glass installation and trim

[tparker]

OK, depending on the weather, I'm considering installing my front and rear windshield this weekend. Looks fairly straight forward and I have no problem attempting it. Installing the vinyl top, rebuilding the seats, replacing the roof and trunk are all a lot more challenging. Not to mention welding sheet metal. LOL. But after doing a lot of research it seems there are a lot of people on both sides of the butyl tape vs urethane. My thought is urethane is the modern solution but Butyl tape should be fine. The idea that the window flying out at a sudden stop seems quite absurd. But no doubt it isn't nearly as strong as urethane sealer. I am considering using both. Using the tape to get the desired height and then adding a bit of urethane to keep it secure. Seems a reasonable approach

My question is more about the height. Those that favor butyl tape say that urethane doesn't look right inside the car and that the window doesn't sit high enough for the window trim. Does anyone have any thoughts on glass height and the trim. How much tolerance is there? Since people ARE recommending and using urethane, they seem to have the trim fitting properly. If you do it this way are there any mods that much be done? I just want to make sure I don't run into a problem with the trim AFTER I glued everything down. If I am a little high or low, will the trim still be fine?

[Mrbill426]

 

[mopar jack]

new cars use urethane and it sticks to the glass because to the black dots called frit. Our old windows were designed for use with the butyl rope. I use 3/8" rope to get the trim height close. Here is good article about the frit.

https://jalopnik.com/heres-what-those-little-dots-are-on-the-edges-of-your-c-1791075995

[anlauto]

If you're too high, the trim will be a bitch to put on.

[three two barrels]

Install the trim while the urethane is still soft as  the trim will give you the proper height, easy peasie 

[tparker]

@three two barrels I thought the problem with urathane is that it actually is two low since it doesn't have the 3/8 or what not bead height the tape does? I keep thinking its a gooey squishy material.

[tparker]

ooh, second question. Do you center the window all around? If I recall correctly, the little black spacers that came with my butyl tape don't really center the window properly. I'm going off of memory so I might be wrong. I would thing it would want to be centered top and bottom as well as left and right.

[headejm]

I like to follow this procedure:

[B5fourspeed]

A friend and I installed a rear glass on one of his cars.First time for both of us.It can get very messy.I called a pro for my Cuda and he charged 150.I supplied the rear glass went into the house came out 45 minutes later and the glass and trim were installed with no clean up.If you hire someone make sure they are schooled on older cars.

[anlauto]

I've used the same glass guy since 1986...He's been responsible for EVERY windshield and back glass in EVERY car I've restored...that's 50+ cars...

It's a simple process, so trying it yourself is a great plan if you want to gain experience and save a little too along the way but it's also something that can be left to the experts....I agree, make sure they have plenty of "old car" experience

[headejm]

I didn't hesitate to remove and install all of the glass during my restoration. I considered the process straight forward and fairly easy. I installed the rear SE glass by myself but had a helper for the (much) heavier windshield. My thoughts:

- Glass channels clean and properly painted
- Install the trim clips and test fit the trim prior to installing the glass
- Use the proper rubber spacers for the bottom edge of the glass to sit on (I reused the original spacers)
- Test fit the glass - sitting on the rubber blocks, get the gaps even around the glass
- Use at least 4 pieces of painters tape, two for the top edge, one on each side. These will mark the correct location of the glass. I also drew a black line through the center of the tape for even better alignment
- Cut the tape with a razor knife at the outside edge of the channel
- Paint the channel (where the butyl tape touches) with 3M Pinch Weld Primer
- Clean the glass thoroughly where the butyl tape will touch
- Install the butyl tape on the glass all the way to the outside edge. I put the joint on the bottom of the glass. Make a slightly overlapping cut and knead the joint together.
- install the glass using your pieces of tape as guides. Try to place the glass straight down, hitting the butyl tape equally at the same time.
- Push down along the edge of the glass. Wait 30 minutes and push down again.
- Install a bead of 3M Fast Urethane from the top edge of the glass tapered down to the bottom of the glass channel. I used a small plastic squeegee to taper the urethane. Avoid getting any on the trim clips.
- Let the urethane cure and install the trim
- Hit the "That was Easy" button

[tparker]

@headejm I've seen that image posted before and seems the most sensible explanation I've seen. That was pretty much the path I was going to follow. Glad to know you did the same and thought it was fairly easy. The hardest part seems to get the window aligned before you set it in. Seems totally doable.  I main concern was ensuring I get it at the right height for the trim. I wasn't sure how much tolerance is in it. I'm going to do a dry run with the trim just to make sure it is all good.

Thanks

[Rich G.]

I found 5/16 tape worked for the ones I've done.

[RUNCHARGER]

Getting it lined up is actually pretty easy. If you don't have spacer blocks you can cut your own from rubber laying around. You can use masking tape but once you have the spacer blocks in there do a dry run with your helper and note the spacing, it's really pretty self explanatory when you do it. The windshield is actually easier than the back window because you and your helper can reach around the windshield post with one of your hands and guide it in with one hand on the front of the glass and one hand on the back of the glass. Try to come in parrallel to the final resting place so you don't catch the sealer with a corner before the rest of the surface makes contact.

[headejm]

I found 5/16 tape worked for the ones I've done.

@tparker For my installation, I used 5/16 tape also. My glass was original (thickness) and the trim clip holes were in the original places. Some of the new windshields use thinner glass so you would have to use thicker butyl tape to get the glass to sit up high enough. 3M butyl tape comes in at least 5/16 and 3/8 thicknesses. The chrome trim should just barely rest on the glass when installed. If you are using new glass, measure the thickness of the glass. I can't recall the correct thickness but there are a couple of threads on here that have discussed it. I've heard that the AMD replacement glass is the correct thickness but I can't verify that. If you have to drill new trim holes, my experience is that the top of the clip should be about 1/16 below the surface of the body. Good luck!