got a cracked windshield and need to remove the caked on old caulk around the window. the PO loaded it up with caulk on top of the adhesive which then dried and pushed out the trim. am going to probably go with some after-market rubber trim for ease and convenience but i want to clean out the frame and make sure there are no suprises in there.

so on to my question: any easy ways to remove a windshield? should i buy one of those wire thingy's and use that? i have seen a knife type mechanism that has a handle that is pulled to cut the adhesive. is that better? or should i bust out the BFH and the shop vac? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif)

many thanks in advance.....

do not break the glass on purpose !!!!!

those little shards of glass are sharp and small..........

you might need to get a heat gun to help soften up the caulk, the wire does work, just takes a while.........

Hey, I actually know something about this. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap56.gif)

piano wire and two lock type visegrips.

1) remove outside trim
2) remove inside trim around window, you can leave it in but you chance marking it up.
3) get yourself about 12" of piano wire
4) Tread wire under glass, pick a corner.
5) lock a visegrip on each end of the wire and slowly pull and use small saw type cut.
6) presto... windshiled is cut loose. Have friend help you lift windshield out.

I used a heat gun to help soften up the crap in the window frame and clean it out with a small putty knife.

Hope that helps.

-Garold

PS. I never installed a window just removed them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
PPS. Took me abour 25 min to do it the first time

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)
I would just add that you can use a giutar string, even cheaper... and you get six of em
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I've got this to do as well. Understand the concept but how do you get wire pushed through sealer/windshield?

Are you inserting wire from outside to inside?

Does this require a starter hole created by the knife thingy mentioned?

Is the lower rubber seal mounted at bottom of windshield required during reinstallation? I seem to remember mixed opinions on this one.

If using guitar string, is the smallest dia. best?


John

Get sucktion (sp?) cups from the local tool shop too - Harbor Frieght had them for less than $5 each and it really helped me prevent from breaking the glass upon removal.

Just attach the cups, lift out.

I was able to just push it through a corner. I used needlenose pliers to help push.



I'm not sure, I don't see why it wouldn't work. I got my piano wire from a music store. I explained what I was going to do and they gave me some used wire. I have no dea what size it is, but it worked.

-Garold

I also used guitar strings. I would recommend a heavy guage (like bass strings). The real thin wires (small guage) are easy to break sawing the glass out. I also used a small pick to get under the edge of the glass and slowly scrape out a small passage in the seal to feed the wire through. It works best if you have two people, one inside the car and one outside. And be prepared for the glass to fall out, especially if the seal is rather weak and dried out. Good Luck.

Hey Boys,

I was an auto glass installer in a prior life.

Couple things to add

1. Whether heating the seal will help depends on what is holding in the windshield. There are 2 proper methods and one bad, but common improper one. The proper methods are Urethane caulk and butyl tape. The bad one is silicone caulk. BAD, VERY BAD!!Heat will only help if it is butyl tape. You will know its tape if from the INSIDE of the windshield, when you stick something into it (i.e. wire, nail etc.) it has a consistancy like chewing gum. It is common to cover the tape with another sealer like silicone or urethane on the outside, so the outside surface is not a good indicator. Tape is cut with a hot knife in a glass shop, and it literally cuts like butter. But, like I said, it is normally top coated with urethane, which doesn't react much to heat. SO, for the do it yourselfer, your best bet is piano wire. Piano wire will cut anything used to install a windshield. You could swing by you local glass shop, and I'm sure they would sell you several feet for a few bucks. Glass shop wire is not actual piano wire anymore, but rather a similar wire with abrasives imbedded in it.

Rather than vise grips to hold the wire, a better method is to drill a thru the middle (the short way) of two 6" ish pieces of old broom handle or similar round object. You thread the wire thru the holes, and twist it off, so you end up with a handle like the pull handle on a lawn mower, at each end. You wire ONE end as I descibed, then, push the other end thru from the inside of the car out, in an upper corner with needle nose, as described above. pull it thru on the outside by grabbing the end with the needle nose and pull thru. THEN twist up that end like the first. It is easiest to cut out the windshield with 2 people, one in and one outside the car. If you find that as you cut, the seal sticks back together, then you have a seal that is at least based on a strip of butyl tape. You simply need to apply outward pressure as you cut initially. Once you have cut far enough that there is a decent gap between the winshield and the tape bed, just stick objects in like a screw driver or such to prevent the winshield from making contact with the tape untill you have cut the whole thing.

