[vulcan300]

Reinstalling the back window in the Targa is the work of the devil! The front window is an cake walk in comparison. It is definitely a DIY kind of thing if you are up for the challenge.

You will want to get a pair of suction cup handles from Harbor Freight or local equivalent for handling glass (around $15-$20). Having someone to help you with the install is a good idea and can usually be had for the cost of a few cold beers. You will also want a role of nylon cord which has a high tensile strength, the glass of your choice, a genuine Porsche rubber seal, and new locking trim if the old plastic/metal stuff gets too damaged as you remove it.

To remove the old window safely and to preserve the trim you can use a sharp xacto or utility knife (use a new blade) to cut through the seal just in side the locking trim. Carefully cut through the seal until you reach the edge of the glass. Once you have cut through the seal all the way around the window you can push it out from the inside without stressing it. Set it aside in a safe place as you'll need to remove the rear view mirror later.

If your window has the embedded antenna there will be a wire on the lower edge of the window on the passenger side. You will need to disconnect this inside the car before lifting out the window. Since you are discarding the glass you can cut this wire before lifting the window out.

With window out you should be able to spread open the channel in the seal holding the locking trim and carefully extract it. Set it aside in a safe place where it won't get bent or damaged.

Next pull the remains of the old seal out and discard it. Inspect the rim for any rust or damage. Clean and repair as necessary with a little rust encapsulating paint.

Place the new glass concave side down on a padded surface. I used a rolling work card with some foam padding on top. If you have metal locking trim you will have to ensure that the contour of the trim matches the contour of the new glass as closely as possible. Place the trim against the glass and slowly bend until you've achieved a good fit. This is the most important step to ensure the seal will fit properly and will keep the water out.

Once you're happy with the trim you can place the seal on the new window. My old seal had a slot cut in the back for the antenna cable but I found that this wasn't necessary due to the design of the attachment point of the wire to the window. Once the seal is in place you will snap the locking trim in place.start at one end and apply firm pressure until the seal snaps into the groove. A little spray silicone helps a lot. You can also use a heat gun on low or a hair dryer on the hot setting to make the rubber a little easier to work with. Once you have the first trim piece in place you should install the two trim cover pieces that hide the gaps in the center at the top and bottom of the window. Then install the second trim half.

Now you're in the home stretch. Have a beer to take the edge off.

Grab your nylon cord and start feeding it into the groove that will be pulled over the metal lip in the window opening. You can lubricate this cord with a bit of silicone grease or equivalent to make the process a little smoother and increase the chance of success on the first pull. I put two pieces of cord into the groove so that if the first failed to pull the lip of the seal over the metal lip the second would finish the job. You should mark the second cord with a piece of tape as you'll want to pull it first. If you start with the first one you will likely pull both out of the channel.

With the cords in place you can put the suction handles on the window and have your friend help you guide the glass into the window opening. You will apply pressure at the edges and get the glass and seal seated evenly in the window opening. As long as you're pressing on the edges of the glass your chances of cracking it are close to zero.

With the glass and seal nicely seated in the window opening you're ready to pull the nylon cord starting with the one you marked. Have your friend apply even pressure on the outside of seal where you begin the pull. This will ensure the cord pulls the rubber seal over the metal lip. Strong even pressure on the cord helps. Pulling the cord towards you at an angle perpendicular to the glass also helps. If you pull at a sharp angle the cord tends to slip out of the groove. As you pull the cord around be careful that you don't damage the wire for the antenna. Also make sure that you feed this wire through the hole when you seat the window in the opening as it probably isn't possible to do it after the fact.

If the both cords fail to pull the seal over the metal lip don't despair. Have a little more beer, breath deep, and carefully put the window and seal back out of the opening. Set the cords in place and try again.

Once finished stand back in awe of your fabulous work. Drink the remainder of the beer.

Unfortunately I didn't have to remove the rear view mirror as I was just reinstalling my old glass. You'll need to ask others for help with that. I'd assume it involves melting the adhesive with a heat gun though.

This whole process took me an hour from start to finish and I didn't have a helper. It was the first time I've even installed a front window. I did receive a trial by fire installing the rear Targa glass first though. I guarantee that you'll do a more thorough professional job than the glass guy will unless you can find one that has done quite a few vintage 911s and understand the nuances of the process. Good luck!