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Windshield replacement

2K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  hurricanebilly 
#1 ·
You guess it! My windshield has a crack in it and I need to replace it. Is this difficult to do? Is it a two man job? I tried to search for a write-up but came up with nothing. Anyone have a link?

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Without doing a whole write-up (since I didn't take pics when I did it) I can give the following brief pointers: My frame was rusted beyond repair and a crack appeared. Bought the kit from Q-Tech. Frame arrives in black primer and is a halfway decent quality fit compared to OEM. To hedge my bets against future rust fromthe inside out I plugged all holes and poured in a pint of black Rustoleum and rolled the frame around and around slowly. (Also discovered some openings I missed plugging.) Let the inside coating cure for about a week until nothing oozed out any more. Note: keep frame oriented so the movable plates inside with nutserts can be moved several times a day to keep them free.

Glass and gasket fit and worked OK. BUT, and this a big BUT... The Hi Viscosity adhesive supplied with the kit is so thick it broke two decent quality caulk guns and I could not get it laid down fast enough before it started to dry.

It takes one and a half tubes - I picked up some medium viz adhesive from the local auto parts store on the advice of an employee who had doen several windshields with it. He was right. It will stick to anything. It also goes on quickly enough with a pro quality manual caulk gun. Problem solved second time around. For an extra $50 worth of adhesive. Use tape to position and hold the gasket during the whole process. And most important - working with a new frame and being able to lay it down flat is the only way I would recommend doing this (or taking the old frame off to lay flat).
 
#4 ·
Reno72 said:
I got a qoute for $150 for glass and all gaskets installed by the local windshield shop. The glass itself was $100 online so I figured $50 for them to install was cheap labor. JMHO
Yeah I think this is the direction I'm leaning with this. It's pretty cold out and it seems like a hassle to remove the frame. For only $50 more I'd do it. Dd they reinstall your rear view mirror as well?
 
#5 ·
I did it myself a little over a year ago... a 2nd person would have made it go a little smoother, but not a deal-breaker. Just take your time. just like a quality paint job, the most labor-intensive portion (and the most important for a good job) is the cleaning/prep. make sure you clean out the channel well, a good wire brush (either by hand or in a drill) to thoroughly clean any leftover adhesive, loose paint and rust. a good etching primer and a couple quick light coats of paint. let dry well then install with the appropriate adhesive.

While letting the adhesive set, some people have luck with just some masking tape in a few spots around the edges for a day or so while they use the vehicle more or less normally... I used a couple styrofoam blocks and a couple ratchet straps completely around the windshield frame to "clamp" the windshield in place overnight (well, about 15-16 hours from the afternoon when I finished until the next morning.) I didn't drive it at all in that time just to be sure the urethane was cured sufficiently. I didn't want it to shift any mid-cure. That stuff's a bear to remove so I wanted to make sure it was set properly.
 
#6 ·
I did mine with the kit from quadratec. It comes with 2 tubes of windsheild glue, all the rubber, the frame and the glass for about 315. It fit perfectly all you need are new hinges if yours bad. The only thing i would suggest is to rent an electric caulk gun. I used a manual and broke 2 in the process and my forearms were dead after.
 
#7 ·
I install autoglass for a living, my advice to you is spend the extra money and have a local installer take care of you. If you have the ability to watch, i recommend doing so for future reference. Also, make sure that whoever does so primes all scratches they make, failure to do so will result in rust.
 
#10 ·
When I did mine it went pretty smooth.

First I tried removing the windshield with a wire. That didn't not work well for me so then I tried prying it up. That worked just a little better than the wire. I found that the bfh ultimately worked best, making small pieces of the windshield for easy disposal. After most of it was all over the hood and inside the tub, I just had the lip that was still glued down. I used a scraper to get most of the glue and remaining glass off. Using the scraper as a chisel, little at a time. After some time, It still was not clean completely, so I used a little heat to burn off the remaining crap.

It got a lot easier to install the new glass. I called the shop down the road and had them do it as I watched. Guy was very cool, didn't even ask about the original glass.
 
#12 ·
I was wondering if I could cut the rubber that goes around my windshield as it is to big . I could order another I know . but lost shipping box and labels . this jeep is only used as a beach jeep . and a few miles a day at best .
Could I cut seal to fit and use some sealant to remake the seam ?
 
#14 ·
It was fun but a total PIA to learn and yes the caulk gun needs to be heavy duty. If I had it to do again call a pro to install mine leaks real bad. But it was fun and my thumbs hurt for weeks.
 
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