the seal.

I vote you take your windshield out and do it again but video this time

Mine was a PITA when I did it a few months ago. I ended up using the channel lock method. As for install... easier than the trim but not seamless either. As many have said, starting off with an original Porsche seal is a safe way to keep the headaches to a minimum.

[porschenut]

Originally Posted by mickey356

I vote you take your windshield out and do it again but video this time

If I ever have to do glass installation again, I most definitely will record it.

[KTL]

Originally Posted by Jack Stands

Does the 964 windshield surround eliminate the metal trim piece? It seems that doing without it would simplify things. Does the 964 surround fir the earlier cars and the earlier windshield? I seem to remember reading something about a difference in the depth of the frame lip on the 911 and the 964.

Yes the 964 seal does away with the metal trim around the seal. But the caveat is that you need to use a 964 windshield with the 964 seal.

[sballard]

Well the windshield install into the car was not a piece of cake. There was clearly a fitment problem as you can see from the images below...





After seeing this, I took the windshield out and tried bending the trim on this side to improve the shape and it was was much worse. I tried again to straighten it out but it looks like I am at the point of no return. I ordered another piece of trim from Pelican and will see how it goes.

[Baby]

Looks like you're pretty close. So you know that the trim is properly formed prior to applying it to the seal, lay it all out on the glass without the seal. It should lay perfectly on the glass, without any gaps and with as little tension as is possible. When you put the seal on the glass and the well formed trim into the seal, everything should fit pretty well.

[zedsn]

Don't get me wrong. I like to do as much as possible on my cars myself but as you can see it would have been much easier to hire a glass guy to do the job like I sugested earlier to save yourself all this grief. They really are not that much to have done.