Mr. Carb Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 My 84 Brat GL windsheild has developed a crack from our last cold spell here, Now my friend is giving me a good wind sheild from an 80 Subaru GL Wagon, I wanted to know if they were compatible, wich they probably are, and what is involved in removing and installing a windsheild properly? thanks for any input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 All EA81 body windsheilds are the same. You need a new or good used gasket to do the install - $55 from jcwhitney. Doing it yourself isn't really reccomended, but if you want to, you use a string, and a lot of slimy tire installation stuff.... put the string in the groove, and lay the windshield over the opening - pull the string through to the inside of the cab, and this will pull the gasket on with it - work you way around, and it's done. Basically it sounds simple, but really isn't. To get the old one out, you either smash it (really, really messy), or cut the gasket with a utility knife. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 If you are going to trythe rope method that GD suggests, make sure to start at the bottom in the center and have someone to help you. Your partner should be outside, pushing slightly on the shield to assist in it going in and not shifting around. Pull the bottom rope across and up about an inch on one side , then do the other. Try to keep each side about even as you work toward the top two corners. A soft to medium open handed slap on the shield from time to time will help seat the shield. The top two corners are a bear and there is a twisting motion (kind ofa circular pull) with the rope that will help to get the corners in. A cotter key puller (a hook tool) will help tremendously with pulling the gasket in. Be careful not to hook the glass or have it between the pinchweld and the shield when your partner slaps the shield. If your gasket has a double lip on it, pull the first lip (the outer)all the way in, then work the second one (the inner) in after. Silicone spray works very well as a lubricant. WD40 is all right, but clean up is messy. It should be sealed with eurethane. If there is accent chrome in the gasket, insert it in the gasket before you bring it to the car. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Carb Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 Ok, that sounds like a bit of work, if I have the windsheild from the 80, can a windsheild shop install it into my brat for me and remove my old one? or is that illeagle for them to do now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Most shops will do it, but they will not guarantee that they will not break your shield in the process of installing it. They should charge you about $50 to install it (which is a rip-off as they charge $16 per hour for autoglass installation and if you're good at it , it takes about 1/2 hour). They really want to sell one of theirs to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonehuntn Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I flaged down a windshield guy off the street. He installed a used windshild with a new gasket that I already had for me for $25. It is leagle for a pro installer to install a used windshield for you. They would rather sell you a new windshield. They say a used one tends to be brittle. I wonder how true that is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Carb Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 Well I really doubt glass gets bitter with age, if it does, it's not within 20 years of age... thats for sure... otherwise old fishtanks would blow up... and I know the seals usallaly go first and that happens at about 40 years of age.... So I'm pretty sure glass would be ok. Now I hope I don't have to do much haggling to get a professional shop to do it for me, if Austin and I can't get it in our selves, maybe he knows how.... Anyway thanks everyone for the info... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I'm looking at your signature. Does your gasket have some chrome trim on it? If so, is it rigid chrome, or is it an insert bead? The latter of the two indicates an easier, but technically more difficult process. Let me know which type you have and I can make a better analysis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Carb Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 It looks like it's a crome beed, I can't physically look at the car in person right now, cause it's located about 2 miles away from me, I have it stored at a friends house right now... but from what I can tell from my high res picts in my photo album, it's a crome insert bead. here I'll give ya the link to my album and ya can try looking for you're self and see if thats what it is, I'm not sure what ya mean by the rigid crome though.... heres the link: http://usmb.net/gallery/album108/Carl_Brat2?full=1 thats a good close up shot... and the link to the whole album is... http://usmb.net/gallery/album107 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Ok. What you