Window removal and installation
(Cleanup) |
(→Factory glued-in glass) |
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#Windshield wire (best choice) | #Windshield wire (best choice) | ||
| − | #Stainless MIG wire ( | + | #"G" guitar string (second best choice) |
| − | #Mild steel MIG wire ( | + | #Stainless MIG wire (third best choice) |
| + | #Mild steel MIG wire (fourth best choice) | ||
#Handles made from pipe/conduit. | #Handles made from pipe/conduit. | ||
| − | #SHARP utility knife. | + | #SHARP utility knife. You may prefer the cheap disposable type with eight or ten snap off tips. mostly because their blades have some flexibility versus the rigidity of the traditional reversible blade "utility knife". |
#Needle nose pliers (with cutter preferable) | #Needle nose pliers (with cutter preferable) | ||
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Wrap one end of your wire twice around one handle, with 8-9" of wire hanging off the middle of the handle. Wrap this TIGHTLY around the long side of the wire, do not twist together. We will be pulling and do not want kinks or twists in the area between the handles and the glass, as this makes the wire weaker by work-hardening. Think of the little springs on a factory brake line and wrap the free end so it looks like that. | Wrap one end of your wire twice around one handle, with 8-9" of wire hanging off the middle of the handle. Wrap this TIGHTLY around the long side of the wire, do not twist together. We will be pulling and do not want kinks or twists in the area between the handles and the glass, as this makes the wire weaker by work-hardening. Think of the little springs on a factory brake line and wrap the free end so it looks like that. | ||
| − | Now, take the needle-nose pliers, and, starting at the bottom center of the glass edge, push the wire straight up into the urethane so it follows the inside edge of the glass towards the top. The wire should push fairly easily straight in, as if it was a needle. Once you carefully have pushed enough in to grab it with the pliers from the inside, pull about 4 feet or so into the car. Be sure it does not kink, a kink is a weak spot for pulling. | + | Now, take the needle-nose pliers, and, starting at the bottom center of the glass edge, push the wire straight up into the urethane so it follows the inside edge of the glass towards the top. The wire should push fairly easily straight in, as if it was a needle. Once you carefully have pushed enough in to grab it with the pliers from the inside, pull about 4 feet or so into the car. Be sure it does not kink, a kink is a weak spot for pulling. Some people prefer to "slash" through a length of the sealant with a razor knife parallel to the glass and then simply feed the wire through the resulting gap. Usually around the middle of one of the A-pillars is a good place to use this starting method. Much depends on the vehicle design. Sometimes a a lot of wire sawing can be eliminated by some judicious slashing with a razor knife. On others it's a waste of time. When in doubt, the default is to just use wire. |
| − | From inside, feed | + | From inside, feed the wire through the urethane along the glass at the top until it just touches the edge of the window recess. Again, like a needle would follow the inside edge of the glass. Now go outside, find the end, using the sharp knife to trim the urethane if necessary, and pull it out slowly until the wire is flat against the inside of the glass, without kinking it. If necessary feed more through until you have the bottom handle about 3 feet from the base of the glass, then with about the same amount of wire from the top of the glass, attach the second handle by wrapping it 2-3 times with wire, and twisting the loose end around the wire leading to the glass, as mentioned above. |
Hold the handles from a position along either side of the car, with the wire following the glass edge to the side. The closer the wire follows the glass recess the better. Alternately pull slowly but firmly, first one handle, then the other. You will see the wire cutting through the urethane as it is pulled, the vertical part of the wire will come towards you. Keep the part sticking out of the urethane following the glass channel to the side, do not pull at an angle or raise up away from the channel. | Hold the handles from a position along either side of the car, with the wire following the glass edge to the side. The closer the wire follows the glass recess the better. Alternately pull slowly but firmly, first one handle, then the other. You will see the wire cutting through the urethane as it is pulled, the vertical part of the wire will come towards you. Keep the part sticking out of the urethane following the glass channel to the side, do not pull at an angle or raise up away from the channel. | ||
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If you are reusing the glass carefully trim any excess urethane from the edge of the glass. A thin layer is OK, but chunks along the glass edge or where the inside sits in the channel should be removed. | If you are reusing the glass carefully trim any excess urethane from the edge of the glass. A thin layer is OK, but chunks along the glass edge or where the inside sits in the channel should be removed. | ||
| − | Trim out the excess urethane in the channel the same way, so just a thin layer remains, and no big chunks. Some people like to leave the majority in place, I trim as much of the old out as I can and add new urethane, so I can be SURE it will seal all the way around. Any bare metal spots in the channel should be primed/painted of course, and rust removed as much as possible. If the channel has rot in it then the bad metal should be cut out and a new piece made up and welded in it's place. Pull the headliner before welding, and keep an extinguisher handy. | + | Trim out the excess urethane in the channel the same way, so just a thin layer remains, and no big chunks. A brand new sharp blade is good to use at this point. Some people like to leave the majority in place, I trim as much of the old out as I can and add new urethane, so I can be SURE it will seal all the way around. Any bare metal spots in the channel should be primed/painted of course, and rust removed as much as possible. If the channel has rot in it then the bad metal should be cut out and a new piece made up and welded in it's place. Pull the headliner before welding, and keep an extinguisher handy. |
==Side window== | ==Side window== | ||
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