I remove and install windshields exactly as you describe except now I use 3mm string trimmer (weed wacker) filament line instead of cord, I would never go back.

The filament slides over the lip and rubber seal very easily with hardly any resistance which is especially good rounding the corners.

 

5 hours ago, cgsheen1 said:

And: Patience is the key to Joy... Fortune cookie..

Excellent write up! Thanks for spending the time..

12 hours ago, Patcon said:

Excellent write up! Thanks for spending the time..

Agreed. 

@cgsheen1 Would you mind spending a couple of extra minutes to post your write-up in the CZCC 'Knowledge Base'?

Excellent write up. If I may add a couple of personal experience notes.

1. Putting the cord in the groove. I use a short piece of brass tubing, 1/4 OD or something, 4 inches longish, whatever will let your cord of choice pass through easily. Poke the end of the tube into the groove and drag it along, it will deposit the cord in the groove like magic. Should take you literally 30 seconds to do the entire circumference.

2. Lube. Tried all kinds of wet lubes, none were all that useful. If you feel compelled to use lube, try corn starch. Dry, stays put, cheap, easy clean up (blows away without doing anything actually) and makes rubber slippery without being greasy or drys out like soap. 

4. Spend more time than you think you should getting the gasket/glass sitting as low and close into the window channel as you can, flush with the body all around, and centered left right. This will ensure an easy cord pull as the rubber lip is nice and close to the pinch weld.

3. Biggest trick of all is to use two cords instead of one. Start one top center and go around left, end at bottom center. Same for the right. Leave a foot at each end top and bottom. Pull a bit of the bottom, left and right six inches, then repeat on the top, left and right, continue left and right, balancing your pull top and bottom. Go around bottom corners first, then the top, though it really doesn’t matter. 

Why is this such a great deal? Balance.  All the problem I had during the first dozen installs revolved around gravity. I always started at the pull at the bottom and ended at the top, if I went the other way, gravity would pull down and make the bottom sit far too far away from the pinch weld. At least if you set the bottom first, then the top is likely to stay closer. Still by the time you get around the top corners 3 of the 4 sides are in, and the top “tends” to be farther away from the pinch weld than is ideal and you end up fighting to get that rubber lip over the pinch weld. 

If you do the top and bottom at the same time, you have balanced gravity and trap the glass top and bottom, which are also the longer edges, so by the time you get to the sides, it’s all over but the beer drinking. You can also see if you’re slightly off center left/right before you do the sides, and have a chance of easily pushing it back out to start over. You do NOT want it off center of course. Leads to leaks. Bad enough that most seals I see don’t have molded bottom corners. Rubber never seems to sit right often exposing those bottom corners. Sealant time. See the picture below of what I use. 

Doing this balanced technique, I often don’t need a second person pushing on the glass from the outside. As long as ensure you get the glass/gasket down as tight to the body as possible before you start and maybe get out a couple of times to push it down as you get going around the top, or just before you start going around the corners. If you’re a social person, then get four buddies, one on each corner and you’ll be done in 5 minutes. 

4. Setting the lip over the pinch weld. As you pull cord and the rubber lips slips over the pinch weld, I spend a few moments pushing the lip firmly down onto the pinch weld, seating it more completely than just where ever it sits after the rope passes that point. Makes double sure the glass is pulled down into place. I use a flat plastic tool  to get between the glass and lip and press the lip away from then down over the pinch weld. 

I use a 5/32 white nylon cord, but I like the idea of thick string trimmer cord. Should have less friction. Whatever you use, wear thick leather gloves so you can pull without pain. Too old for that grin and bear it crap. 

Edited July 17, 20231 yr by zKars

Jim, you clever bugger, I love that cord in the tube idea and the corn starch, I'm going to try both next time.

I have a friend who's a big bicycle rider / repair guy and is always putting inner-tubes in bike tires.

He says the popular technique in the bike realm is to get a little talcum. He borrows it from Malcolm. He says it's great lube for the inner tube to squirm around inside the tire while getting everything mounted up and inflated.

I'm thinking that would work great on the windshield seal as well if you're looking for an alternative to corn starch?

I suspect talcum powder is 99% corn starch.   I know Johnson’s Baby powder is. Corn starch is $1 per pound, any commercial product like talcum or Baby powder is 10x the cost. 

Nope, talc is something different.  “Often mixed with corn starch….”

 

Edited July 18, 20231 yr by zKars

I believe talc and soapstone are the same mineral.