Also, be very careful of your dash as you cut. I ALWAYS put a piece of smooth sheet metal about 18" long over the dash where the dash meets the windshield, and move it along as a I cut . Any thin hard surface will do. The key is to make CERTAIN that the wire is not touching the dash as you are pulling back and forth to cut. One stroke across the dash with that wire will make an irrepairable cut. Trust me.

There are a number of other things you might want to know about this whole windshield gig, but the above should get it out fer ya. If you want to know more, just say the word. None of it is rocket science.

Chris

Thanks for all the detail. I'm sure it will be useful in a few weeks when this job rolls around.

Still need clarification if lower rubber seal is needed when reinstalling.

Also, my vinyl covering between windshield and dash pad has shrunk and needs replacement. Any sources of where this material can be purchased? If it comes precut or needs to be bought in bulk and cut to fit. Same goes for foam pad underneath.

The only reason for pulling my perfect windshield is to replace this vinyl covering. Job will consist of new dash pad replacement, windshield R&R, lower vinyl replacement and installation of new clips to hold chrome trim...........that ought to do it.

John

"Still need clarification if lower rubber seal is needed when reinstalling."

The lower rubber seal is actually cosmetic only. It only hides the "glue" holding in the windshield. You will only need to replace it if you damage it in the removal. I have been able to remove 2 or 3 winshields w/o damage to the lower seal except a few very tiny cuts (more like scratches really) that were nearly impossible to see even when looking for them. But on another ocassion, I cut the snot out of it. It really depends on how hard you have to work to get the windshield out, how carefully the cutting is done, and whether you are gonna want a concourse condition seal for your re-install.


"The only reason for pulling my perfect windshield is to replace this vinyl covering. "

Cutting out any windshield with the hope of re-using it is tricky business in almost all conditions. A butyl tape seal is your best chance for success, followed by a bad silicone seal, then a fairly thick urethane bead, with a thin urethane bead bringing you to the "no friggin' chance" end of the spectrum. Even guys who do it for a living will tell you they can't guarantee getting any windshield out in one piece. I would see if your dash repair can be made without removal (I don't know, and since my dash is a train wreck, obviously I don't know squat about getting supplies). If it must be pulled, I would definitely call an auto glass shop. Most will come to you to do it, and it will probably cost less than you think. (the shop I was in charged $35, but that was a long time ago).

thanks for the info gents. the stuff around my windshield is hard as a friggin' rock..... i am certain butyl tape was not used. the wife has a heat gun for her crafty crap work so i will pinch that and use it to heat up the gunk to cut through. and as far as the wire, i have a roll of wire i used to make hangers for prints, i suppose that whould work. and as far as a broom, the wife doesn't know how to use the one we have so i may as well cut it up (gratuitous chauvanistic comment)!!!!!

i will tackle this once things are warmer. maybe next weekend as it is supposed to snow again tonight!!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) :finger2: (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif)

if i remember, i will post pics of the sequence of events for others to learn from my mistakes......

Good luck Mang.

Don't bother with the heat gun though. Hard as a rock can only be urethane, and the small effect a heat gun will have on it ain't worth the effort. Putting the car in the sun for a while before hand will do just as much, but won't put your interior or winshield paint in danger of getting (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blowtorch.gif) M
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Mebbe you got an original windshield with the original factory sealer tape.

It was a rubber material with a wire running through the middle of it. They'd place the tape around the frame, clamp the windshield on to the frame, and hook both ends of the wire up to a zillion car batteries or a huge transformer. As the wire got hot, the tape got soft and the windshield was pushed into the sofetning goo. Remove the juice, allow to cool, break off the ends of the wires and age for 30 years.

Tried removing mine and broke it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ar15.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ar15.gif)

Don't do it unless you absolutely have to. If you do, look for the wire when you are done.

Ken