63 Windshield - only tinted available?

[1961 Bubble Boy]

Bob glad you walked away and took a break. I hope you have a helper. The instructions for the back glass might have some nuggets of wisdom that the windshield guy should have shared. Just remember while rear windows go forward, windshields go back. Take your time, forget about things for a while, tomorrow is another day, and you can do this!

 

[blkblk63ss]

Bob . i did mine front and rear by myself as per instruction's with rope . I only used sealant after windshield was in, messy otherwise. I generously put sealant between glass and rubber seal {,lift sea}}and sealant between body and rubber seal all the way around in both location's You will start rope in center on bottom and pull a little at a time and go out and push windshield down as you go.Once bottom is you can pull rope on side's and reach outside and push window in while pulling rope Once side's are in the top you will pull rope and the rubber lip will go pretty easy. After you have window in just with palm of hand just push in all the way around outside of window.Clean up is messy with sealant all over glass and body.Once you see how front went the rear will be easier , at least for me it was.If i were to do this again i would tape windshield and body back to keep sealant to prevent more of a mess.Your top chrome will snap in after windshield and you want to allow for chrome to lay in without too much sealant.

 

[bobs409]

Bob get Tommy's guy but don't leave him the key
Robert

Is this an attempt at humor?

 

[bobs409]

Bob . i did mine front and rear by myself as per instruction's with rope . I only used sealant after windshield was in, messy otherwise.

As with everything, I work alone. (you should have seen me put the trunk lid on!) Glad to hear you did yours by yourself. I knew it was possible. (that's why I left the doors and fenders off for now to make the reach easier)

I'll admit even though I don't want to.... I did what the instructions say in bubbleboys post above. I put a bead of that nasty, sticky black, straight from hell sealer on the bottom! What a mistake! I spent most of the rest of the day cleaning that off the gasket (and everything else it got on) for tomorrow's attempt.

If only that strip of metal was removable that sits in front of the dash, I think this would drop right onto the flange. (that's what I had in my mind before I actually attempted it) Don't 62's have a removable strip there? Might be a 63+ thing.

1 step forward, 2 steps back....

 

[blkblk63ss]

Bob it is removable .It snap"s in very tight.I migh have had mine out when I did windshield can"t say for sure ,but is does come out.I for sure had mine out I think when I painted dash .

 

[bobs409]

Great! I'll have to investigate that. I think it would be a big help with that removed.

 

[1961 Bubble Boy]

Bob what sealer did you put on the bottom and around the gasket? The instructions call for a medium body sealer which is the 3M body caulk. It comes in strips in a box. It is easy to work with. Just like the stuff used originally. The butyl is for the glass to rubber seal which per the instructions you put on after the glass is in the car.

 

[bobs409]

I used 3-M bedding & glazing compound. Not what I thought it was going to be though. It would work good to squeeze in there afterwards.

 

[blkblk63ss]

I did not use strip sealant ,you can accomplish the same result"s by sealing all along bottom of windshield and most likely conform to cavity"s easier than strip sealant. You can do as you want ,but that is how I did mine as I went all the way around with sealant

 

[1961 Bubble Boy]

That glazing stuff is Butyl and is not the right stuff. Suggest you buy the body caulk and follow the service manual. Sealing the clips and placing the sealer around the seal and on the flange before installing the window is very deliberate. It will ensure a reliable seal. Trying to seal it after it is installed is not reliable. That is why the procedure is what it is. If you plan on leaving your car out in the rain and don't want a soaked carpet, I would follow the manual with the right caulk.

 

[bobs409]

I did seal the clips and will fill around gasket after the install. It will accomplish the same thing without getting it all over the place.

 

[1961 Bubble Boy]

Well I was an mechanical engineer at GM for 20 years and spent 8 years in 3 different GM assembly plants. One of my areas of expertise was water leaks. I ran hundreds of cars personally through the water test booth and repaired hundreds personally. I helped design and redesign tons of seals and body sealing on cars and trucks. I trouble shooted leaks on a daily basis and ran them back to the root cause in the trim shop, body shop, or paint shop, or the supplier. I understand sealing of vehicles and know what will leak and what will not.

 

[64ss409]

They always recommend rope or cord to pull the rubber in. I have been using 14 gauge automotive electrical wire instead. The plastic coated wire slips the rubber over the metal lip pretty easy. For lube, I spray the rubber with Formula 409.

 

[blkblk63ss]

Well I was an mechanical engineer at GM for 20 years and spent 8 years in 3 different GM assembly plants. One of my areas of expertise was water leaks. I ran hundreds of cars personally through the water test booth and repaired hundreds personally. I helped design and redesign tons of seals and body sealing on cars and trucks. I trouble shooted leaks on a daily basis and ran them back to the root cause in the trim shop, body shop, or paint shop, or the supplier. I understand sealing of vehicles and know what will leak and what will not.

So apparently the old school shop manual way wasn"t the best way to seal???

 

[blkblk63ss]

I bought a 66chevy pickup years back and it had a leak on right top windshield area and leaked down under dash and caused some floor rust. I wanted new windshield any way so I got a new seal and windshield. Installed myself and still had leak in same spot. I sealed that windshield the same way I did my 63 . Under rubber to body and under rubber to glass with sealant . No leak"s I can go through car wash and is dry.. To me strip caulk is old school technology

 

[1961 Bubble Boy]

So apparently the old school shop manual way wasn"t the best way to seal???

No actually the root cause was usually someone who through they knew better and did not follow the design.

Car washes use very little water and are not a test. Our booth was like being in the worst downpour you could imagine. Sealing one truck is hardly a test. We had to seal between 40-60 an hour. We bond windshields in with urethane now and don't use a gasket, but we use plenty of seal caulk throughout the vehicle. It is not outdated.

 

[blkblk63ss]

But you were in assembly plant ,right????Yes I worked in a Chevrolet body sho for about two year"s and remember windshield replacement leak"s also with the older model"s before sealant.LOL

 

[1961 Bubble Boy]

But you were in assembly plant ,right????Yes I worked in a Chevrolet body sho for about two year"s and remember windshield replacement leak"s also with the older model"s before sealant.LOL

Well I hate to burst your bubble but even with urethane (which is sealant) and no gasket we still do not get 100% dry cars. That is life mass producing anything. That does not prove the caulk is not a reliable sealer.

Also if you worked in the body shop, you really would have no hands on knowledge with sealing a complete vehicle. Besides the weld through sealer in between the lap joints, the real sealants and things like windows got installed in the trim and paint shops.

 

[blkblk63ss]

I have installed front and rear windshield in my son"s 64 impala my 55 Bel air front and back my 63 ,my 66 pickup ,no leak"s . I will continue to do so ,it work"s for me. Actually the grey sealant in under windshield molding"s in 63 and 64 was the grey gooey sealant was great but you can't get anymore as it did not harden and sealed great .

 

[1961 Bubble Boy]

Well,this could go on all night, but I have installed front and rear windshield in my son"s 64 impala my 55 Bel air front and back my 63 ,my 66 pickup ,no leak"s . I think I will continue to do so ,it work"s for me. Actually the grey sealant in under windshield molding"s in 63 and 64 was the grey gooey sealant was great as it did not harden and sealed great ,but still there was no sealant between glass and rubber seal on these car,s and some did leak there.

The strip calk we use does not harden. It stays like soft clay. As noted in the 61 shop manual there is sealer between the glass and the rubber. It is butyl. The specific stuff is thinner to allow it to be pumped behind the gasket edge and seal to the glass. The glass sitting in the rubber channel would never seal and would leak like a sieve without any sealer.