Honestly, I was just using this as an opportunity to drop the talcum / Malcolm reference.    And surprisingly enough, it's not as simple as a quick google search. It seems a little more obscure than that. I know someone will get it, but they'll have to honestly know it.

So... Game on!   

2 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

Honestly, I was just using this as an opportunity to drop the talcum / Malcolm reference.    And surprisingly enough, it's not as simple as a quick google search. It seems a little more obscure than that. I know someone will get it, but they'll have to honestly know it.

So... Game on!   

 

All right! It's zee Wango, zee Tango 
1-2-3-4 
Come on boys 
Time to Wango

My baby she like to rock 
My baby she like to roll 
My baby she can dance all night 
My baby got no control 
She do the Wango Tango

My baby she can scream and shout 
My baby she can move it out 
My baby she can take a chance 
My baby got a brand new dance

Wango Tango 
Wango Tango 
It's a Wango Tango 
Ooooh yeah! (oooooh.) 
Baby!

My baby like to rock 
My baby like to roll 
My baby like to dance all night 
She got no control 
She do...

Wango Tango 
Wango Tango 
Wango Tango 
Ooooh yeah! (oooooh.)

Yeahhhhhhhhhh! 
Baby! Baby! Baby! Ooooh I like the way you look baby 
You look like you're made for me honey 
If you wanna take a little chance 
I'm gonna show you a new dance 
Baby I gotta Wango down one time with you honey 
I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it 
Well, it's a brand new dance 
Yeah been sweepin' the nation 
I said a brand new dance 
A rock 'n' roll sensation 
Yeah I like it baby, I do it every night 
I got to do it 'cos I like it so much 
Oh honey believe it baby 
You see it's a crazed gyration of the rock generation 
It's my motivation to avoid the nauseation, frustration 
When I need some lubrication - Baby! 
Kinda like, goes kinda like this 
You take her right ankle out 
You take her left ankle out 
You get her belly propped down 
You get her butt propped up 
Yeah lookin' good now baby 
I think you're in the right position now baby 
Yeah but if you ain't quite ready I'll make sure everything is a little bit nicer 'cos 
I'm gonna get a little talcum 
I'm gonna borrow it from Malcolm 
Yeah you look so good baby I'm startin to drool all over myself 
I got the droolin', droolin', get all wet, salivate, salivate 
I got salivate late, salivate late, salivate late 
Got salivate, salivate, salivate, salivate, heh heh heh 
Yeah you look so good baby, I like it, I like it, I like it 
You know what I been talkin' about honey 
It's a nice dance, we gotta a nice dance goin' here 
Now what you gotta do, I'll tell you what you gotta do 
You got to pretend your face is a Maserati 
It's a Maserati 
It's a Maserati 
It's a gettin' hotty 
It's a Maserati, Maserati, Maserati 
It's a fast one too man, that thing's turbocharged 
You feel like a little fuel injection honey? 
I'll tell ya about it, I'll tell you about it 
I'll check out the hood scoop 
I gotta get that hood scoop off, shine and shine and buff 
I gotta buff it up, buff it up, buff it up, buff it up, buff it up, 
Yeah, shiny now baby, heh heh heh 
You've been drivin' all night long 
It's time to put the old Maserati away 
So you look for a garage, you think you see a garage 
Wait a minute, Hey!, there's one up ahead 
And the damn thing's open 
Hello! Get in there!

Is my baby alive? (Is my baby alive?) 
Is my baby alive? (Is my baby alive?) 
Is my baby alive? 
She Wango'd to death

Wango Tango (Wango Tango) 
Wango Tango (Wango Tango) 
Wango Tango (Wango Tango) 
Wango Tango (Wango Tango) 
Wango Tango 
Wango Tango 
Wango Tango 
Wango Tango 
Wango Wango 
Tango Tango 
Wango Wango Wango Wango 
Tango Tango Tango Tango, yeah... (echoing)

 

 

Edited July 18, 20231 yr by Racer X

Ding DIng! We have a winner!  

I don't think we needed the entire song lyrics quoted, but we have a winner! 

Wango Zee Tango!!!   Hahahahaha!!  Now go pretend your face is a Maserati and sorry for the diversion!!   

14 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

Ding DIng! We have a winner!  

I don't think we needed the entire song lyrics quoted, but we have a winner! 

Wango Zee Tango!!!   Hahahahaha!!  Now go pretend your face is a Maserati and sorry for the diversion!!   

Back from when Terrible Ted with the Ten Fingers of Doom was cool and didn’t use his celebrity status to push his radical extreme political agenda.