SAFE removal of rear quarter wagon glass.

[BlueSoob]

HELP   I need to remove the 'custom' glass from the rear of my wagon.   Wagon got totaled.  Would like to save glass.   I tried around town to borrow glass removal tools and all I came up with was a cutting wire from a glass company.  

I have a 97 OB.  

What trim do I need to remove to access the sealant?  Where are the trim pieces attached?  What other tools besides maybe a razor blade, needle nose pliers, cutting wire, would I need?   Is there a good method to this??

 

 

[ocei77]

I don't have complete info, but I have had to do some of the same.

Perhaps one who does this a lot will chime in.

Meanwhile, the bottom pieces of trim on the quarters will pop off, as does the trailing edge trim.The top  trim is secured by 8mm nuts from the inside. You'll need a deep socket here. The access trim will just pop off.

Don't pry on the glass with anything hard. You can heat the metal of the body inside the car with a heat gun or hair dryer to soften the adhesive, then push the wire through from the inside. I used a tire plug tool. You can then saw the wire to separate the glass from the adhesive. You have to make a way to secure the inside while doing this or a 2nd person.

 

O.

[jp98]

I have found that when removing glass from a vehicle that you want to save it is best just to take a hammer and smack it and then go purchase a replacement. 

 

I have tried removing a lot of glass that is glued in or held in by years of age and have never gotten it out crack free.

[gbhrps]

bluesoob,

 

The auto restoration shop where I work from occasionally does this several times a year, with a lot of success, but you must be careful, and take your time.

 

After trim removal, push the guitar string through the sealant from the inside and pull out the other for about a foot. Then wrap the string around a wooden dowel or similar  several times and knot it.Do the same on the inside of the car at the other end of the wire. With someone on outside of the car and you on the inside, saw the sealant apart to free the glass. Apply a flat hand to the glass as you go with light pressure.

 

Good Luck!

Edited April 12, 2016 by gbhrps

[BlueSoob]

gbhrps:

do I apply most of the pressure with the string to the urethane or try and keep the string straight or try and keep pressure towards the car?  

I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst.  The window is tinted on the inside and 'custom' on the outside.  Hence why I am trying to save it

[987687]

There's a special tool that looks kind of like a sawzall for removing glass. When I needed replacement rear quarter glass for my outback I called a mobile glass guy, he said he'd come out to the junkyard and remove the glass for a $15 fee. Rolled in my generator, took all the trim off, and he did the work. Completely worth it. Call around, chances are a mobile glass guy will do it for you pretty cheap. If you want the glass out without breaking it, its the best option.

 

You can get them out using piano wire and two people, but quarter glass is usually really difficult to remove that way

[BlueSoob]

I got it.  One piece!   Didnt even break more than two clips!  LOL   Damn I'm good

[Olnick]

Good going!!!

 

Just curious--what are you going to do with it now you've got it out?