have is a rigid chrome insert. This is good news. Stay with me here. Removal - 1. lower right corner is missing corner trim. Start there. With a cotter key puller (hook tool) or some pointed (blintly) tool, lift the top lip of the chrome up until it pullsout of the interlocking rubber. Slide the tool all along the bottom of the gasket. pull the trim out. Pell the corner trim out on the corner. Repeat this all of the way around, taking care not to kink the trim. 2. The gasket should be urethaned to the glass on all three surfaces. To remove the urethane, I make a special tool that makes it easy (get a windshield removal knife blade that has been broken and heat it up and bend it with a 1/4" lip on it. Bolt it to a piece of flattened conduit. bend the conduit to make a handle. Use your hook tool to create a void between the glass and the gasket or get a plastic stick from a glass shop - you'll need acouple of these anyway - slide the blade in until the lip drops over the edge of the glass. Pull the blade around the perimeter of the glass and you've cut 2/3 's of the urethane.) If you can't make the tool, carefully use a utility knife or a fillet knife to cut the urethane away from the glass. Then, using the flat plastic sticks, pry the rubber up and cut alongthe side of the glass the free op the sides. 3. Next, carefully cut the urethane on the inside from the glass and the gasket. A fillet knife works well here with some gentle pressure pushing out on the shield. 4. Now comes the fun part. One person inside/one outside. Inside, sit in the seat and put your feet on the shield. Push out slowly and evenly. Pushing too hardwill result in you catapulting the shield straight onto the hood. Outside, grab the shield on the way out. Wear safety glasses in case of glass flakes. clean up 1. The entire channel in the gasket MUST be free of old urethane and glass chips. Any debris left in there can and probably will result in breakage on installation. Use the plastic sticks to scrape out any debris. Wear gloves for all of this incase there are any glass chips. 2. Spray the gasket down with glass cleaner and wipe off. 3. Turn on ignition switch and set defrosters on high for a couple of minutes. Blow out any debris that may have gone in there. 4. While the shield is out, Armorall the dash and side posts. Inspect the gasket to make sure it is on the pinchweld. Look at the inside of the gasket, especially the top. See if there are two lips on the top. If so. roll the top of the gasket and about the first two inches of the sides off of the inside lip to ease installation. If not, make sure the gasket is firmly over the pinchweld. * note. The external edge of the gasket should be urethaned to the body. This aids in the structural integrity of the vehiclein the event of roll over and helps in avoiding leaks. installation 1. Again, inspect the groove in the gasket to make sure it is free of all debris. 2. liberally apply silicone lubricant on the external lip od the gasket around the entire perimeter. 3. slide the bottom edge of the shield into the groove in the bottom of the gasket and push the shield to your partner on the other side of the car. He/she should use a plastic stick to lift the side gasket up to allow theshield to start to eat in the side. Your bottom corner can be set in by keeping the corner about an inch up on the side and tucking the corner in the side gasket and then sliding it down into place. Use plastic slicks to free up any snags. 4. Use your plastic sticks to pry up the gasket away from the glass along the side, working the shield evenly as you go up. A couple of soft flet-hand slaps will help seat the shield as you go along. Do not pry against theedge of the glass. 5. The top corners will be the worst part. Sometimes it is easier to work the top lip from the middle to the corners. You can push the gasket up over the glass withthe plastic stick from the inside to get it started. Work the lip up over the glass until the shield is completely in and seated. 6. Trim. Put the bottom lip in first and use either your hook tool or plastic stick to pull the top lip over the trim. You can also get one side of the trim started on one side and feed it in, pushing it to the other and then deal with the two lips on the gasket the last few inches. Use plenty of silicone spray for this, taking care not to kink the chrome. 7. If you did have the double lip on the top, pull the gasket inover the pinchweld inside before you reinstall the trim. 8. Clean up and go drink a beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Carb Posted January 20, 2004 Author Share Posted January 20, 2004 Thanks for the greatly written instructions, it looks pretty complicated, but I think Austin and I might be able to pull this off... I'm gonna have austin read it as well and see what he thinks... cause he wants to change a windsheild in one of his cars as well, so thanks a bunch for the info, really apraciated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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