Following the theme of the pinion seal thread, I thought I'd share how I got the windshield out of my '87 Xcab the other day. This truck is in the process of getting a complete frame-off restore, the cab is totally stripped of all interior parts, really nothing left but the shell, even the door, fenders, hood, and cowl have been removed. The windshield was in very poor condition, lots of pits and a few stone stars, and I could see rust peeking out around the trim in a few places, so it needed to be replaced. I talked to a glass shop about having them come remove the windshield, they were gonna do it for $75 when when had a job in the local area, but I got tired of waiting for them, I needed it out.
Working VERY carefully, I was able to remove all the chrome trim around the windshield. Having the FSM handy showing what type of clips were where, how to work with them, etc. I only broke one little clip, not too bad. All the trim is still in usable shape.
Now on to removing the glass. I didn't want to spend the money on a windshield removal tool for one use, and I had read about using MIG wire to remove one. What you're supposed to do is take a sharp pic and make a hole through the sealant at one corner, then take some MIG wire and thread it through the hole, and wrap the wire around a couple scraps of wood to use as handles to saw and pull the wire through the sealant to cut it all the way around. Well, I tried 0.030 and 0.023 wire, and it was hopeless, the wire kept breaking after cutting only about an inch or so. I have to assume this is the original windshield, the black sealant was VERY stiff, like trying to cut through tire rubber. Even a sharp knife was not working, and a heat gun had little effect on softening it. It became apparent that I wasn't gonna get the windshield out in one piece. I didn't really care, it was getting replaced anyway.
I remembered a trick I learned in a vehicle extrication class when I was in the Fire Service waaay back in the 80's: slap some clear contact paper on the windshield, then pop a hole in the glass, cut it out with a sawzall with a fine blade. The contact paper keeps the small bits from flying into your (and the victims) face, and holds the sheets together better than the internal layer. A stop at the hardware and I had what I needed, off I go.
I started out by running a strip of duct tape around the perimeter, my intent was to cut down the middle of the duct tape. Then I sectioned the windshield out in manageable pieces, also with duct tape. Then I applied the contact paper over the whole thing. I also put a tarp inside the cab to keep glass fragments from going too far, and another tarp under the cab.
Safety gear: I put on heavy boots, long pants, my leather welding jacket and heavy gloves, goggles, AND a full face shield. Just the outfit to wear on a nice hot humid day!
Using a 2" masonry chisel and a hammer, I "cut" a slit in the glass at the upper corners, then at a few other strategic points. Then I used a fine demo blade in my Sawzall to cut the glass about an inch or so from the outer frame. It cut surprisingly easy, actually, like I was cutting thru 1/4" plywood. I sliced the thing up into chunks about 12" square, and tossed each one into a plastic tub on the floor.
This left a thin border of glass still glued to the cab. I sharpened a 1" stiff putty knife, and used a hammer to cut through the stiff sealant, pounding it mostly perpendicular to the frame, working slowly, all the way around. It was exhausting work, that stuff did not want to cut. It took a long time, and I was soaked in sweat by the time I got it all out.
Then I had to start cleaning up, what a mess!! Lots of sweeping and vacuuming, I think I got all the glass bits into the tub. By the time I got this done, I had no more energy for the day, plus I was late for a dinner at some friends.
The next day I had to deal with the remaining black sealant on the frame, not sure how I was gonna get that stuff off. Then I suddenly remembered the Rockwell SoniCrafter (https://www.rockwelltools.com/US/Sonicrafter-P1353.aspx?gclid=CMDuh9fs6qkCFcWA5QodqhVGYQ) tool my wife gave me for Christmas, still unused in it's pouch. Figured I'd give it a try, stuck the scraper blade on, and that thing sliced thru that stuff like it was nuthin. In a matter of minutes I was able to scrape almost all the old sealant off the cab frame, then I finished it off with a knotted wire wheel in my grinder.
Now I'm ready to start prepping for paint.
Again, probably not the best way to do this job, but it worked for me.
Working VERY carefully, I was able to remove all the chrome trim around the windshield. Having the FSM handy showing what type of clips were where, how to work with them, etc. I only broke one little clip, not too bad. All the trim is still in usable shape.
Now on to removing the glass. I didn't want to spend the money on a windshield removal tool for one use, and I had read about using MIG wire to remove one. What you're supposed to do is take a sharp pic and make a hole through the sealant at one corner, then take some MIG wire and thread it through the hole, and wrap the wire around a couple scraps of wood to use as handles to saw and pull the wire through the sealant to cut it all the way around. Well, I tried 0.030 and 0.023 wire, and it was hopeless, the wire kept breaking after cutting only about an inch or so. I have to assume this is the original windshield, the black sealant was VERY stiff, like trying to cut through tire rubber. Even a sharp knife was not working, and a heat gun had little effect on softening it. It became apparent that I wasn't gonna get the windshield out in one piece. I didn't really care, it was getting replaced anyway.
I remembered a trick I learned in a vehicle extrication class when I was in the Fire Service waaay back in the 80's: slap some clear contact paper on the windshield, then pop a hole in the glass, cut it out with a sawzall with a fine blade. The contact paper keeps the small bits from flying into your (and the victims) face, and holds the sheets together better than the internal layer. A stop at the hardware and I had what I needed, off I go.
I started out by running a strip of duct tape around the perimeter, my intent was to cut down the middle of the duct tape. Then I sectioned the windshield out in manageable pieces, also with duct tape. Then I applied the contact paper over the whole thing. I also put a tarp inside the cab to keep glass fragments from going too far, and another tarp under the cab.
Safety gear: I put on heavy boots, long pants, my leather welding jacket and heavy gloves, goggles, AND a full face shield. Just the outfit to wear on a nice hot humid day!
Using a 2" masonry chisel and a hammer, I "cut" a slit in the glass at the upper corners, then at a few other strategic points. Then I used a fine demo blade in my Sawzall to cut the glass about an inch or so from the outer frame. It cut surprisingly easy, actually, like I was cutting thru 1/4" plywood. I sliced the thing up into chunks about 12" square, and tossed each one into a plastic tub on the floor.
This left a thin border of glass still glued to the cab. I sharpened a 1" stiff putty knife, and used a hammer to cut through the stiff sealant, pounding it mostly perpendicular to the frame, working slowly, all the way around. It was exhausting work, that stuff did not want to cut. It took a long time, and I was soaked in sweat by the time I got it all out.
Then I had to start cleaning up, what a mess!! Lots of sweeping and vacuuming, I think I got all the glass bits into the tub. By the time I got this done, I had no more energy for the day, plus I was late for a dinner at some friends.
The next day I had to deal with the remaining black sealant on the frame, not sure how I was gonna get that stuff off. Then I suddenly remembered the Rockwell SoniCrafter (https://www.rockwelltools.com/US/Sonicrafter-P1353.aspx?gclid=CMDuh9fs6qkCFcWA5QodqhVGYQ) tool my wife gave me for Christmas, still unused in it's pouch. Figured I'd give it a try, stuck the scraper blade on, and that thing sliced thru that stuff like it was nuthin. In a matter of minutes I was able to scrape almost all the old sealant off the cab frame, then I finished it off with a knotted wire wheel in my grinder.
Now I'm ready to start prepping for paint.
Again, probably not the best way to do this job, but it worked for me.
