Yesterday while I was driving home I hit a pot hole and my windshield popped out:eek: . Luckilly it was just the top and I was almost home. It looks like the old gasket has shrunk due to its age and sun exposure. A new gasket is ~$40 and I don't really want to pay someone to put it in. So how hard is it to replace the gasket? Any tricks, methods, do's or don'ts? Just don't want to break the windsheild too.
Thanks,
Brian

It's a breeze once you have done one, you need a rope long enough to go all the way around the perimeter, nylon about 1/8" in diameter, and I like a couple of friends to help..... install the rubber onto the glass, insert the rope all the way around leaving the 2 ends at the bottom. Lube it up real good with glass cleaner. Have one of your buddies hold the windshield and gasket into the frame, one on either side. you get inside the truck while they hold medium pressure on the glass, start pulling the rope, and you will see it roll the edge of the gasket over the frame, work the rope equally, (don't start at the drivers side and attept to pull it all the way in only from that side) the corners sometimes take a lot of effort, a bit of extra lube here helps.. Keep it up until you pull the rope all the way thru. BTW if you have one of the older WS with the plastic insert, on the outside, they take a special tool to install this after its in. All of you ought to wear leather gloves just in case.
I have had to wrap a screwdriver around the rope for a handle also.
Butch

I did one in a jeep and just worked it in with a screw driver all the way around. Took about 30 mins. Some parts were a pain but over all pretty easy. This particular seal was same style as cruisers with the gasket and the "rubber cord" to tighten everything up

arndog

the hardest part is keeping the even pressure on it

getting it out is also difficult

they are soooo easy to break, lossen the seal off all the way around......
jam cardboard around the seal the whole way around, or like 10mm spacers, itll pop right out (after you have removed whatever gunk the PO used to hold it all in)

to install, rope all the way round, overlap on the middle, push a little bit in and pull the seal in and your golde, work your way around evenly and slowly

let us know how you go :rasta: :mad3: :nuke:

by the second one you should have it down pat :p ;) :D

Do it the way Texican says.

He explained it to me and I did it with the windshield frame removed and by myself.

I used parachute cord.

Texican has got the right method...I had my windshield changed in my Acura and I asked the windshield guy the same question...he stated the exact thing that Texican said...

Thanks guys. I will let you know how it goes.

Got it all done. Took three attempts, a few :beer: , but it is in. Not the most fun thing I have done. I ended up using several pieces of duct tape to hold the gasket on the windshield as on my second attempt it slipped off when I was almost half way done. I also took the frame off the 40 since I did it solo. I leaned it up against the cruiser long ways the third time and that seemed to work better than just laying it flat (it ends up pushing off the gasket when layed flat). Used a piece of rope and a screw driver to work the gasket over the lip. Also used the screwdriver to insert the plastic insert that seals it all up. Hope it does not happen again as I do not want to go through that again. So simple, yet so frustrating.
thanks for the help,
Brian