Rear window removal? Village idiot needs assistance

[nutzforporsche]

Ok,
I know this has got to be the dumbest question on here. How in the heck do you get the rear window out without breaking it? I haven't attempted the operation as of yet and need some simple guideance to keep from screwing it up.
Many thanks in advance
Steve

[Joe Bob]

Remove the interior back pad.....it's glued in.....some use a heat gun and piano like wire with pieces of wood on each end after you thread it through. Use a sawing motion with the heat gun softening the old glue.

Most of the time the thing just falls out....

This is not an easy one to break....the front one will break if you look at it wrong.

[John Rogers]

If you really want to remove the rear window on a 914 the basic steps are: remove the top, remove all the inside trim all the way around the rear window, including the rear pad. If the window is loose it will fall out so be careful, if it is not loose then use a long bladed filet type of knife to cut through the sealer. When I put one back in my race car I made sure the car was level and glued it in with Goop, that clear plumber's sealer stuff and it is solid as a rock. Good luck.

[HMeeder]

When removing the back pad, there are 2 screws that hold the bottom part of the pad in and 2 hooks/tabs that hold the top part against the window. Undo the 2 screws and pull the bottom of the pad down to the front of the car, then pull the pad down away from the roof. If you pull the top toward the front of the car the 2 tabs will be ripped loose from the pad. (ask me how I know!) The foundation for the pad is a sort of press-formed base similar to particle board.

Look up automobile parts supply in your yellow pages and get window seal (about $12.00 for a 12 foot strip.) I forget what it is called (butyl-vinyl comes to mind.)and it is a ribbon that is around 1/2 inch in diameter and has the consistancy of roofing tar. Sticky as hell, it is made specifically for windows that are not held in place by clamps or mounts. Believe it or not, the window is not held in by anything but the butyl-vinyl. My window was rattling and this was one of the easier fixes I have had to do to the car. It will also keep the interior drier since the rear window corners are one of the major rain incursion zones once the original seal dries up.

Good luck!

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Herb
'72 1.7 Tangerine 'Teen
'74 2.0 Red Rustmobile

[This message has been edited by HMeeder (edited 08-19-2001).]

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Get the 1/4" butyl tape.

Make sure that, after you get the window out, you clean everything up. Make sure the window is nice and clean (I scraped it with a razor, used Windex on it, then acetone), and clean all of the butyl out of the channel in the body. If you have rust in there, this would be a very good time to fix it or at least halt its progress.

The tape gets stickier with heat. You can put the window out in the sun to warm it up so the tape will adhere more effectively. I also used a hair dryer (I don't own a heat gun) to heat the tape once I pressed it into the channel on the body.

I used the seats as clamps to hold the window in. Some folded-up towels between the back of the headrest and the window, and you can slide the seat back far enough that the towel and seat combo will hold the window. I also rigged up something with a bar clamp and some wood blocks for the top of the window. I let it sit overnight (or maybe for another day after that??) to really set up.

--DD

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Pelican Parts 914 Tech Support

A few pics of my car: http://www.pelicanparts.com/gallery/Dave_Darling

[nutzforporsche]

Thank you all for the excellent input. I was able to remove the glass without any problem via an old guitar string and two blocks. You were correct this stuff is sticky! I almost left the darn thing out and went with that flow through design with some molding to cover the edges. I replaced it with another window that has defrost and it went in like flint, no problems, but damn that glue is a pain to get off. Again many thanks to all!
Steve