[cujo]

I am going to need a new windshield, since when I was trying to remove it I cracked it. I have heard that it is very easy to get the front windshield glass, but how easy is it to get the rear window glass? I have not tried to remove the rear window yet and I am afraid I will probably break that one as well. I purchased a windshield removal tool, but that is what I was using when I cracked my windshield. Anyone have any tricks to removing the rear glass w/o breaking it?

[cujo]

I am going to need a new windshield, since when I was trying to remove it I cracked it. I have heard that it is very easy to get the front windshield glass, but how easy is it to get the rear window glass? I have not tried to remove the rear window yet and I am afraid I will probably break that one as well. I purchased a windshield removal tool, but that is what I was using when I cracked my windshield. Anyone have any tricks to removing the rear glass w/o breaking it?

[78 GHOST]

Cujo, the only good things I've heard about window removal involved piano wire being used to cut the sealer around the perimeter of the glass. Apparently, you must make a small hole to start with and it really takes 2 people.

[meanolgoat]

I'm not sure what car you have, but on cars like the 66 and 67 GTO's the rear glass is flat. Any good window shop can cut you the glass with a pattern or the old glass.

Removing them is a trick in patience. If it is a original glass that has never been out, I use putty knives, screwdrivers, ravor blades and wire, to work around the whole perimeter.
Start on the outside, remove the trim, and all the dirt under the trim with a brush, then look at the seal, and see if there is a loose spot already, and start there. I will crawl in the inside and use a putty knife to work around the window. Don't use a ton of force, old seals will usually give with a little effort, After I loosen it up, I move to the wire, get a helper
One on the inside, and one outside, and move around the window on any areas that are stuck well, and use a sawing motion to cut thru the sealent.

take your time and don't worry about getting it loose on the first pass, eventually you will see the window is loose, and gently push or pull it out, and sealent that hangs on, cut with a razor.

[cujo]

The car is a 71 LeMans and the rear window is concaved. I called a few local glass shops today and was able to get the front windshield for $99 (uninstalled). One glass shop told me he could not get the rear glass, but he also told me that the rear glass is tempered and is approximately 7 times stronger than the windshield glass. So hopefully if I am very carefule I won't break it while removing it. The 2nd glass shop told me they could get the rear window, but it will cost me $457.

[GoatRider]

I got the rear window out of my 69 GTO by using the method Meanolgoat described (sharp putty knife from the inside then two-person piano wire.)

It definitely appears to be a single piece of tempered glass rather than a lamination like the windshield, that would explain your difference in prices. And your glass shop guy is right, tempered glass is a lot stronger and more resistant to cracking. Bad part is, if you do manage to start a crack, it is going to explode into tiny pieces!

[Greg Reid]

I used a homemade "cold knife" to remove my rear glass. It was tough but with a little patience and a lot of grunting(or luck?), I got it out without damaging it.
I've attached a photo of a cold knife. It's what the pros use. You lay the blade down next to the glass and turn it so that it's inserted into the adhesive. After that, you grab the handle and pull while holding the shank of the glade upright.

I made mine by heating the blade of and old paring knife and putting a 90 degree bend in the first inch of it. I then drilled a hole in the handle near the blade and attached a stout piece of wire like a coathanger to pull on.
I've thought about it and I think if I were going to use a wire, I might try a "wound" guitar string. I think it would saw through the adhesive a lot easier than a smooth piece of music wire.
Just a couple of ideas...

[Ken K]

Harbor Freight sells those tools. That's what I use. Windshields are harder to get out, when they get old, they are more brittle and crack easy.

[Ken K]

Glass Search can get glass for old cars. You can call them and they will tell you where the glass is and give you a price.

[4SLASH6]

cujo, got mine out of my 70 by myself, I used some 2 or 3 strand thin wire, stuck it thru from outside, then went to inside & balled it up @ the end,...went back to outside & pulled around entire glass,..came out super easy since filler panal was so rusty was hardly connected @ bottom. good luck!

[wacko212]

Try stripping some small cables out of some remote controlled mirrors and use them with small vise-grips. get a friend to help. I use these all the time, they tend to act as a saw and wont break like a small wire will. just be carefull around the clips .

[cujo]

I bought the tool Greg shows above locally for $14 and that is what I was using when I broke my front windshield. Thanks for all the input I will see how I make out removing the rear window this weekend.

[aj66gto]

Tough luck Cujo....keep trying...Where is Wiliamson anyway??

[cujo]

Williamson is about 22 miles east of Rochester.

[Hammered]

Cujo,

Contact Pilkington Classics in Columbus OH. They are an OEM manufacturer of glass for GM and still reproduce most pieces for popular muscle cars. You can buy from them direct or they will refer you to a distributor in your area.

The problem with the tool you bought is that it is easy to cock the blade while cutting the old butyl. It only takes a little stress to crack a windshield while removing it. Same goes for wire-it's difficult to cut the butyl without pulling up just a little on the wire.

John

John

John

[Greg Reid]

There's one other tool that hasn't been mentioned- probably because it may be a little expensive considering the fact that most guys don't remove glass but half a dozen or so times in their life...
It's a tool that's pretty much the same as the one I pictured earlier but it's battery powered. It heats the blade so that it pretty much just melts right through the butyl or urethane sealant.

[aj66gto]

Cujo,

Your way upstate..I'm on the Island. Thought if you were closer we could help each other out.

Greg,

Does that tool cost more than a new windshield and rear window? If it works good and you don't break nothing with it it pays to but it. Then all your friends can borrow it and return it broken if at all.

[RayJ]

Find and remove the hard rubber spacers that prevent the window from moving during installation. Removing them will make it a lot easier to use the wire to cut through the sealant.

[Greg Reid]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by 66 GTO:


Greg,

Does that tool cost more than a new windshield and rear window? If it works good and you don't break nothing with it it pays to but it. Then all your friends can borrow it and return it broken if at all. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Heh, heh...Yeah, that's a good point. I've honestly not been able to find much in the way of a source for the hot-knife. The one photo I found of one is below and the associated website refuses to give a price except to registered customers. Oh yeah, I was wrong about it being battery powered. It's AC powered.

[cujo]

Well using the manual windshield removal tool I was able to successfully remove the rear window! I have a couple of molding clip studs that are broken off, can these be replaced some how? I am thinking I might need the rear window panel (piece between the window and trunk lid) and I was wondering if the molding clip studs come attached to this piece?